April 20, 2020

Dear Brothers and Lasallians,

We begin with an update on Charlie Barbush who continues to be on the ventilator, making slow, steady progress. Let us keep up with those daily prayers for Charlie. And thanks to Robert Bimonte for staying in touch with his doctors and for keeping us updated.

As we begin the new week, here are our latest points for your consideration. We hope that this Monday communication will be increasingly mutual. Thanks to Brian Carty and John Patzwall for rendering two of the messages this week.

  • Dealing with COVID-19 (Part 3). In recent weeks, we have shared resources from Southdown Institute and Saint Luke Institute. Today, we share excerpts from the Saint John Vianney Center, on Psychological Care Guidelines.
  • Prayer Services. Over the past month, we have included two prayer services prepared by Lars. We are so happy to hear from so many communities that have used them… Might you consider preparing a prayer service for those impacted by COVID-19, which we can share on an upcoming Monday?… (For today, we are sharing a prayer service which you may wish to use for Earth Day this Wednesday.)
  • Sharing Reflections. During this extended uncertain time, we invite any of you who would like to, to share with all of us some of your own insights, reflections and/or inspirations. It could be what you are doing during this crisis or perhaps what this crisis is doing to you. Here is a beautiful reflection from Brian Carty which he wrote on Easter Sunday.
  • 51+ Things to Do. We are grateful to John Patzwall who shared from Lou Heidrick these 51 amazing things that we might explore. Be warned: This might keep you busy 24-7. (Please send us whatever resources you wish to recommend to our communities. We are in this together!)

On 60 Minutes last evening, there was a segment on “The Coronavirus effect on America’s food supply,” featuring José Ramón Andrés, the founder of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a non-profit devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. He identified that this pandemic is causing an “explosion of empathy” across our country and around the world. We hope such will continue even after a vaccine is discovered!

We are intending to continue sending a message each Monday. If there is anything that you would like us to attend to, please let us know.

Please stay safe. Stay at home. Stay mindful of others. Stay amazing.

Blessings,

Richard Galvin    Lawrence Goyette    Dennis Lee