We are very excited to announce that the Centre will re-open for programs, pilgrimages, retreats, and individual visits this year! It has been two years since our doors have welcomed sisters, associates, agrégées, partners, and lay people, and we are ready and willing to serve you!
Enduring a pandemic has been an extraordinary experience for all of us and in a sense, it created an opportunity to see ourselves as a global community all dealing with the same problem. Although that unity was not always easy or evident, having to confine ourselves to our homes for long periods of
time, wearing masks, distancing ourselves from each other, sanitizing our hands, and avoiding the spread of the virus that we could not see showed us that we are all connected to each other—and vulnerable to Nature. During these two years, almost 6 million people in the world died from coronavirus with 414.5 million confirmed cases. Thanks to the vaccination, masks, alcohol-based gel as well as governmental mandates for isolation, cleaning, and safe health practices, this pandemic wasn’t as bad as the 1918 pandemic where 25-50 million people died (some reports estimate 17-100 million) with 500 million cases worldwide. Nevertheless, such statistics don’t always comfort us as many of our family, friends, neighbors, and associates could not escape the virus’ deadly effect.
So, now that the virus has subsided or at least reduced its ferocity, we begin anew with joy and sighs of relief that we can “re-enter” the world— and return to Le Puy. We have been truly blessed to survive the pandemic, and we should celebrate that and reflect on what it means to us as individuals and members of families, communities—and as part of the Sisters of St. Joseph.