By Sister Oluchi Ejiemenu, SNDdeN

Our world has been ravaged by a new pandemic called Coronavirus (covid-19). This pandemic has eaten deep into the system, livelihood and fabrics of our world that the rich and the poor are fighting to stay alive through social distancing, hand washing with soap and water/sanitizer and observing the stay at home lockdowns. In Nigeria, while the rich and average income earners are able to cushion the effects of staying at home, the poor, low/daily income earners are growing very hungry by the day with no means of fending for their families as a result of the several weeks of business lockdown in some cities. The numbers of people hungry have become so many that the foods and other palliatives from the government, companies and people of goodwill are like drops in the ocean.

In the midst of this reality, Tanke community thought of what St. Julie would do at a time like this to bring smiles at least to some poor women and children. As sisters of Notre Dame whose mission has option for the poor especially in the most abandoned places, we decided to embark on feeding the poor at Easter with our Lenten savings.

Members of the community sprang to action; we cooked rice and beef dish and packaged with drinks and moved onward for distributions to the poor with delight. On our first trip, April 13^th, we feed 9 persons. Seeing the number of persons in need of food on that day, we made more dishes on April 24^th and three sisters went out to food 58 persons who were mostly the most vulnerable. This simple act of love brought much joy and smiles to their hearts and faces. We were also joyful that we could reach out. God is indeed good.

Holding each other in prayer as sisters tell their stories.

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By Sr. Annette Sullivan, SNDdeN

John Nwodo Close SND community is closed- a message we are imparting to ourselves, outsiders, friends, visitors, etc. However, near the entrance gate we’ve placed the new global sign of welcome – a bucket of water and hand washing soap.

It is not business as usual. Normally four of us have ministry offices within the premises, while the other three commute to their places of work. It’s different now. All work from home. While transport money is less, so money for phone recharge cards has increased as exponentially as the global infection rate.

Visitors do come, but visits are short. Sisters do go out but return as soon as possible to the confines of the compound which is currently being gently transformed by the seasonal and welcome rains. Sap is rising, buds are bursting and a sheen of green covers the central area. We have time to smell the earth, hear the happy chirrup of the birds as well as the clink of hammers of the construction work going on next door.

From the upper room of one of the two houses that accommodate us, we can see the nurses all wearing protective masks and moving about in St Mary’s Hospital next door. Are they getting busier each day? Or, is it we who are slowing down?

We have indeed slowed down: we have each found a new rhythm with more time to spend in prayer, whether in chapel, chamber, or under the sky and stars and Easter moon. At our extended evening community prayer in chapel, a changed arrangement of the chairs has made us conscious of social distancing and at the same time, of our global inter-connectedness and closeness with people of our planet everywhere. We bring to mind our sisters, our family members, our sick, our suffering, our medical experts and the vulnerable poor. From the four walls of our small chapel we look out at life in an ever- widening, inclusive frame, knowing that in the end, this virus shall pass away and ultimately heaven and earth must somehow come together as God’s will is done on heaven and on earth. With God we are safe. With God we are one.