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Edition No. 153 — January 7, 2020 
COVID-19 Vaccinations at Saint Joseph Villa
On December 29th, Saint Joseph Villa began COVID-19 vaccinations for staff and residents.
S. Marie Cecile Iwetz SSJ celebrated her 104th birthday with a COVID-19 vaccination.
Laudato Sí Reflection for January 10, 2021
Sisters of Saint Joseph serving on the Chapter Implementation Subcommittee for Directive II, offer this excerpt from Laudato Sí and questions that you can use for your personal reflection, local community sharing, or another creative way you can incorporate these into your life. Enjoy this week's reflection.
Zoom—In the Rearview Mirror
by Julie Gabell, SSJ Associate in Mission

As Christmas lights dimmed and the New Year winked at us with promise, Zoomers at Saint Joseph’s Villa looked back with satisfaction on the accomplishments of the past year. 2020 had seen their numbers grow from 3 to 26 members. They had discussed at length “Black Lives Matter” and concentrated on ways they could make a difference while still confined during COVID-19. They had analyzed Chapters One and Five of the encyclical Fratelli Tutti and come away with a better understanding of the hopes and vision of Pope Francis.

George Floyd’s death opened many avenues of discussion this past year and our ensuing examination of systemic racism made us step back and take a long look into our own hearts. S. Patricia Ralph SSJ helped us do that. Additionally, we came face to face with our country’s past brutalization of indigenous peoples. At that time, we invited Chief Shelly of the Native American Lenape tribe to share with us her insights and experiences. Respect for “Mother Earth” was brought home when S. Mary Elizabeth Clark SSJ, Director of the SSJ Earth Center, joined us for another of our Zoom meetings.

Our discussion of the death penalty took palpable form when S. Leonissa O'Brien SSJ shared with Zoomers the murder of her brother 27 years ago. Despite the time-lapse, her opposition to the death penalty was emphatic; she remains a firm believer in Restorative Justice. Immigration was another “hot political topic” that challenged us this year. We empathized with the plight of immigrants and did our best to understand the complexities of the immigration process. To this end, we invited Peter Pedemonti, co-founder of the New Sanctuary Movement in Philadelphia’s Kensington area.

We talked about the “return to normal” during a pandemic and noted the stress engendered by a contentious political climate. Globalization also figured in our discussions but was content to remain at rest until later in 2021. When all was said and done, Zoomers agreed that they had covered a wealth of informative topics this past year.

This week Zoomers “rang in a new” with an upbeat presentation from social worker Louisa Latella, LCSW CADC. Her optimism caught fire as she assured us that we can bring about changes within ourselves—if we “live from the inside out” and embrace “the NOW where miracles happen.” May this optimism take root in our hearts and grow throughout the world in the coming year.
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"With the help of God's grace and in fidelity to our founder's expressed wish, we live and work lovingly among all persons with a special preference for those who are poor, which calls us wherever we are to be in union with them."
                         — SSJ Constitutions #21
Editor, Sister Carole Pollock SSJ | 215.248.7269 | cpollock@ssjphila.org |http://ssjphila.org/home/