St. Elsewhere

I have not thought about the TV series, St. Elsewhere, in years. Not until this morning, when my dear friend Jack referred to it in an email, he sent me.  Do you remember watching this American medical drama in the early 80’s?  I watched it in South Africa. The show was about the lives and work of the staff of fictional St. Eligius Hospital, an old and disrespected Boston teaching hospital.  According to Wikipedia, “The hospital’s nickname, “St. Elsewhere”, is a slang term used in the medical field to refer to lesser-equipped hospitals that serve patients turned away by more prestigious institutions.”  

You may be wondering where I am going with all of this.  It all started when my quirky mind jumped into gear while I read this in Jack’s email, “… one must admit, [it is hard] when one wishes for St. Elsewhere, when here is the moment we have.”  Of course, the moment Jack refers to is this pandemic with all its endless challenges and restrictions.  For me, as you already know, the moment is here, nestled in my room during this particular Covid outbreak. As well you can imagine, hunkering down in my hermitage for the fourth time, was not high on my to-do list.  I had other plans.  Still, once again, I had to face, as John Lennon put it, that “Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans.”

At some point during this alone time, I began to wonder what God’s plan might be in all of this untimely stint of isolation.  “I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” we read in the Book of Jeremiah 29:11.  Did these plans have to include yet another stint of being sequestered in my room?  As wonderful as it is to make plans and dream about being elsewhere, we should not be surprised if God brings us somewhere else.  Ah, yes, there is that saying that we should let God be God.  Still, sigh, I would like to have a say about my destination St. Elsewhere! 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

— Jeremiah 9:11

There are times in our lives when all of us would rather be anywhere else but where we are.  Sure, being in isolation once again is reason enough to wish I were anywhere else but here. Where else would I rather be? Where is that place called Elsewhere? Obviously, this is not about Fernweh or Wanderlust. This is something different.  In my present situation, I am wondering if it is because I am tired of being alone with myself. It is one of life’s ironies that, no matter how much we want to get away and be elsewhere, wherever we go, there we are.

Yes, wherever I am, there I am. But more importantly, God is there too.  One of my favourite scripture quotes, “Make your home in me, as I make mine in you” (John 15:4)  invites me to be rooted in God, my home, my dwelling place, the place where I abide.  Home, then, is wherever I am and not elsewhere.  Which begs the question, can I be happy here and now, sheltering in place during this “winter of [my] discontent?” In my warm home St. Here, instead of wishing I were elsewhere, can I be fully present here and now?  Yes, I can. With the grace of God, here and now, though I am weak, I am strong.  So here I am, with myself, in isolation, choosing to be content and at peace with my situation in St. Here, not hankering for that place called St. Elsewhere.

During these frosty winter months, the sun rarely shines into my room, except briefly around noon.  What gift, to feel the sun’s warmth on my face here and now. Warmed like this, I count my many blessings and refrain from stressing over things I cannot change. Instead, I will shine some warmth by calling a friend and sending emails to those I know feel isolated and lonely. Perhaps you, who read this are one of them.  Be blessed, my friend.

Sister Magdalena Vogt, cps

It All Started With A Dream

There is evidence from many sources about the importance and significance of dreams. In 1999 two Pembroke associates, Susan and Richard Schmaltz, retired educators, had an experience that changed their lives and ultimately the lives of many when Susan had a dream that they were to go to Guatemala. She didn’t know why, but as the dreams persisted Susan was certain that they must go. With the support and encouragement of Richard, the Pembroke Sisters, associates and many other people they were able to follow the compelling message of Susan’s dream. This inspiring story has been written and published by Susan in her book, “Beyond Belief.”

The Schmaltzes began their work in Guatemala with Richard leading teams to build houses and Susan developing preschools and training teachers. In the evenings they would make lunches which they handed to the homeless as they walked the streets. They partnered with Safe Passage, an organization working with the poor at the Guatemala City dump, where Susan established a daycare program. Eventually they developed a non-governmental organization called Oneness Through Service, which was changed in 2017 to Planting Seeds International.

