A Home for Peoples' Souls: A Service of Retreat

“A Home for Peoples’ Souls: A Service of Retreat”: Words for a New Day

Have you ever experienced hearing a phrase that seemed to claim you in a special way, has stayed with you over years and that continues to inform and guide your thoughts and actions today? I first heard “my” phrase during novitiate (the time of early formation for new sisters in religious communities) some 18 years ago. When being introduced to the history of the Sisters of St. Joseph in France, where our Congregation was founded, we were told that just prior to and during the French Revolution (1780s) the Sisters became a “home for people’s souls – a service of retreat”. These words somehow lit a spark in me, and I’ve since pondered deeply their possible relevance for today.

The French Revolution took place within a context not unlike our own. Many people lived in deep poverty, disease was rife, there was societal violence and corruption in both church and state. Many lived in fear. Inequalities in society were marked. People were dejected, sick and hope was waning. Above all, people needed a place to feel valued, loved, cared about and safe, a place of momentary respite, a small glimpse of beauty, a moment of promise for a new day. And so, today as we face similar struggles, I think those same yearnings are present in the world and in our local communities, yearnings that Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI, calls a “holy longing”, especially a longing for meaning and belonging in a time of uncertainty and chaos.

“people needed a place to feel valued, loved, cared about and safe, a place of momentary respite, a small glimpse of beauty, a moment of promise for a new day”

As I reflect on these times in which we are living, the words that I heard and loved so long ago seem to have taken on a fresh urgency and relevance: Be, “a home for peoples’ souls, a service of retreat”. By this I don’t mean some superficial, pious interaction or a running away from reality but a being there for one another, being a listening, loving presence, recognizing the needs and vulnerabilities we all have at some time and receiving them with grace. We can all make a difference, however simple, in our own and other’s lives through encountering one another in respect, compassion and care with a deep understanding and non-judgmental approach to the stresses, suffering and anxieties of this time, our time.

In the words of some beautiful prayers of intercession that I encountered this morning: May we be:
home for the broken-hearted;
peace for the war-torn;
hope for the powerless;
wine for those who thirst for justice;
a voice for the oppressed, and
a comfort for the sorrowing.

In these ways may we become for a new day “a home for peoples’ souls, a service of retreat” - witnesses to a oneness of being and fundamental human experience, the reality of belonging, a hidden joy, and an unfolding hope.

-Sister Mary Rowell, csj

---

image: unsplash/Luís Feliciano

An Encounter on a Winter Walk

Early Sunday morning I embarked on London’s Thames Valley Trail amid brilliant sunshine, gleaming snow and –12 C weather.  As I walked along the River Thames, a thirtyish man walked from his small tent at the river edge up to the trail. He asked if I was one of the women who had left some Tim Horton’s donuts for him. I had not.  He introduced himself (I will call him “John”) and we shook hands; his enclosed in thin gloves and mine in bulky fleece-lined hide mitts. Asked about being cold with his thin jacket and flimsy tent, he stated that he was warm enough.  He then spoke about a sixty-one-year-old friend. The man’s bicycle had been stolen. A month earlier, the man had suffered an injury caused by a tree falling on his ankle - the same ankle that had been fused following a previous injury. The friend had crawled a fair distance through the scrabble along the river edge to John’s tent and John arranged for an ambulance to transport his buddy to the hospital. John had not been able to locate his pal and was concerned. He wondered if his friend would be able to walk again. When I told John that I would pray for him he asked if I went to church on Sunday. He was on his way to meet a pal at a nearby church.  He described a church in east London that had become so crowded that a second site was opened across the city.  John asked if I knew anyone who might need help for tasks such as clearing snow from their sidewalk.  He liked to help older people. I had no suggestions and we amicably continued along our respective paths.

This weekend a convoy of trucks and a multitude of supporters in Ottawa are angrily protesting mandatory vaccines, obligatory masks, vaccine passports, and other covid restrictions.   I reflected on my chance encounter with a man who was living in a tent in -12 C weather.  He expressed no anger, blame, or frustration about living in a tent, covid restrictions, or food insecurity.   Rather, he was cheerful, grateful for an anonymous gift of donuts, concerned about others, and confidently lived his faith in God.  I wondered if John would have felt welcomed and at home in my church. And I thought that if Jesus should make an appearance in our city whether he would feel more welcome and comfortable in John’s church than in mine.

-Sister Pat McKeon, csj

Future Is An Attitude

Those of you who follow our CSJ blog posts may be familiar with how I draw inspiration from TV commercials while enjoying my morning coffee.

Let me make a disclaimer before I continue - I have no stock in Audi! This morning, I heard the current Audi slogan, “Future is an attitude.” What I found while googling this reiterated phrase of Audi provided me with greater detail concerning the car company’s self-professed vision and how it sees itself.

