Over the last month, our lives have radically changed. The new “norms” require physical distancing, isolation and public restrictions.
Each day we’re challenged to adapt to the new precautions while maintaining our ordinary responsibilities. It’s a confusing time, but it’s allowing us to think beyond what we’re most comfortable with to what we can do in spite of these circumstances.
For the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown Young Adult Ministry community, we’re taking our precautions seriously while doing what we can to support one another. We discovered that the crisis of the pandemic is a call for us to grow deeper in community, generosity and creativity. This is our response:
We turned our monthly brunches to weekly Virtual Brunches! Each Sunday our group meets through Zoom, a video communication platform, that allows us discuss our thoughts about the impact of COVID-19. These Virtual Brunches allow us to lift each other up through the uncertainties of each week.
We also began “Virtual Tutoring” for the many students in Ursuline Ministries programs. Not having the structure of school is difficult for all of the students, so our tutors are there to help them adjust to this new style of learning. The tutors use video platforms like Zoom, Skype, and Google Duo to check-in daily with the students. We were successful in making sure that every student had their own tutor to offer personal guidance and support.
In my extra time, I began sewing fabric face masks to support local healthcare workers. This is a creative way to continue serving while staying at home. With the help of my Grandma, we were able to make some face masks send to the Global Response Management medical group in Brownsville, Texas. It serves women and children living at the U.S./Mexico border.
We all have a piece in this puzzle. What matters most during this time is how we choose to respond. Will we respond with gratitude for all that we have and all we can do? Will we respond with creativity and openness to carry on our responsibilities in new ways? Will we respond with hope and generosity those around us?
Pope Francis reminds us to find hope in the cross during this time:
“Embracing his cross means finding the courage to embrace all the hardships of the present time, abandoning for a moment our eagerness for power and possessions in order to make room for the creativity that only the Spirit is capable of inspiring. It means finding the courage to create spaces where everyone can recognize that they are called, and to allow new forms of hospitality, fraternity and solidarity.” (From Pope Francis at Urbi et orbi, on March 27th, 2020.)