Today's Man of Hope

I have found the last couple of weeks to be serendipitous because I have been reading Pope Francis's new autobiography at the same time as he is hospitalized in Rome. Titled Hope, and released in early 2025, Pope Francis’ writing outlines the trajectory of his life from his birth in Italy in 1936 to the present.  Due to war and hardship in Italy, the Bergoglio family and children migrated to Buenos Aires in Argentina.  This thread of what today looks like almost global migration runs through the pope’s recollections from start to finish.  He shares many anecdotes of constant war time experiences throughout his life.  Besides his life stories, there are his many recollections of Fr. Bergoglio as Jesuit priest, bishop, cardinal and finally as his installation as Bishop of Rome and pope twelve years ago.

Looking back, Pope Francis comments that despite war and turmoil, the young Georgio Mario Bergoglio enjoyed a happy childhood in a faith-filled family.  He was a good student and enjoyed music and opera and had a life-long affinity for soccer.  As he grew to manhood, Georgio felt drawn to a life of service and religious commitment.  Pope Francis takes time to reflect on his ordination as a Jesuit priest on Dec. 13, 1969, Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and installation as Bishop of Rome on March 13, 2013.  Since then, Pope Francis has visited many places worldwide and is always a harbinger of faith and hope in troubled times. He has a special place in his heart in defense of the hungry, poor, immigrants and the marginalized.  In addition, he has made 32 apostolic journeys and addressed many crucial issues.

As I turn the last page on our Holy Father’s amazing autobiography, world media is giving updates on the precarious health of this brave man. I thank God for his enormous care of souls, work for peace and hope for our world.                                    

-Sister Jean Moylan, csj

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.””

— Psalm 139

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.”
”

— Mary Oliver