Psalm 34 I will bless the Lord at all times; God’s praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt God’s name together. I sought the Lord, who answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Look to God, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord, and was saved from every trouble. O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in God O fear the Lord, you God’s holy ones, for those who fear God have no want. The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Which of you desires life, and covets many days to enjoy good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and God’s ears are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against evildoers, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to the broken-hearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord rescues them from them all. God keeps all their bones; not one of them will be broken. Evil brings death to the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in God will be condemned. The Lord Hears the Cry of the Poor

Psalm 103 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless God’s holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all God’s benefits. God forgives all your sins. and heals all your infirmities; God redeems your life from the grave and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness; God satisfies you with good things, and your youth is renewed like an eagle's. God executes righteousness and judgment for all who are oppressed. God made God’s ways known to Moses and God’s works to the children of Israel. God is full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and of great kindness. God will not always accuse us, nor will God keep their anger for ever. God has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our wickedness. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so is God’s mercy great upon those who fear God. As far as the east is from the west, so far has God removed our sins from us. As a parent cares for their children, so does God care for those who fear God. For God indeed knows whereof we are made; God remembers that we are but dust. Our days are like the grass; we flourish like a flower of the field; When the wind goes over it, it is gone, and its place shall know it no more. But the merciful goodness of God endures for ever, and God’s righteousness on children's children; On those who keep God’s covenant and remember God’s commandments and do them. God has set the divine throne in heaven, and GOD’s authority rules overall. CAFOD – Second Sunday of Lent 2022 (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development) Bless the Lord My Soul – Godspell (1973)

Psalm 27 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; whom should I dread? When those who do evil draw near to devour my flesh, it is they, my enemies and foes, who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart would not fear. Though war break out against me, even then would I trust. There is one thing I ask of the LORD, only this do I seek: to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD, to inquire at his temple. O LORD, hear my voice when I call; have mercy and answer me. Of you my heart has spoken, “Seek the face of God.” It is your face, O LORD, that I seek; hide not your face from me. Dismiss not your servant in anger; you have been my help. Do not abandon or forsake me, O God, my Savior! Instruct me, LORD, in your way; on an even path lead me because of my enemies. Do not leave me to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, and they breathe out violence. I believe I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong; be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD! The Revised Grail Psalms Copyright © 2010

Did you know? Human trafficking incidents are less likely to be resolved than other crimes. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an escalation of human trafficking because of the increased use of internet and online luring strategies. Almost 1 in every 3 victims in Canada were trafficked by a current or former intimate partner. Source: Government of Canada, 2020 and 2021

The UN theme for IWD this year is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”. And so today we celebrate the women and girls who are leading the charge on climate change adaptation and response, and to honour their leadership and contribution towards a sustainable future. 2022 is a pivotal year for achieving gender equality in the context of climate change, and environmental and disaster risk reduction, which are some of the greatest global challenges of the 21st century. Without gender equality today, a sustainable future, and an equal future, remains beyond our reach. Watch today's celebration Prayer for International Women's Day In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Loving God, Mary Ward dedicated her life to ensuring that women were empowered to fulfill whatever part God called them to play. On this International Women’s Day let us follow Mary’s example of faith and care for women, and pray for: Women of courage, Women of hope, Women suffering, Women mourning, Women living fully, Women experiencing joy, Women delighting in life, Women in need of support, Women working for justice, Women quietly tending the garden of human flourishing, Women knowing the interconnectedness of the human family, Women boldly leading the transformation of unjust global structures, Women working to create and enact just climate action measures, Women giving Love, Women receiving Love, Women seeking Wisdom, Women sharing Wisdom. Creator God, we celebrate your gifts and your love. On this day and every day, we commit ourselves to the promotion of the full humanity of all women everywhere. May we know and remember that whatever denies, diminishes, or distorts the full humanity of women is not of God and not worthy of us. Help us to be faithful to your call to love all your children. Give us the courage to strive for what is right and to ensure that the women in our lives are sure of our respect for them. Amen.

