A sheaf of papers is tacked to the door of Annsden Abbey in Markev, as well as other public places around the town
A Sororal Call to Action
Sisters, it has come to my attention that the Abbey has come under shroud of public disfavor in recent times. While some might attribute this to a harshness of policy, or simply the vindication of an amoral areligious majority that has taken root in Markev, there is only one way for we, the Order of the blessed Saint Catherine to address this. It takes a strong group of women in times such as these to take a stance, and not cower from our place in the world. All to easily, we might bow out, and subject ourselves to be cloistered, and tuck ourselves cleanly away from this world. We might read literature, sing hymns to the seven skies, and live our days content with our faith. I know not of you sisters, but my faith demands action, not seclusion. My faith demands a fiery heart that beckons us to serve the good people of the world. Not through violence and force, but the love and compassion of our Lord, GOD. I have seen, that our faith has been shunned here in the good city of Markev. What was once a cornerstone of GOD's kingdom on earth, has fallen into doubt. This is by no fault of the residents here, but our inability to exemplify the world in which GOD wishes us to live. We cry 'Heathen' and '*****', yet fall reticent when the good folk of this land need our aid dearly. We have practically built a convent, here in the midst of Markev, which offers nothing but an object to be looked at from the outside, a quaint piece of architecture to point out in passing. Can we truly blame the people we've so readily abandoned, for distrusting us? It is the duty of the church to galvanize piety in a population, which is something we have simply failed to do Sisters.
In order to solve such a crisis, action needs to be taken. Yet, this action cannot be carried out if we flee the city like rats from a ship. We cannot vitalize the faith in a city if we no longer claim to live amongst the people there. The greatest blow we could strike to Canonism in Markev now, is vacating the Abbey of Annsden. So come Sisters, see that our cause is not lost, but smoldering, demanding to be relit by our own passion for GOD. There must be a new way of addressing things, a new manner of communicating, and a new way of interacting with the public. I will not mince words, the actions of Sister Alyona have seriously denigrated our credibility in the land we claim to serve as stewardesses of the one true Lord, GOD. We must see that we do not spread the negative actions of Sisters like Alyona, but look to strong moral characters which can bring us solidarity in this time of upheaval. I claim to be no such authority, but would say we must at least acknowledge, this kind of ethical and moral guidance is required in such an era. Perhaps the most important element of this, is to look within our own orders and Sisterhoods. Mother Judith is a resilient spirit, with a powerful mind, yet she is but one woman. We require all Sisters to take up the spiritual arms that must be used to stoke the embers of love and piety within our great society. No man, no priest, no bishop, can do this for us. We must reforge our own image and approach, to match the tides, and meet the mood of the current epoch in which we live. Once we have achieved this framework, perhaps then we can begin to address the matters which have caused such a stir in the city of Markev and its surrounding lands.
Naturally, we must ascertain what must be shifted in our rhetoric to address the people, and bring them about to our cause in the name of GOD. As I've said, force and fury do little to mobilize a population already in doubt of a faith that has appeared more interested in burning heathens, than it is in treating them with the good will due to them as GOD's children. With that, are we not all GOD's children? Sons and daughters of Horen? No man can claim not to be of this spiritual lineage. Despite what they might think, or where they are born, we are all beholden to our shared descent as the disciples of the Lord. Yet, we do not act in this manner, quite often. We are bull headed, stubborn, and offer only words of the fire and ash awaiting them should they not heed our word of the 'good' GOD we worship. No GOD of kindness, of love, of compassion, could condemn his own people to die at the hands of their spiritual siblings. No, this is false, a false thing, beholden to false men who worship falsehoods. Invoking the scriptures to murder and slay does nothing but damage our faith as a whole. We are all guilty of this, collectively. No servant of GOD can escape the reputation of a church that openly seeks to harm children and mothers. Heathen or no, we are servants of a infinitely loving GOD, who wishes well for all of his children, regardless of their own religious leanings. We must hold respect and regard for all people, for that is the only way to touch their hearts and their minds. No man truly converts out of fear, only though the application of compassion and kindness can we reach into the hearts of men and make them see the true way of the Lord. Yet it is this movement of fear and autocracy that has swept over the Church as of late. These bedeviling tactics which truly only harm our own souls, just as they harm the bodies and minds of those who suffer under them. We must not allow our Sisterhood to befall the same fate as those within our ranks who would employ such stratagems of evil. Fight back, not against the heretic who sits at his home and strives to feed his child, but the vile man of faith, who sits atop his steeple casting down those who require our help the most. One's true enemy is not often as clear as one might be allowed to think. I beseech of you all Sisters, to see past this veil of doctrinal hypocrisy that has riddled our faith for centuries, and see the true nature of GOD's intent. He wishes not for us to strike down the unbeliever, but to raise them up, aide them comfort them, and give them moral sustenance. This culture of gatekeeping, in which those that might falsely profess faith, receive superior treatment and regard, while good men languish outside the church, MUST END SISTERS.
Sincerely,
Sister Yuliya of Haense