ASSOCIATES
Associates Reflect on Meeting in Small Groups via Zoom A number of our Associates have met regularly in small groups via Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked some of them to share their reflections on what these online gatherings have meant to them, emotionally, spitiually and mentally. We hope you find their words to be uplifting.
Change is inevitable
Praying through Zoom
My father used to say that the only thing for certain is death and taxes. Change is inevitable. Life in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic has required us all to make many changes to our daily lives.
Zoom – v. to move or travel quickly – that is what we might think of when we hear the word, but over the past 49 weeks of zooming, I have felt like life has been anything but fast-paced during this global pandemic. I certainly pray that the vaccine will zoom us into a healthier and safer environment where we can gather again as a community.
The reflection group of which I am a part has responded to the need of refraining from in-person gatherings based upon expert medical advice. Our virtual gatherings are done using the cloud-based platform for video, voice and content sharing called Zoom. Is it ideal? No. Do any of us enjoy this as much as meeting in person? Most likely not. But it does help us maintain our already close-knit community by providing an opportunity to interact and see each other’s face. It is wonderful to see the smiles that are now normally hidden behind masks everywhere we look. Saint Angela Merici possesses many admirable qualities. Her adaptability is evident when one reads her Last Legacy of the Testaments bequeathed to the Company of Saint Ursula. Changes to her rules, when necessary, are deemed acceptable with wisdom and good advice. I yearn for the day that our Ursuline community of Sisters and Associates can again gather in person and enjoy the warm Ursuline welcomes to which we have become accustomed. Until then, we will strive to maintain community however possible. —Kim Sison, Associate
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SPRING 2021 | DOME
Until then, Zoom has certainly been my friend, enabling me to meet with one of my Associates prayer groups on a monthly basis to pray, reflect and reconnect. I am grateful for a screen full of boxes that frame the faces of those who have committed to living the legacy of Saint Angela through their contemplative love of God and their willingness to serve— particularly to serve each other through virtual prayer experiences. I look forward to a day soon when we can gather again to pray in person. In the meantime, I am grateful that I am not zooming through prayer, but rather, praying through Zoom! — Amy Nall, Associate