Each year LENT has its own special grace to give each person on their journey towards Easter. This year we are faced with an extraordinary world event as well as the season of conversion. In light of the war in Ukraine we invite you to take each week’s ‘treasure’. Psalm 91 Qui habitat Those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, abide under the shadow of the Almighty. They shall say to the Lord, “You are our refuge and our stronghold, our God in whom we put our trust.” The Lord shall deliver you from the snare of the hunter and from the deadly pestilence. The wings of the Lord shall cover you, and you shall find refuge under them; the faithfulness of God shall be a shield. You shall not be afraid of any terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day; of the plague that stalks in the darkness, nor of the sickness that lays waste at mid-day. A thousand shall fall at your side and ten thousand at your side, but it shall not come near you. Your eyes have only to behold to see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your habitation, there shall no evil happen to you, neither shall any plague come near your. For the angels of God shall have charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. They shall bear you in their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone. “Because they are bound to me in love, therefore, will I deliver them; I will protect them, because they know my name. They shall call upon me, and I will answer them; I am with them in trouble; Watch Jesus in the Wilderness (video) Venerable Mary Ward, we place the Ukrainian people under your protection.

March 2 2022 We are calling for immediate cessation of the invasion We, the Mary Ward Family – Congregatio Jesu (CJ) and Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM), together with our lay friends and associates - are deeply disturbed by the current invasion of Ukraine in the Russian military operation. Unfortunately, in times of war the people who suffer most are those who are innocent and vulnerable. The war has disproportionately adverse effects on women and children as well as the sick and the elderly. It also causes many to flee looking for refuge and it disrupts lives. It breaks our hearts what this does to parents having to flee with their children and the accompanying fear of separation and death. The immense human suffering is uncalled for; it is an abuse of the human rights of the Ukrainian people and a violation of the dignity of a sovereign state. We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and condemn the invasion. We add our voices to the many people around the world condemning the invasion and demand that it must stop now. The loss of life, destruction of livelihoods, property and infrastructure will have huge and long-lasting harmful effects on the people of Ukraine and it will affect the whole world, because everything is interconnected. Therefore, we ask Russia to stop the aggression and escalation and instead to engage in diplomatic solutions through dialogue for the good of the two countries and for the whole world. We join the international community in condemning the invasion and ask President Vladimir Putin to stop further military action against Ukraine.

Pope Francis exhorts us – “Lent is a favourable time for personal and community renewal, as it leads us to the paschal mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For our Lenten journey in 2022, we will do well to reflect on Saint Paul’s exhortation to the Galatians: “Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up. So then, while we have the opportunity (kairós), let us do good to all” (Gal 6:9-10). Here are some ways to ‘sow seeds’: Busted Halo – Ash Wednesday in 3 minutes (video) Lenten Prayer Calendar – CAFOD – Catholic Agency for Overseas Development Busted Halo – Lenten Calendar Pray as You Go – Jesuits in the U.K. Susan Daily, IBVM - Follow Sr Susan's graphic posts throughout Lent

Catch up on recent happenings in our community in What's Up. What's Up is the Loretto Sisters | IBVM bimonthly newsletter that provides regular updates from our ministries - Loretto College, Loretto House, Loretto Maryholme, Mary Ward Centre and Presentation Manor - and happenings in our community.

Prayers and intentions for January and February 2022

Prayers and intentions for March and April 2022

The Power of Care Women, Economics, Human Trafficking The theme of the eighth International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Trafficking in Persons is "The Power of Care - Women, Economics, Human Trafficking". Trafficking is one of the deepest wounds inflicted by the current economic system. Wounds that affect all dimensions of personal and communitarian life. The pandemic has increased the "business" of human trafficking and has exacerbated the pain: it has favoured the opportunities and socio-economic mechanisms underlying this scourge, worsening the situations of vulnerability that involved the people most at risk - disproportionately women and girls. The latter, are particularly penalized by the dominant economic model. The gap between men and women has thus grown. Women are called to take on a leading role as agents of change to create an economic system based on caring for people and the common home, involving everyone. Care is a lifestyle and is Jesus' way of loving, as he proposes to us in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10: 25-37), taken up by Pope Francis in his Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti. The power of care is the only way to tackle human trafficking and all forms of exploitation. Online Marathon of Prayer Join the Religious Sisters of Talitha Kum and partner organizations committed against human trafficking in the online marathon of Prayer on February 8, 2022 from 9 a.m. (CET) to 5 p.m. (CET). All will be online praying together and raising awareness against human trafficking. Join here Watch the livestream Our IBVM/CJ ministry in Human Trafficking has prepared a prayer for the International Bakhita Day of prayer and reflection. Watch here They have also collected a series of testimonies from our members working in the field of antitrafficking. Watch here