7th of May

Thanking the Lord for this chance to meet through prayer, we begun the new day.

We started with the presentation of the Province of Saint Mary´s, with Sisters Meenaxi Dhabi as Provincial Coordinator, Silvia Aranha Santhana and Shali Joseph, both as delegates. They presented the realities of the communities of India. From the Province of San Luis Beltran, the exposition was done by Sisters Maria Virginia Benito as Provincial, Evangelina Sandoval Evangelista and Maria Valentina Paragas Rebollos as delegates, and Maria de Fatima Pui as in-charge of the Asian-Continental Novitiate. They have shown us the reality of the Philippines and Timor Leste missions.

In the afternoon, the Province of Reina de China with Sister Asunta Fang as Provincial Coordinator and Maria Begoña Abad as delegate. They have shared the reality of Continental China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Macao. Finally, the Province of San Jose too, with Sisters Estíbaliz Ladrón de Guevara as Provincial and Laura Yax Tiu as delegate with Marisa Folgado who participated as one invited for the commission on communication/drafts, all have shared about the reality of Central America and the Caribbean.

We are most grateful for the rich and profound sharing that has been presented by all the provinces. We were shown the socio-political and ecclesial conditions and the panorama lived with responsibility and commitment by the sisters in their respective mission places. We affirm the diversity of our mission always impelled by the option for the poorest in societies, from the common dignity as children of God. Some of the missions mentioned were:

• The promotion of women which enables their formation and empowerment through study, courses, technical trainings, cooperatives, accompanying them in situations of violence or abuse to seek legal assistance as well the assistance needed by the widows,
• Education in all its forms: kinder, elementary schools, literacy education, informal and univesitarian.
• Other apostolates such as dormitories, dormitories, centers catering to children with special needs which allows them to be in conditions of a more dignified lives.
• Care for health through dispensaries, hospitals, natural treatments, accompanying in the journey of people with leprosy.
• Pastoral works and ecclesial in which we accompany Christian communities from catechesis, the youth, liturgy, sacraments, visits to the sick, pastoral works for prisoners, lay communities who share our spirituality and mission.
• Attention to migrants and natives who work with zeal for human rights, justice and peace and the care for common home.
• In places where religions co-exist, the sisters engage in interreligious dialogue although in some situations have experienced situations of violence, persecution, and difficulties in political and legal situations.

In some provinces, there has been a given ways to walk together in the process of restructuring as prescribed in General Chapter of 2016. We continue having those challenges to review our presences so to be always significant wherever we may be.

We esteem and are grateful to God for the bravery and courage of our sisters who preceded before us in the foundation of communities, whose presence in difficult places is constituted in one prophetic testimony of trust and full confidence in God.