By J1 reporter Megan Hoppe

        As a religious community, Easter is one of the most sacred days for the Servants of Mary. However, this year the Servants of Mary will be celebrating in a more cautious way to keep everyone safe from COVID-19 while still proclaiming their faith and observing Easter. 

        “The celebration of Holy Week and Easter are very important to us,” Sr. Jackie Thorn said. Each day from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday this year, the Servants of Mary will hold prayer services planned by the sisters themselves instead of celebrating Mass as they usually would. Normally the sisters celebrate Holy Week with the public, inviting their friends and family to join them in the convent chapel. This year they are unable to do so, since they want to ensure that no one brings COVID-19 to the convent. 

           While most of the sisters’ traditional Easter activities have ended or changed, there are still some that remain the same. The Servants of Mary normally spend some of their time together on Holy Saturday coloring Easter eggs, which is one of the traditions that will continue this year. The sisters will continue to have a special brunch and dinner as they have every year to celebrate Easter. Not all the Servants of Mary live at the Motherhouse, so only the ones that live there will be able to participate in these festivities this year. Despite all of the changes to their Easter traditions and our world as a whole, the Servants of Mary will still celebrate this special holiday together.

           Sr. Jackie encourages everyone to celebrate Easter, while taking precautions against COVID-19. Sr. Jackie says the best way to celebrate Easter is “to pray for everyone and send our love and God’s love out to them.” While many people are not able to celebrate Easter like they normally do, there are many online and televised options to watch Mass from the safety of one’s own home and pray with one’s family. We can follow the sisters’ example by finding time and new ways to celebrate Easter through prayer during these unusual times.