It is time of repentance and regret, to reconcile ourselves from sin and turn back to God, to forgive and to be forgiven. This virus is a sign to build healthy relations with God. It is a great occasion to be merciful towards all the living creature, as St. Luke states in 6:36. “Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful”.

Considering the current situation of the world, Corona virus prevailed also in Pakistan. Everybody is suffering but especially those who are affected by it and died with this epidemic. Many young doctors, nuns and priests took the risk to serve the humanity in this dangerous time and offered their precious lives to God while saving the other souls. It is a great loss for the Church and also for the government.

Due to corona virus we are locked down at home. Many zones of Pakistan like Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan are sealed.

I am a member of Multan community. In the present situation if we see the education level of students we are going behind, because Schools are closed and even we are not allowed to call our teachers. While staying at home we are doing our best. For example, each teacher has made the group of students of each class, we are sending them the homework by WhatsApp, and some teachers are doing their lessons on Google Meet and on Zoom. For those students who have no possibility of internet, we prepare the notes and leave in the office, so one by one they come with their parents and take their notes. In this way we are trying to involve the students in education using the modern technology in a better way and we are also keeping in touch with their parents. Sometimes parents share their miserable experience of life, financially they are very poor and don’t pay the fee. They are hopeless but we encourage them and guide them to have trust in God, He is the One who can solve our problems. We assure them that we are praying for them.

We are involving our domestic staff in different activities. Any appeal which we receive from the Holy Father, we share with them. For example, in the month of May, He appealed to keep fast and to pray for the ending of corona virus, so our helpers too followed us. We and our helpers recited Our Father on 25 March at 12:00 am according to His request. At night 9:30pm we followed the adoration and recited the Holy Rosary with the Holy Father through multimedia. At 5:30pm we had one hour of adoration in which we showed different symbols of the universe as mentioned in Laudato Sii. We read the different passages from this document and recited special Rosary for all the intentions of the Holy Father. We inspire them to pray with their families and we do the same in our community.

In the month of May, we recited the Rosary in front of the grotto of Mother Mary. Outsiders also participate and on 31 of May, on the feast of the visit of Mary to St. Elizabeth they bring their offering in the form of food, money and veils and offer to Mother Mary. This time also we recited the Rosary with people, but they came to pray not in the form of big crowd due to corona virus but one by one or two by two, according to their time they came and prayed because they have great devotion to Mother Mary. After the Rosary we prayed to our Lady (prayer to the virgin Mary for protection during Covid.19 Coronavirus pandemic) which the Holy father implored to pray, we distributed the prayer to the people so that at home they may pray to our Lady.In the community we are praying more and more from the day when this virus started. We initiated one hour of adoration every day, for the ending of corona virus and recite the Rosary of mercy asking the mercy of God towards people.

Sr. Martha proposed that even during lockdown we must find ways to be in touch with our people through different means of apostolate in order to be their support and consolation and nourish their faith to be authentic and strong Christians and be faithful to the Lord till our last breath. Mother’s sayings will be taken and prepare MMS and send to the delegate every Friday after 1st June. She will then put on our page on face book titled: ‘DOMINICAN SCHOOL MISSIONARIES Pakistan’. This must be the result of our study of mothers writing or the writing of our mentors like sisters Anna Maria Balducci, EddaDucci, GiulianaCavallini etc.

As we know the circumstances are very tough so one positive thing, we can take from it: It gave us the possibility to build our relations with God, to practice the different virtues of patience, humility and silence and to increase our faith in God. It encourages us to bear all the sufferings for the glory of God as Jesus suffered for our salvation.

It is a golden chance for the families to spend time together specially for those who are busy in their professional lives. It can be our wonderful experience to renew our life by accepting the will of God through passing this difficult time.