Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, religious congregations have faced similar challenges to those experiences by the majority of people living in societies impacted by lockdown, isolation, and deaths due to COVID. […] During a webinar organized for Francophone members of the CRC, on September 22nd, 2020, Sr. Ginette Laurendeau, the superior general of the Antoniennes de Marie in Chicoutimi (Quebec), gave a presentation. She recalled her reflections as a leader and her community’s experiences – the first religious congregation contaminated by COVID-19, starting on March 31st. Sister Ginette herself was infected but luckily did not suffer from serious symptoms or consequences. This is her testimony.

COVID-19 has made its way to every corner of the world. And, as we know, it has shut down economies, created “physical distancing”, and even altered our religious practices. Throughout the growing pandemic in Canada, many of us felt untouched by this virus until we received word that our most vulnerable brothers had contracted the disease. On Wednesday, 22 April 2020, Erik Oland, Provincial of the Canadian Province, received notice that an outbreak of COVID-19 had been declared at our infirmary in Pickering, Ontario.

When the pandemic hit earlier this year, the Archdiocese of Vancouver initiated the “Church Never Stops” campaign, and religious men and women have been essential in the Church’s ministry of bringing the light of Christ to all, including migrant workers, homeless, and students in schools. The Carmelite Sisters of Our Lady of Monte Carmelo Community have been on the front lines of the #Churchneverstops movement as they serve hundreds of meals a day at the Door is Open drop-in Centre. Sister Chita, co-manager of the Door is Open, wrote the following reflection.

“Behold, I make all things new”, taken from the book of the prophet Isaiah, in chapter 43:19. An inspiring passage! It is even more inspiring when we know the historical context in which this prophecy was proclaimed. The prophet intervenes at a tragic time. The people of the Covenant have just experienced a great catastrophe. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem. He killed all the king’s sons and deported him to Babylonia along with a large part of the population. […] We too have experienced a lot of grief because of the coronavirus and the confinement. Many of us have lost loved ones. Many of us have had to mourn certain liturgies, gatherings, activities that were close to our hearts. We are hurt by it all. We have been through a crisis and it is not over yet.

Sr. Marie-Pierre Delorme joined the congregation of the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur in 1998, following her studies in engineering. She is currently responsible for the mission of the “460”, a student residence and chaplaincy for young adults in Ottawa (the previous chaplaincy and residence was known as “101 Parent”). She shares her thoughts on the experiences of the pandemic in this context and her hopes for returning to a “new normal”, and a more embodied one…