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photo, Vatican News   Prayer for the Election of a New Pope O God, eternal shepherd,who govern your flock with unfailing care,grant in your boundless fatherly lovea pastor for your Churchwho will please you by his holinessand to us show watchful care.Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,God, for ever and ever. Amen. (prayer from USccb.org)  

    The 23rd Plenary Assembly of the UISG opened today in Rome at the Ergife Palace Hotel, with the participation of over 900 Superiors General from around the world. The event is taking place at a crucial moment for the Church, marked by the recent passing of Pope Francis and the anticipation of a new Pontiff, which makes the chosen theme even more significant: “Consecrated Life: Hope that Transforms.” Sr. Mary Barron, President of the UISG, inaugurated the proceedings by urging women religious to be “pilgrims of hope” in a wounded and fragmented world. She recalled the pillars of Pope Francis’ pontificate, such as personal encounter with Christ, synodality, authority as service, and vulnerability as a path to renewal ... To read more, Go to:  https://plenary2025.uisg.org/en/the-23rd-assembly-of-the-uisg-consecrated-life-a-hope-that-transforms/   photo by UISG    

  Happy Feast of St. Joseph, patron of the Korean Province of St. Joseph the Worker, and our prayers for the Korean Province and its members!

  photo from Genesis Spiritual Life & Conference Center   LCWR Region 1 Spring Meeting was held at Genesis Spiritual Life & Conference Center in April 29 - 30, 2025, and the member of the region have discussed and shared their thoughts about 'Justice Ministry Now and Into 'the Future' and Disverning Our Emerging Future' in depth.  

                              Global Connections Volume 9, Issue 2   Journey with Hope Sister Kim Maria Youngmi   Pope Francis has chosen “Pilgrims of Hope” as the motto of the Jubilee with the following explanation:  “the forthcoming Jubilee can contribute greatly to restoring a climate of hope and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth that we so urgently desire; that is why I have chosen as the motto of the Jubilee, Pilgrims of Hope.”  It led me to reflect on what we have been doing for the future of our congregation.  We, the members of the Sisters of Divine Providence, I believe, have always struggled to figure out how to fulfill God’s mission entrusted to us, in accordance with the needs of the times, while paying attention to the reality of the congregation and still making every effort to understand what Providence is telling us through our wisdom, knowledge, insight and concerns. I often feel more frustrated or disappointed than hopeful, whenever I see the socio-political reality around me, or unprecedented natural disaster, or various shocking accidents and inhumane incidents.  And I have a lot on my mind to figure out how we could move towards the direction where our Provident God is beckoning or how we could find ways to actualize Providence in this dire reality.  In a very rapidly-changing world where there are a lot of options and ways, it is not easy to recognize what God wants us to choose.  It takes time to make decisions about where to go with any hope.  It is even harder to have the courage to take risks personally.   ...........................  To read the whole, please see the attachment .....................

    To All Sisters and Associates of Divine Providence, The Sisters of Divine Providence mourn the passing of Pope Francis who has led our church with humility, compassion, justice and mercy.  He brought hope to a wounded world, and sought to have a more just, open and synodal Church.  We pray in thanksgiving for his witness over the years of his papacy to just treatments of immigrants, to the care of the poor, to care for all of creation and the common good of all people around the globe.  As a Congregation committed to justice, compassion, and care of creation, we are deeply grateful for his witness to the Gospel. We pray now for the upcoming Conclave and the power of the Holy Spirit to guide an election of a new Pope who will follow in the footsteps of Pope Francis.  May our Provident God welcome Pope Francis home with loving arms.    Sister Barbara McMullen, CDP Congregational Leader

Photo: https://x.com/pontifex   Prayers for Pope Francis: Eternal Rest Grant Unto Francis, O Lord!   Prayer for a Deceased Pope  God, Who, in Thine ineffable providence, didst will that Thy servant Francis ... should be numbered among the high priests; grant, we beseech Thee, that he, who on earth held the place of Thine only-begotten Son, may be joined forevermore to the fellowship of Thy holy pontiffs. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.Amen.        - Source: Roman Missal   Requiem Aeternam (“Eternal Rest”) V. Eternal rest grant unto Francis, O Lord.R. And let the perpetual light shine upon him. And may his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed,through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.  

Easter, 2025   Dear Sisters and Associates, Have you ever heard the phrase: “Seeing is believing.”  Anyone not knowing Jesus, or having been in his presence while he was alive, might not believe the empty tomb.  The followers of Jesus, however, see something very different when they behold the empty tomb.  For them it is proof of life!  Jesus lives!  They had witnessed all that he had done; they had been shaped by his words and deeds, and the seeds of hope he planted within them.  The Risen Jesus now invites his followers to see who he is and proclaim it in their actions.  What follows, as we know, is the disciples healing and teaching in Jesus’ name, even to those who had never seen him.  They become witnesses to the power of life over death.  Isn’t that who we are now – post-resurrection witnesses?  We put our faith and trust in Providence as together, step by step, we make choices now that will create our future.  We dream, we plan, we set goals even though we don’t have all the answers now.  But we do know that we are God’s Beloved and that is what gives us courage to forge a future together.  There is a prayer that I was taught in my Novitiate:  An Act of Abandonment to Divine Providence.  There is a line in there that says: “Peaceful and contented in all, I will allow your Providence to govern my life without worry or over-eagerness.”  I wish I could say I live this way all the time.  Regretfully, I cannot.  However, there are moments when I do feel the presence of God strongly and I know that in anything I do, God will be with me, and God will love me, and that will be enough.  In those moments of peace and contentment I have a loving encounter with God that shifts the worry because God is enough.  Those moments carry me through any difficult times and allow me to engage the present moment step by step.  Maybe that is what happened for the post-resurrection disciples, and what happens for us today.  We are His witnesses, because as Tony Gittins says: “The mission has us.” In all that we are doing to look at our future, to engage our members, to create new structures…. all is for the sake of mission, that we can continue to be disciples who have seen and believe! I’m sending a short article with my letter, in the hope that you will not simply read it, but will ponder it.  There is a deeply reflective question in this article that needs pondering: “Do we {you} have enough fire in our {your} heart to let the world know that it is loved?”  That’s the passion we need through engagement and presence “to be living witnesses of what God is doing through us” – to continue making Providence visible in our world.  Sisters and Associates, we are on this journey together.  It might be a different landscape than we have known, and we might have some anxiety about the unknown, but we can remain steadfast in the knowledge that God has us, and we have one another, and that is enough! Happy Easter to each of you! Sr. Barbara McMullen Sister Barbara McMullen   Article:  “We Don’t Have a Mission.  The Mission Has Us” by Paula Cooney, IHM.  LCWR Occasional Papers—Winter 2024. 

  "The cry of Jesus on the cross at the very end was, therefore, the cry of awareness that all was indeed accomplished, brought to its consummation.  He knew that he could, at last, give back to the One he loved the unshackled fullness of love, and in so doing carry with him on the surge of that passion the love which is the essential being of all creation.  This is, in a sense, the love moment of resurrection, or rather it is the moment event but the ever-expanding 'outflow' of the energy previously dammed up by the power of sin and death." - Rosemary Haughton, The Passionate God, p.153, (1)

    "Enter into the mystery of being master and servant." Alma L. Maish, "Master and Servant,'" (4)