The educational programs based on the Planting Seeds Methodology created by Susan grew beyond Guatemala City dump. Teams of volunteers from the Ottawa Valley, among them many associates, Marjorie FitzPatrick, a Sister of St. Joseph, family and friends from other parts of Canada and the United States joined the Schmaltzes. They helped establish schools by building furniture for 23 classrooms, painting, creating learning activities, setting up a Teacher Training Centre, and one group undertook the planning, engineering, and funding for digging a well and bringing water to the mountain village of Sacala, where one of the preschool programs had been established.

Planting Seeds Methodology, an alternative approach to the rote learning used in Guatemala schools, is a child-centered, hands-on, activity-based learning philosophy and methodology that encourages the students to be creative, to become critical thinkers and decision makers. Respect and love for self and care about others is its essence, recognizing everyone’s value and goodness. In 2014 following several years of continued success the methodology was accredited by the Guatemala Department of Education to teach children from preschool to grade six.

That same year Richard and Susan made the decision to retire to Canada. After a time of discernment and searching, the Schmaltzes passed the torch on to two young volunteers who had worked with them since 2006. Shannon Moyle from Ottawa and Maclane Phillips from Chicago became co-executive directors of Planting Seeds International.

Pictured from left, Mac and Shannon in Guatemala

On December 12, 2021, a 20-year anniversary event was held in the Conference Room of The Best Western in Pembroke where supporters, Sisters and associates gathered to hear Shannon Moyle share experiences that happened over the course of the year, telling of successes and future plans.

20th Anniversary event in Pembroke, ON

Through a PowerPoint presentation she highlighted school and community activities and initiatives depicting children, teachers, youth and parents in the various programs operated by Planting Seeds International. Shannon’s love and passion for what she does shone through in her words:

“Every time I see the Ottawa Valley crew I get re-energized. I think what we have to be really, really grateful for is the fact that we’re all here together, 20 years later. It really warms my heart. We can’t all change the world, but we can be that person for somebody else, where they know they can count on you. They know they can come to you and trust you to be that one person. What else can we ask for.” (Pembroke Observer)

It is a daunting task to attempt to tell this story because there is so much more to it than recorded here. I hope their dream has inspired you.

-Grace McGuire, Associate

For more information and inquiries re: Beyond Belief please visit: www.plantingseedsinternational.org 

A Poem for Truth and Reconciliation

A Poem for Truth and Reconciliation

Today we share a poem written by Thamer Linklater, friend and partner of the Sisters of St. Joseph.

We are the granddaughters of survivors.

We are the nieces of people who never came home.

This entire year has been excruciating for us.

Not like a punch to the stomach,

One you don't see coming,

Taking your breath all at once.

But like an avalanche.

The slow collection of snow on a mountaintop.

Until, one day, a sound sets off a cascade,

Wrecking everything in its path.

We all saw the building snow.

Our bodies knew the horrors untold.

You see, we live near the mountains.

Towns, however, that are crushed by snow,

Are shielded by walls and roads.

Existing so far away from mountaintops.

A sea of orange now floods the landscape.

T-shirts, signs, banners, handprints

Take up the space cleared by snow.

Some wear the colour to commemorate

Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins.

Some wear the colour to honour

The childhood that was stolen from them.

Some wear the colour as a sign of atonement.

Refusing to let history be buried.

Some wear the colour to blend in.

Using apologies, holidays, and shirts

To cover the gap.

Meanwhile pipelines, legal action, and police raids

Tear the rift further and further apart.

We are the granddaughters of survivors.

We are the nieces of those who never came home.

We are apart of the avalanche.

We had our hearts unburied with every child found.

Where do you fit in this story unfolding?

