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June 5, 2020, Adrian, Michigan – Where can we find hope in a time that seems fraught with uncertainty, such as in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic? Sister Carol Johannes, OP, addressed that question in “Hope – Despite it All,” the second in a monthly series of talks by members of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Spirituality Committee.

Sister Carol’s presentation was live-streamed to the Congregation from her home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on May 20, 2020.

Sister Carol – spiritual director, retreat director, and former Prioress of the Adrian Dominican Congregation – offered four avenues for hope during these troubled times.

Trust in God

Noting the “huge strides in technology” that have taken place in the last several decades, Sister Carol said that the pandemic has “put us in touch with how very fragile life can be, despite all of these advances.” For people of faith, she said, this newfound sense of fragility reminds us “who we are and whose we are,” and of the need to place ourselves “consciously every day in God’s hands.”

Essential Unity of the Human Family

Sister Carol said that the pandemic has reminded us that we are one human family. “We’re all in this together,” she said. “We’re all called to reach out to help each other in any way that we can. If we’re open to grace, this time can be transformative – it can break down barriers between nations and cultures.” This time also can reveal to us the inequalities that force people in poverty to “misery, sickness, and death.” Sister Carol encouraged her listeners to challenge social structures that prevent people who are poor and people of color from being safe during the pandemic. “Today, like Jesus, we’re called to name injustice and do it with strength and conviction,” and without rancor or hostility, she said.

Name our Feelings

We are likely experiencing a number of feelings – fear of losing our loved ones or of contracting the virus and dying, as well as grief over the loss of loved ones or employment, and concern about the future. Sister Carol extensively quoted author Jack Kornfield, who spoke of the foolishness of fearing these emotions. “It’s important to hold the emotions and humanity of others with empathy – not trying to fix things simply holding them with gentle compassion,” Sister Carol said. She also recommended placing our own feelings in the hands of God or of Mary. “This is the formula for coming to a place of peace and healing.”

Faith in the Resurrection of Jesus

Sister Carol noted that many people during the pandemic will be confronted with the possibility of death, of mortality. “As those who see the resurrection of Jesus as the cornerstone of our faith, perhaps we might reframe the issue of challenge from dealing with the inevitability of our mortality to ponder the inevitability of our immortality” in Heaven, she said. Noting the fear that many have of entering Purgatory, Sister Carol pointed to the way that many Vatican II theologians understood it: “At the moment of our death, as we meet the All-Holy One, we become aware of our sinfulness in response to God’s holiness,” Sister Carol explained. “As we have this experience, we feel great sorrow and repentance. This purifies us and opens our way to eternal happiness.” She encouraged her listeners, when they are confronted with the possibility of dying during the pandemic, to be open to the bigger picture: “to the inevitability not only of our death but of the joy that will be ours.”

May 29, 2020, Adrian, Michigan – Through the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, of which the Congregation is a part, the Adrian Dominican Sisters join more than 100 national faith leaders – from Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions, representing major denominations, national faith-based organizations, local congregations, and millions of people of faith across the country – to call for a National Day of Mourning and Lament to mark the death of more than 100,000 people in the United States from COVID-19.  

The faith leaders call on federal, state, and local elected officials to observe Monday, June 1, as National Day of Mourning and Lament – a day marked by moments of silence, lowering of flags, interfaith vigils, ringing of bells, and civic memorials.

The call is being supported by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, who represent over 1,400 mayors across the country. Mayors lead on the frontline of the COVID-19 response effort and continue to model critical local leadership in this difficult time. 

Together, interfaith leaders and mayors across the nation call us to mourn, lament, and honor the dead, acknowledge the unequal nature of our suffering, pray together for the healing of the nation, and recommit to the difficult work ahead.

“We pray in a special way for the nearly 5,400 Michiganders who have lost their lives to COVID-19 and their heartbroken families,” said Patricia Siemen, OP, Prioress of the Adrian Dominican Sisters. “This call for mourning and lamentation must also become a call to action to address the racial inequities revealed by the pandemic,” she said. In Michigan, over 40% of COVID-19 deaths are suffered by African Americans who only comprise 14% of the population. Nationwide, Latinos, African Americans, Native Americans and other people of color disproportionately suffer the effects of the pandemic.

“We applaud Governor Whitmer for creating the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities charged with addressing the racial injustices that were amplified by the virus,” said Sister Siemen. “Her steadfast leadership in maintaining strong state guidelines to protect Michiganders against the coronavirus is now needed, as we emerge from this crisis, to ensure that the lives of all Michiganders are honored and protected.” 

The National Day of Mourning and Lament will follow a weekend of diverse services – Friday Muslim, Saturday Jewish, and Sunday Christian (including Protestant, Catholic, Evangelical, African American, Hispanic, Asian American, and Native American) all united in times of lament and mourning for the dead. The vocation of remembering will unite across lines of religion and traditions and transcend our politics.