Zooming for Fun

Tired of all the zoom meetings?

Let’s change the picture and use this technology for FUN. It does provide a means of connecting, although second best to actual face-to-face contact.

Changing the picture might have various landscapes:

Family Zooms can be informal or semi-formal:

- a weekly zoom is helpful to just visit with close siblings or others.

- a  semi-formal monthly family zoom may suit others.  I have numerous first and second cousins on my Dad’s Mennonite side of my family and we have a family zoom as the spirit seems to move 3 of us to initiate.  This June, we will be inviting up to 84 cousins and second cousins to take part.  If it turns out to be a large group, we will use chat rooms in which each person will be invited to introduce him/her self in terms of who their parents were and what is one gift or legacy that was left by our parents. Then we will come back to the large group and ask for a few to share how that experience was for them. We have found that storytelling has been a great way of connecting with each other.

Faith sharing groups: this would involve a group that regularly meets (weekly) and it is customary that each person takes her turn in preparing a brief reflection for the group which is sent to the group a day or two ahead of time.  Screen sharing can be used if requested by the person presenting for that week. The group, by coming together weekly, to share in a respectful way of just listening to each other, develops a close bond.

Nurturing relationships groups: I have the privilege and opportunity to engage with a group that we have named “the Monthly Musers” which consists of 6 settler women and 4 Indigenous women all of whom have been co-facilitators of the Kairos Blanket Exercise.  At first, we met monthly and “checked in”. It does get to a point, though, when “checking in” is not enough, so we do a brief checking in, followed by a Land acknowledgment, some brief input ( a 20-minute YouTube or video on some aspect of the TRC). Then one of the Indigenous women leads us in an Indigenous style sharing Circle.  Our experience of these “Monthly Musings” together has proved to be very meaningful in getting to know each other and appreciate the struggles we all have, telling the TRUTH of our respective past histories, and working together towards restoring harmonious relationships with each other as settlers and Indigenous women.

Formal Teaching and Sharing Circles provided by Kairos:

Register Today – June is National Indigenous History Month

This National Indigenous History month you can help to build bridges of reconciliation! Register today for a KBE Teaching & Sharing Circle – Indigenous-led, interactive online sessions that help to foster ‘right relations’ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people through truth, sharing, and open dialogue.  The Summer sessions are now open for registration ($25) at:  https://www.kairosblanketexercise.org/event/

• Tuesday, June 1 (7-9 pm ET) -- The Impacts of Residential Schools

• Tuesday, June 15 (7-9 pm ET) -- Métis Teachings

• Monday, June 21 (7-9 pm ET) -- We are All Treaty People (*National Indigenous History Day)

• Tuesday, June 29 (7-9 pm ET) -- Social Injustice in the Courts

Prerequisites:

1. a desire to connect

2. a Zoom account to invite participants  (40 minutes is free); with ONE other person the time is unlimited

3. ability to share screen is helpful

4. the incentive to ask for help if needed.

Happy Zooming for fun!  It is well worth it.

 Submitted by: Sister Kathleen Lichti, CSJ

Seeking to Know God’s Spirit

The Feast of Pentecost has long been my favourite celebration of the Christian calendar.  I was a nursing student attending mass after a long night shift when the priest who celebrated mass in our hospital chapel one Pentecost Sunday was a patient with terminal cancer. He queried the nature of school or team spirit and invited us to consider what the Spirit of God might be like. The Acts of the Apostles describes how the Holy Spirit descended on the frightened apostles and disciples of Jesus in the form of the sound of strong wind and of tongues of fire.  People from “every nation under heaven” in Jerusalem gathered at the sound and were bewildered to hear Galileans, speaking in their own language, yet were understood by each of the diverse hearers in his or her own language. My love for Pentecost has been long-standing. I learned that this Spirit of God, is love, God’s first gift. The Holy Spirit gifts us with the traditional seven gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear (awe) of the Lord.

“this Spirit of God, is love, God’s first gift”

The Holy Spirit is spoken of as wind, the breath of God, and fire. The Holy Spirit is the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth whom Jesus promised the Father would send to teach the apostles “everything” and be with them forever. (John, Ch. 14). This Spirit is the bond uniting the Father and the Son in our trinitarian Creator. Laurence Freeman in Jesus, The Teacher Within, (p. 183) states that the Holy Spirit is essentially a relationship and makes all relationships holy. While living and working among the Dene and Inuit in northern Canada, I came to appreciate the awareness of spirit in people who were close to nature and lived in unity with the spirit world. Before missionaries arrived on our shores, indigenous people were immersed in the Spirit present in animals and all of creation. They knew that all relationships were grounded in the presence of the Creator. 

