An unusual weekend

On January 7th our Sr. Miriam Vos, an active and lively 80 year old, suffered a massive and irreversible stroke. We kept vigil at her bedside for eleven days, when she slipped away, quietly and peacefully. What was so unusual about this was that we seldom experience the death of a sister who is active and engaged fully in community life. It made all of the rituals and events of the weekend almost surreal.

Sr. Miriam was a character with a capital C! Unique, amazing and memorable. Her Memory Service was long and funny and loving. Everyone has a story and encounter with or about her that will not be soon forgotten.

Her obit and prayer card are here. I think they capture her very well. Capturing our feelings is less easy.

Two of her beloved bonsai plants were part of the chapel environment throughout.

All of these events are happening amidst snowy, snowy days. The local newspaper reported that although we've had 43" of snow (through last Thursday), we are only 5th in the area---behind Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, but ahead of Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia (whose 22" probably feels like 43" to them!)

And, more newspaper coverage. The latest program at our SBEC, run by some of Erie's latest immigrants, was mentioned in a column by one of the Erie Times editors yesterday. Here's SBEC's latest
venture.