In solidarity with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) recent initiative, the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, and the Providence Community will take part in a day of prayer, fasting and advocacy together so that our hearts may be softened while our resolve to extend love and light to all is re-energized.

Journey with us on Tuesday, April 21:

Providence People mark this day to pray, to fast, and to advocate for a change of heart.

We desire, long for, and work towards a renewal of human relations that puts thriving life at the center.

We bring into our prayer this day the pain and suffering of people, planet, and all life forms caused by human systems that do not honor the sacred nature of all creation. In so doing we are reminded of the persistence and resilience of life itself.

Soil recovers. Oceans team with life humans cannot even see but completely depend on for sustenance. Whole communities of people are singled out for inhumane treatment, emotional and physical assaults, and forced into the shadows to simply survive.

And communities of people across this nation and beyond show compassion, courage, and fortitude in reaching out and being neighbor to one another in the midst of systemic ‘othering’ that supports such violence.

And so, let us choose to pray, to fast, and to advocate that our hearts may be softened while our resolve to extend love and light to all is re-energized.

PRAY

Holy One,
You created a universe saturated in beauty,
fashioned us from stardust as one seamless
interdependent whole with all of creation
to be treated as your Body, your image.
Our hearts are crushed, devastated by sorrow
as we witness with horror, destruction and violence at every level.
Nations are engulfed in the unrelenting tragedy of war
Immigrant families are being torn apart, deported;
People across the human spectrum, made in your image,
are being treated as throw- aways.
The rich are living in luxury while the poor
lack the most basic necessities.
For too long we have been blatantly
unresponsive to planet Earth’s long history of physical abuse.
Despite our sense of despair and hopelessness,
Holy One, You still call us to be your Providence,
to be Your voice for justice in our daily words and actions,
to plant seeds of hope, however small and insignificant they may seem to be..
With your grace we commit to witness in word and action
the sacredness of all creation.

FAST

We invite you to consider adopting some practice this day that engages your body, mind, and spirit.

Perhaps you will choose to do something you don’t usually do such as spend time in nature or gazing out a window admiring nature. Perhaps you will choose to not do something like avoid the network news or your favorite TV show.

Whatever you choose, we hope it will help raise your awareness towards the special nature of this particular day for the Providence Community.

ADVOCATE

Sign this to Tell Congress: No Unconstitutional War with Iran/American Civil Liberties Union.

Call your member of Congress. Link here and express your opinion towards ending the violence inflicted on our immigrant neighbors. Or the violence of the loss of healthcare support at the expense of a massive Pentagon budget. Or the violence of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran and neighboring countries.

Write a letter to the editor expressing that opinion.

Volunteer to help marginalized communities, especially immigrants detained by ICE and their families.