Pentecost is indeed a day of rejoicing.  I pray in the nine-day novena following Ascension Thursday, that on Sunday, Pentecost will bestow on us each of these seven gifts – blessings which our world so urgently needs.  May our consciousness of all peoples and all creation being unified in our Creator help us to heal our divided world.

- Sister Patricia McKeon, csj

The traditional novena for this feast starts on May 14th and continues for nine days before Pentecost Sunday on May 23, 2021.

Passover - A Conversation

Sister Ann Marshall interviews her friend Judy Rochwerg and they discuss Passover 2021.

Judy was my physiotherapist in 2004 following surgery, and since then, I am happy to say, that our lives have become intertwined. After all, we are daughters of the Patriarch Abraham. 

Judy worships with a Reform Jewish Temple in Hamilton, Ontario.  She has been happily married to Lorne for 45 years; they have two married sons and two healthy grandsons.  

We have chosen to make this interview both a conversation as well as an educational opportunity.  

Q.  Thank you, Judy, for agreeing to this interview.  As the Jewish and Christian world prepares to celebrate Passover and Easter, I am wondering what was it like for you as a child to learn about the sacred story of Passover? 

A. Passover, or Pesach, in Hebrew, is my favorite holiday in the Jewish calendar.  It is a holiday celebrated mainly at home, rather than in the Synagogue. Passover connects me to my family, to Jews in my community and around the world who are celebrating the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt some 3000 years ago.  As a child, I would look forward to celebrating with my family including grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

Q. Can you give us some background on the rituals surrounding Passover? 

A. Passover is celebrated for eight days.  The most important Passover dates are the first 2 evenings where Jews celebrate at a dinner called a Seder.  Seder means order as each Passover ritual is performed in a certain order on these evenings.  In 2021 the Seders fall on March 27 and March 28. 

The Haggadah is the prayer book that is used during the two Seders on Passover eve.  There are dozens of Haggadah’s available for purchase. A modern Haggadah can include elements of social activism, environmental responsibility, feminism, comedy, minimalist, and Family Seder, to name a few.  I have written my own Family Haggadah that while having all the necessary ritual components, also includes additional commentary unique to my Passover experience. 

The word Haggadah means “telling” as its primary purpose is to facilitate the telling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt.  Children are encouraged to participate by asking “Why is this night different from all other nights”? 

A Seder Plate is placed on the table and each item on the plate has its own significance, as follows:  

• Maror or bitter herbs symbolize the harshness of the lives of the Jews in Egypt. 

• Charoset is a delicious blend of sweet wine, apples, cinnamon and nuts that resembles the mortar used as bricks of the many buildings the Jewish slaves built in Egypt. 

• Karpas is a green vegetable, often parsley or lettuce that is a reminder that Spring is sprouting up all around us. The Karpas is dipped in salt water to symbolize the tears of the Israelis. 

• Zeroah or roasted shank bone symbolizes the sacrifice made to the great Temple on Passover. 

• Beitzah or egg represents Spring and new life. 

• Matzah is the unleavened bread we eat to remember that when the Jews fled Egypt, they did not even have time to let the dough rise in the bread.  During Passover Jews do not eat bread or bread products. 

Through the course of the Seder we drink 4 cups of wine.  There are numerous explanations of why four.  In Genesis 40: 11-13 when Joseph interprets the dream of the butler, the butler mentions the word “cup” four times. 

The Passover meal is a festive meal that may contain time-honoured favorites, like chicken soup and gefilte fish, as well, there are usually selections of meats, vegetables, and desserts. 

Each Seder is unique.  I have participated in Seders from 4 -40 participants.  The Seder Leader sets the tone – traditional or liberal, ancient or modern, lecture or participatory. Prayers are adapted according to the ages of guests. If the Seder leader is more traditional, as was the case with my husband’s grandfather, the Seder was entirely in Hebrew with no participation from the guests.  A Seder teaches, and re-tells the story of the Exodus to all present.  This can range from puppets for the very young to researching topics specific to Passover for adult participants. 