Thamer Linklater is a member of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation and a survivor of the Child Welfare system in Manitoba. She recently graduated from the University of Winnipeg with a B.A. in English and is now working on her Master’s in Indigenous Studies at Trent University. She has worked in various teams for the Six Seasons Project. She has been involved with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak and is an active First Nations advocate. Thamer has recently started work on her collection of poems and hopes to publish them soon.

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Learning to Read and Reading to Learn

Just reading this blog means that you can count yourself among those in the world who are literate. Being able to read and understand what you are reading brings many privileges into your daily life that you probably don’t even think about: following a recipe, reading the newspaper, helping your child with their homework, and simply enjoying a good book.

Today is International Literacy Day. Each September 8th since 1967, the world has set aside this day to advocate for closing the gap in global literacy. In Canada, literacy rates are 99% but many other places around the world are not so fortunate. In the Republic of South Sudan, for example, only 26.8 percent of people aged 15 or older are literate. How can a child reach their full potential if they cannot read and understand a simple sentence?

We know too that literacy drives all other forms of development. Gains in education are linked to improved health, fewer child marriages, economic growth, a greener planet, and more peaceful societies. Education is life-changing.

Eight years before UNESCO designated International Literacy Day, CODE was born in a church basement in Toronto. In 1959, a group of educators, librarians, and publishing professionals began packing unused books to ship to Africa in tea chests.  Today we intentionally supply schools in Ghana, Liberia, Mozambique, and Sierra Leone with books that are written and illustrated by local authors and illustrators, often in African languages, so that children can relate to the stories and see themselves and their culture valued.

CODE is Canada’s leading international development agency focused uniquely on education and literacy. In addition to books, CODE provides training to teachers in the use of instructional strategies that transform education from a one-way transfer of information (rote learning) to a dynamic process where the student is reading the text themselves, engaged, asking questions and developing critical thinking skills. Students are not only learning to read but reading to learn.

Before coming to CODE, I had lived for almost 20 years in Africa. While the state of education and quality of schools varied from place to place, I observed that the push for education and the drive to break the cycle of poverty is universal.

In September 2019 I had the pleasure to meet Whyteline, a 12-year-old girl living with her mother in Ashanti Region in Ghana where CODE has been working since 1990. Whyteline is in her first year of junior high school and is eager to learn. Each morning she walks 45 minutes to get to school and every afternoon makes the same trek home. She loves to read the books that CODE has provided to her school. She reads them aloud to her mother whose English is poor.  Whyteline said this to me,

"My grandmother didn’t go to school because in those days, that is what happened. My mother finished junior high school, but I will go even further…. I want to be a doctor.”

I believe and CODE believes that Whyteline has the potential to be a doctor and contribute to the health of her community and the development of her country. On this International Literacy Day, take a moment to be thankful for your own opportunity to learn to read, and read to learn - and remember those around the world who are yearning for the same chance.  

 -Janet Phillips | Fund Development Manager | www.code.ngo

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The Sisters of St. Joseph are proud to support the work of CODE.

The Days of Awe

ROSH HASHANAH AND YOM KIPPUR

Falling in autumn, the Jewish Days of Awe, or High Holy Days are the most sacred holidays in the Jewish calendar.

This is the time of year for introspection and examination of one’s self.

Rosh Hashanah means head of the year or New Year.  Celebrations take place at festive family dinners and in Synagogue.  This year, during Covid, many synagogues are offering masked, distanced services for members who are fully vaccinated or the option for online services.

During the meals, we dip apples into honey for a Sweet New Year, or a year of goodness—Shanah Tova.

Yom Kippur, or Day of Repentance,  is a solemn holiday where Jews over the age of Bar or Bat Mitzvah, age  13, fast from sundown to sundown. At this time we ask G-d for forgiveness for sins we have committed during the year.

Yom Kippur ends at sundown, with a meal including family and friends to Break the Fast.

Guest Blog from Judy Rochwerg.