-Abraham Lincoln

Audi advertises that its vision is not only embodied in how it designs cars but also in how it sees the future. This company shares its belief that what we create today will lead, (as in their case) not only to better cars but to a better future. They assert that their 100-year constant progress relies on, “Seeing possibilities where others perceive impossibilities. And inspiration, where there are obstacles.”

Attitude, seeing possibilities, and inspiration got me thinking. On a personal level, I was made more aware of how my attitudinal stance in the present, has the ability, to some degree, to shape my future circumstances and experience of the now. My current attitude does, in fact, create what’s in my control going forward. For instance, if I feel hopeful that I will be able to meet the changing nature of COVID circumstances, there is a much better chance that I will be able to do so.

“Our congregation’s intention is to respond daily to the inspiration of God’s Spirit.”

On a communal level, attitude, seeing possibilities, and inspiration connect me to the spirit of our current congregation’s Direction Statement, Moving with Love. In part, it states:

Immersed in Life and Love

We embrace this moment of possibility

as a graced path to Transformation.

In essence, the above words express much the same spirit that is contained in the Audi tagline, “Future is an Attitude.” Our congregation’s intention is to respond daily to the inspiration of God’s Spirit. We trust that our communal attitude can influence the whole-making energies released in ourselves and in the planet for the healing of the world.

-Sister Nancy Wales, csj

---

Image: Unsplash/Rianne Zuur

January Blues

Keeping in Touch

Image: Scott Ymker| Unsplash

Although the countryside might be covered in a blanket of fluffy white snow which can do a lot to lift our spirits, often mid-January days can feel long and gloomy.  On the horizon lies February, sometimes referred to as tunnel month because we think that we are under-ground and spring will never arrive.  We can feel alone and lonely, longing for friendship and support.  This is the moment to remember the importance of keeping in touch with our broader community.

We humans are social beings who thrive best in loving, nurturing families and support systems.  In fact, many animals live in community.  Horses and cattle live in herds, birds in flocks, whales in pods and fish in schools etc. They depend on each other for safety and survival.

On the human level, keeping in touch with each other is vital, especially during Canada’s long winters and recently imposed pandemic restrictions.  Think for a moment about the solace you receive from connecting with friends, family, and coworkers.  Ask any student what they miss about school and the reply is always the same, “I miss my friends”.

Image: Unsplash/Sixteen Miles Out

Keeping in touch doesn’t need to be arduous, it just means taking time to reach out to someone.  Sending a friend a short email, sometimes accompanied by a thoughtful or hilarious attachment. Have a brief phone chat with a neighbor. This can be more uplifting than a long, drawn-out conversation.  Try your hand at writing a note to a shut-in. Although it’s a disappearing art, we still know the thrill of finding a friendly letter in the mailbox.  A friend and I have sustained our friendship through 25 years of pen-and-paper communication.

Going for a walk with a loved one is uplifting; sharing lunch or afternoon tea, can keep the blues at bay. Today, renew your good intentions to keep in touch with others and watch the clouds disappear!

-Sister Jean Moylan, csj

---

Title Image: Unsplash: benjamin lehman

Isolation Blessings

Another Christmas spent in isolation for us Sisters here in London.  All of us have been twice vaccinated and have received the booster shot.  However, several staff members tested positive for the nefarious virus so it was necessary for our vulnerable population to take extra precautions.  Only a few hours before our beautiful annual Christmas Eve carol service, and we were sequestered in our rooms.  Knowing that our special celebrations would be affected, we managed to smile and accept the sad consequences which would turn out to include copious blessings.

Dietary staff workers who were already short-staffed, worked diligently to ensure all tasks were covered. Caring for 60 isolated Sisters required considerable innovation. Our workers carried out their duties cheerfully, causing us to catch their enthusiasm for the arduous task so quickly thrust upon them.

In other areas of the house, nursing staff, housekeeping and maintenance went above and beyond the call of duty to shore up their responsibilities.  Never did I see a downcast person as work proceeded as usual.

Sister Margo serving

Even our leadership team shared the duties. Sisters Margo and Loretta as well as Sister Susan on the local team donned the required PPE and faithfully brought carts of beverages to us. Added to their duties, every morning the trio conducted uplifting Liturgy of the Word services from chapel to our rooms via our closed-circuit system.

Looking back at those first hours when we began our isolation, I realize that I was fatigued from the weeks and events leading up to Christmas.  Aware that our confinement could be turned into a blessing, I spent my time, along with other Sisters in their rooms, resting, reflecting, praying, reading, etc.

Today, in gratitude, we sing the praises of everyone in our home for moving with love as we embrace this time of uncertainty and transformation.

With a grateful heart, Sister Jean Moylan, csj

Pictured from left, Sisters Dora, and Florian