Q.  Was there a time in your growing up years that you drifted from this tradition and if so, what caused you to return. 

A. No, I have been connected to my Reform Jewish faith all my life while growing up in my parents’ home, and later I taught the faith for many years in my Temple. I carried on this tradition when establishing my own home with my husband.  

Q. What are some of your fondest memories surrounding the celebration of Passover? 

A. My father and his 2 brothers would take turns hosting Passover. Each year we would attend a Seder at one of their houses.  Living room furniture was often moved out to the way to accommodate the long table, always set with the best china.  My father and uncles would lead the Seder and encourage discussion on what we were reading in the Haggadah.  I remember wearing my newest dress and enjoying time with my cousins. 

Q.  Tell me why you look forward to celebrating Passover with your family and especially with your grandsons? 

A. I feel fortunate that my 2 sons each married Jewish women who understand and have memories of their own childhood Passovers. When my children were younger, I enjoyed teaching them the story of the Exodus and the rituals of the Passover Seder.  I would often create games for my children, nieces, and nephews such as Passover Jeopardy to teach and entertain.  

Q.  Will you be able to celebrate Passover this year if COVID is still among us, and is the celebration of Passover important enough for a contingency plan to be in place? 

A. Last year my husband and I led a Zoom Seder.  Guests included family members who zoomed in from their own homes. I imagine this will be our plan for this years’ Seder on March 27 and 28. 

Little Design Communities - A Series: Part I of III

BEGINNINGS…

 “Beams of Love” © Mary Southard, CSJ, www.marysouthardart.org [i]

Welcome to a mini-series of conversations with Sisters Wendy Cotter and Rosemary O’Toole talking about Little Design Communities.

Wendy: Rosemary, I know that your Upper Room ministry has been unfolding for quite some time now. How did the Little Design Communities begin in Ottawa?   

Rosemary: That is a very beautiful story, Wendy! We were thirteen years into our Upper Room ministry when throughout the year 1996-1997 eighteen women just happened to ask me in their spiritual direction visit if they could meet and share their journey with some of the other women who came to the Upper Room. Evelyn and I discerned that this was a strong Spirit-nudge. It was our “perhaps in time” moment! So, in our 1997-98 brochure we extended an invitation to anyone who felt called to explore and discern the ‘Little Design’ way of life. We welcomed nineteen women to that first gathering on Saturday afternoon, September 20, 1997.  

Wendy: What did they tell you was their reason for wanting to come together?

Rosemary: These women were seriously committed to the spiritual life and desirous of growing in a more conscious and intimate union with God, others, and creation. They expressed a desire to share in our Upper Room contemplative lifestyle and mission. When we told them about the possibility of becoming associates or vowed members, they asked, “Is there another ‘kind of community’ that could support and enhance our lives?” They did not want anything too structured, institutionalized, or hierarchical. Feeling interiorly no need for canonical vows, or a distinctive ministry, public recognition, or any formal ceremonies with a Rule of Life, they seemed to embrace the freedom of moving in the Spirit to become “whatever God, in His infinite mercy, will deign to make of his design” (E.L. par 2). We decided to gather every six weeks for the coming year, trusting the Spirit to guide us in our discernment. I shared copies of The Eucharistic Letter [ii] for our second gathering and so began the exploration into Little Design communities.                

Wendy: Actually, this sounds very much like our own beginning in Le Puy... just six women, from various parishes, coming together to share their desires! And I think they all met in Lucrece de la Planche’s [iii] living room! Rosemary, how did you know they were asking for a ‘Little Design’ community?   

Gathering in the living room of The Upper Room Home of Prayer, 58 Primrose Avenue, Ottawa.

Rosemary: As their spiritual director, I knew all of these women well and I knew well the prophetic and mystical text of The Eucharistic Letter. They were in harmony and unison at their core essence but I wanted to give them time to recognize it and own it within themselves. They believed they were already consecrated to God (baptismal) and committed to a way of holiness based on the Gospel as they lived in their own homes. Their deepest desire seemed to be an urgent longing to share hearts with like-minded companions where trust and freedom to grow and explore would be welcomed. They loved the littleness, hiddenness and even the self-emptying way of moving into Great Love. Evelyn and I intuited that they were being drawn into the mystery of a simple way of life that Father Médaille described in The Eucharistic Letter. Here was an attractive little way of “loving Love and letting Love love through us.” It was Spirit-gift arriving for all of us!

