"This will only be about 2 weeks..." So I naively thought on March 16, 2020, when I packed up my office to begin working from our residence, Villa Regina. We were following the "safer at home" guidelines due to COVID. How little did we all realize that nearly 52 weeks later, we would still be in this mode. We have learned to "smile with our eyes," as shown in the photos below, since masks are the order of the day.

How far we have come! Long lines for essential supplies, masks for every occasion, celebrating Eucharist outdoors or via live stream, Zoom (not the hot cereal I remember from childhood days), feelings of isolation and uncertainty, and now, thanks be to God, life-saving vaccinations. As we have just started the season of Lent, some have said that it seems like we have had a year-long Lent. To the extent that the pandemic has been a time of profound grace, that is true. We continue to offer our heartfelt prayer for all who have been afflicted with COVID or who have surrendered loved ones into God's eternal embrace. Now, we pray that each of you, our cherished friends, will discover the new life of spring, Lent, and the beginnings of a post-pandemic world.