Believe it or not, no one in our monastery had ever come down with COVID until just a few weeks ago! We were always careful about handwashing, wearing masks when out, and got our various shots, so maybe we were getting a little complacent. But somehow–somewhere–the COVID-19 virus entered our monastery and turned everything upside down for a couple of weeks. In fact, we’re still recovering.
It started small…just one sister. Then two more, and before we knew it more than half the community had it! The brave sisters who withstood the infection were nearly run off their feet bringing meals, keeping regular prayer times (although we did recite everything), checking on the sick, monitoring the telephone and dock (where we receive deliveries), and trying to keep from getting sick themselves. The only major observance we had to drop temporarily was adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. We hope we can return to this soon!
Cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, Lysol, and gloves–essentials for dealing with COVID. The vases were filled with beautiful roses and given to each of the sick sisters. What a lovely thought! Carts were used to transport meals and medical supplies over to the dormitory from the kitchen.
Thankfully, everyone is out of isolation now and back in the community. We are singing at Mass and the Liturgy, and we even began having a short period of recreation. But for now we are still using disposable plates and wearing gloves when we pick up our meals from the table. No COVID rebound, please!
Our recent adventure with COVID-19 has made our prayers for those who suffer all the more heartfelt, since we now know first hand the struggles people go through. We are fortunate to be a community, where people can pitch in and help out when things get bad. We have always prayed for the victims of COVID, and continue to do so, although as mentioned we now have a more personal understanding of the magnitude of the problem. We have been opening up a little (we’ll bring you a post on Sr. Mary Annunciata’s funeral soon, where we went without masks) and hope to do more as time goes on. In the meantime, let’s keep each other in prayer.
Dominican Life on Lotus Lane 