Wendy: Did you find they could relate with a Letter that was written for our Sisters in 1660? 

Copy of The Eucharistic Letter

Archives of the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Lyon, France. [iv]

Rosemary: Actually Wendy, some of the women would have participated in the courses on Médaille Spirituality that I had offered over the years at various parishes. They would have been somewhat familiar with Father Médaille’s writings, especially the Maxims. As you know, The Eucharistic Letter is the core document for all Little Design communities. Within its forty-two paragraphs, one finds the entirety of its vision and mission. I think I can honestly say that most women seemed to just ‘get it’ right away! We would read a few paragraphs, sit awhile in silence, and then go off to share in small group conversations at the dining room table, living room or library. The way of Little Design started to become real and tangible, grounded in our everyday lives. It started to feel like ‘home’ in our spirituality.                                                                                   

Wendy: You must have found your Little Design community growing beyond your living room!

Rosemary:  Oh yes! In 1998 The Upper Room moved to a new townhouse on 68 Centrepointe Drive and everything seemed to accelerate from then on! Within a year, we began to welcome newcomers who asked to join us. In just a few years, with the larger numbers gathering at our Home of Prayer, we as a core community knew we needed to have a ‘state of the house’ discernment. It was time to manage this next important step in the movement. What do we do when we grow larger and attract more members? The answer was already found in The Eucharistic Letter (par. 34-35) but we now had to make that critical response. Gratefully, in 2004, four women offered to become home hostesses. Core members and newcomers had the opportunity then to choose their own Little Design small community. They arranged their own dates and times for gathering in each other’s homes. Today there are fourteen Little Design communities (sixty-seven women) in the Ottawa Valley area who gather regularly in their own homes … or … these days on Zoom. 

Wendy: What a graced “beginning”. In our next blog, I’d like to ask you about the Médaille Online Course.

---

[1] Mary Southard, CSJ, LaGrange, Illinois, USA. Gratefully, Mary gave us permission to use Beams of Love for our Little Design Communities website logo in 2012 and for all printed LDC materials.

[11] Jean-Pierre Médaille, S.J., The Eucharistic Letter. Open link to read PDF. In the latest research of Marguerite Vacher, Nuns Without Cloister, (pp. 312-313) she confirms that it was sometime in 1660 when Father Médaille received a Divine revelation which he wrote down in The Eucharistic Letter. She estimates that he gave the Letter to Marguerite Burdier, one of the first six Sisters. Apparently the Letter was not circulated, or very little, among the communities. Since Vatican II, we Sisters of St. Joseph are revisiting all our original documents.

[111] Marguerite Vacher, CSJ, Letting in Joy, (pp. 15-17). She tells the story of how Lucrece, the Catholic wife of a Protestant nobleman in Le Puy, opened her home to the first sisters for several months before they could officially become a community. This very virtuous demoiselle continued an active collaboration with the sisters until her death in 1653.

[1v] Photo courtesy of Michele Melowsky, an Ottawa pilgrim to Le Puy, France, participating in the second Rebirthing session, June 2013.

Memories from the 100th Anniversary of the Sisters in Pembroke

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph Pembroke

During the next 11 months, we continue to share the amazing story of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Pembroke, Ontario as we celebrate 100 years of our service and witness in the Diocese of Pembroke and beyond.  As we tell our story we would like to express our gratitude, love, and prayers to so many of you who have been with us on this journey. Our Congregation is witness to the love and support you have bestowed on our community and we will be forever grateful for these gifts. We would like to say a heartfelt thank you and invite you to read our story in the months ahead as a way of celebrating this important milestone with us.

Written by Grace McGuire, CSJ Associate

Chapeau Convent and Teachers’ College

The convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Chapeau was founded in 1921 and the sisters’ work of instructing young people was soon recognized. The Quebec ministry officials held much respect for the sisters’ work. As early as their founding year in Chapeau, Ralph Maltais, a school Inspector, wrote: “I must congratulate you for having given your boys and girls an opportunity of acquiring a much better instruction and education.”  The sisters could take credit and praise, at least in part, from the 1936 report to the Chapeau School Board by inspector J. Bedard, states: “ Your schools, twelve at the time, are among the best organized of my district and the sacrifices which you make for their maintenance indicate the great importance you attach to education.”

