Spring is far more than just a changing of the seasons; it’s a rebirth of the spirit.
St. Joseph's Day - March 19th
World Day of Prayer 2025
February is the shortest month of the year and we are already looking at March and planning for World Day of Prayer which always takes place each year on the first Friday of March.
This year's prayer service was put together by the women of the Cook Islands and is to be celebrated on March 7, 2025. I appreciated finding this attached video because I had no idea where the Cook Islands were. The women of the Cook Islands tell their story as indigenous people being colonized and their story is not unlike that of the indigenous people in our own country of Canada.
““I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.””
If you wish to take part in the prayer service, please search for the Christian Churches in your area that will be gathering to pray together for the women of the Cook Islands.
-Sister Elaine Cole, CSJ
Image: Hanny Naibaho/Unsplash
Becoming a Topsy-Turvy Survivor
stock photo from Unsplash
Picture in your mind, the damaged Delta plane at the Toronto Pearson Airport, endlessly shown by news providers with its roof unnaturally resting on the tarmac. It offers a striking metaphor for our world today. Just like the plane in this unimaginable position, the global situation often feels unbalanced and unraveling.
Personally, I experience myself living in a time of profound disruption, where what I once perceived as quite familiar and secure seems to be shifting under me. Whether it be climate crisis, social upheaval, or geopolitical tensions, it is as if my world is being upturned. Too often I feel “groundless” and disorientated, forcing my inner self to constantly attempt to right itself amid uncertainty and chaos.
The inverted plane symbolizes for me my experience of a shift where everything I once held to be so, has been turned upside down. The certainty I once relied on now feels upended, leaving me in a world where old norms no longer seem to apply. Longtime friendships are threatened, lies are spoken as truth, and the unthinkable happens every day.
Through the prompt emergency responses and skillfully handled evacuation of the Delta Connection Flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air, all passengers and crew, survived.
I found myself seeing moments of hope in witnessing these survivors and as I looked beyond the wreckage to the plane’s flight code. At its core, the word of endeavor connotes the pursuit of something meaningful or challenging. Is that in itself not emblematic of the human spirit needed by folks of goodwill at this moment in history when faced with the tensions of competing interests. Furthermore, the name connector, in the flight’s identifier, highlights for me the need to focus our individual and communal strivings on actions which facilitate connection rather than words and actions which serve to disconnect us.
The necessity and value of fostering connection with one another at the personal, local, national, and global levels is not to be underestimated. It is vital if we, as global wayfarers, hope to be survivors of our global upturning.
-Sister Nancy Wales, CSJ
Stock Images: Jack Millard / Kendrick Fernandez/Unsplash
““What we must do,
I suppose,
is to hope the world
keeps its balance;
what we are to do, however,
with our hearts
waiting and watching—truly
I do not know.”
”
Voice Your Opinion
“The most important office, and the one which all of us can and should fill, is that of private citizen.”
I’m leaning toward "most probably," but still hoping for "possibly not." Intrigued? Well, the topic on my mind is voter turnout. Ontario experienced historically low voter participation in the last provincial election, with just 43.5% of eligible voters casting a ballot in June 2022. With such a disappointing turnout, I find myself wondering: will voter participation increase in the upcoming provincial election on February 27th, or will it continue to decline? Faced with a winter election date and polling data which suggests a projected winner, raises for me a concerning question: “Will Ontarians be motivated enough to exercise their right to vote, or will voter apathy win out?”
The availability of advance voting and mail-in ballots is an encouraging sign that the government is trying to make voting more accessible, but the challenge lies in motivating people to take that step to actually do so.
“Voting is the expression of our commitment to ourselves, one another, this country, and this world.”
I deeply hope that eligible Ontarians won’t be discouraged from exercising one of their most fundamental rights, the right to vote, nor neglect one of their essential civic duties. Our democracy which we were quick to want to defend when President Trump questioned its viability and continuance, depends on engaged citizens. As citizens we have a responsibility to participate in the election process. I hope an increased number of eligible Ontarians will take this election seriously and make a personal commitment to cast their vote for the candidate and/or party of their choice.
-Sister Nancy Wales, CSJ
Image: Element5 Digital