News from East Asia Province

NEWS FROM EAST ASIA PROVINCE

31^st July to 25 ^th  August 2017

English Classes with Sr. Brigid Lawlor

On 30 July 2017, the sisters and the lay partners joyfully welcomed Sr. Brigid Lawlor to the convent in Yangon. Sr. Brigid conducted English lessons from 31 July – 4 August, to 23 students (sisters, those in formation and lay partners) in three levels. All students enjoyed the class with Sr. Brigid who made English lessons very interesting using music, dance and drama.

Reconciliation Session

Sr. Josita Corera, our Congregational Councillor, arrived in Yangon on 3 August to co-facilitate with Sr. Brigid the session on Interconnectedness and Reconciliation. The session was held from 5 – 10 August in the Good Shepherd Convent in Yangon. The participants included 32 Myanmar Sisters and 14 Vietnamese Sisters.

The themes of the session included Interconnectedness – differentiation, interiority, communion and compassion – and Reconciliation – in Psalm 23, wounded healers and closing water ritual. A modification of the Contemplative Dialogue Process incorporating the indigenous talking stick method was used for processing in both small and large groups. It was a time of spiritual renewal for the sisters spending quiet time with creation, recognizing the interconnectedness with all living things in the universe and realizing the needs for reconciliation within oneself, with God and with all creation especially with our sisters in community.

The Reconciliation Session in Myanmar ended joyfully with an evening cultural entertainment by Myanmar and Vietnamese Sisters.

Myanmar Sector Gathering

After Sr. Brigid’s session, Myanmar Sisters continued with the general gathering from 11 – 13 August. 34 Sisters from eight communities and one satellite community participated in the event. Sr. Regina Htoo Htoo (Province Leader) and Sr. Rebecca Kay Thi Oo facilitated the gathering.
On the first day, the facilitators led the Sisters to reflect on the topics: the call as Good Shepherd, the realities in community life, taking risk together for mission and the call to bring positive change in Myanmar. The reflections and sharing were based on the relevant scripture passages, the founding stories of Sts. John Eudes and Mary Euphrasia and the congregational documents.

The morning of the second day was an open forum led by Sr. Regina Htoo Htoo giving update information within Myanmar Sector followed by the discussions on the details of the life of Myanmar Sector and the implementation of the Myanmar Sector Strategic Plan (2017-2021) encouraging participative model of leadership.

In the afternoon, the meeting of individual sector team (Spirituality, Lay Partnership, Justice and Peace, Communication and Documentation, Vocation Promotion and Finance) was held after which the teams presented their goal, vision, mission, the plan and the activities to the whole group.

On Day 3, the Sisters studied together the Myanmar Sector Child Protection Policy and Women Empowerment Policy using creative expressions. The gathering was concluded with “Arch Dance” symbolizing love, unity and harmony in Myanmar Sector.