 The first Teachers’ Convention held in Pontiac county occurred in 1934 in Chapeau at the Convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph, a three-day event for some 35 teachers and hosted by the sisters, underscoring the congregation’s intense involvement in the educational effort of the area. The sisters were an abiding presence in the elementary and secondary schools and parish community until   the convent closed in 1999.  Thereafter the convent was used for various purposes then in 2016 the building was purchased by Rejean Marion, an entrepreneur and former resident of the area, who has reclaimed the convent and restored the interior to include a restaurant known as, ‘Les Gourmandieu du Couvent’ and a venue for musical concerts.   

Sister Marjorie

On October 1, 1940, a teacher training center was established in Chapeau under the directorship of the Sisters of St Joseph. It was a residential, bilingual Normal School. For the first fifteen years three hundred teachers were graduated, English or French-speaking and frequently bilingual. Then in 1955 Chapeau Normal School became St. Mary’s Teachers’ College (S.M.T.C.), an English-speaking institution which continued until June 1969, when teacher training in Quebec became affiliated with universities. In its 14 years of existence it prepared some 412 teachers, some local some from western and northern Quebec, Montreal, Gaspe, the Eastern townships, and Ontario. From its inception in 1940, as a residential women’s college, through its years of expanding courses (two-year diploma courses), admission of men students, doubling of enrollment, lay rather than clerical administration, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Pembroke undertook the direction and much of the teaching. Some twenty-five sisters acted as directors, teachers, and eventually, in its closing year, Sr. Mary Edwin (Marjorie McGuire) was principal. (The principalship was in the hands of the clergy during the early years as Quebec Council of Education demanded.) While the Sisters remained the stable directing and supporting factor, their annals record a close working relationship and interdependence with other men and women, both clerical and lay.  (With notes from Sr. Mary Desmond (Clare Gallagher)

Many young women and men were able to access teacher training and develop long and successful careers in education due to the sisters’ dedication to excellence and loving concern for their students. The following anecdotes about the sisters express the thoughts and feelings of some graduates.

“Congratulations to the sisters on the 100th anniversary of their coming to Pembroke ON. I and three of my siblings were fortunate to have graduated from St. Mary’s Teachers’ College. The spirit of generosity of the sisters allowed our parents to afford to send the four of us there for a period of years from 1957 through 1965. In fact, the Sisters of St. Joseph were our educators from the beginning of our school days.” Kathleen (Sullivan) Ranger 1959-60

“My friend, Ted, later husband, had come to pick me up and Sr. Edwin wanted to meet him before we headed out into the night. We were in the library where Ted and sister played a game of ping pong for several minutes. I was surprised by the spontaneity of it all and the skill of both players. Imagine a sister in long robes and veil, starched headpiece, etc. playing table tennis with a blonde protestant!” Elaine (McCambley) Gibson 1957-58

 “There are a number of memorable women who introduced me to the value of natural process. One of them was Sr. Mary Bridget. She and I used to have a wee chat many days. One day she pointed out the health of one of her plants which thrived as it followed the sun. She made the point that one must follow simple processes. I always appreciated her observations.” Tim Houlihan   1966-68

“As I look at my yearbook I think of all my good friends I have who are teachers and I remember Sr. Mary Agatha’s words written there, ‘Blessed are they who have the gift of making friends, for it is one of God’s best gifts.’ I am grateful for her words expressed in my yearbook and for all the friends I made at S.M.T.C.” Marilyn (McGuire) Tanguay 1966-68

“From the first day I became a student at S.M.T.C. I felt part of a very special family. I was a day student so I drove to school. One day a snowstorm started early and got worse as the day went on. Sr. Edwin called me to her office and told me that my father had called and was worried about my driving home. She reassured him that I would be staying overnight. All of my needs were taken care of as I was more than welcomed into the safety of the dormitory. This happened a few times over the two years and was really appreciated by my parents and I.” Sandra (Herault) Mousseau  1963-65

- Grace McGuire, Associate of the Sisters of St. Joseph

Stay tuned as our story unfolds in 2021.