A Visit from Sister Kitty for World Poetry Day

From time to time, Sister Kitty appears at my office door with a poem to share. She doesn’t email it or send a link — she recites it, right there in the room. Those brief visits have become a small joy in the rhythm of the week.

With World Poetry Day coming up, I asked if she might offer something new for the occasion. She happily obliged, arriving this week with a fresh poem and, after reciting it aloud, sharing a few of the poets she loves to read and return to.

We’re delighted to share Sister Kitty’s new poem here for World Poetry Day, along with a few of the poets who inspire her. In the words of Sister Kitty, “I learned it in school. People will think we only learned sad poems in school…and maybe we did...the Irish tend to be melancholy!”

Take a moment to enjoy the poem — and perhaps discover a new poet along the way.

To Daffodils By Robert Herrick

Fair Daffodils, we weep to see

You haste away so soon;

As yet the early-rising sun

Has not attain'd his noon.

Stay, stay,

Until the hasting day

Has run

But to the even-song;

And, having pray'd together, we

Will go with you along.

We have short time to stay, as you,

We have as short a spring;

As quick a growth to meet decay,

As you, or anything.

We die

As your hours do, and dry

Away,

Like to the summer's rain;

Or as the pearls of morning's dew,

Ne'er to be found again.

Sister Kitty, “I also love Padraig O'Tuama in this podcast and so do over a million other people. Try him out. https://onbeing.org/series/poetry-unbound/”

- Connie Rodgers, and Sister Kitty Stafford

images: Álvaro Serrano/insplash

St. Joseph's Day

Yes, he was a simple carpenter from Nazareth. He was a man in love with a young woman, Mary of Nazareth, and together they dreamed of building a life.

What might those dreams have been? Perhaps that his small carpenter’s shop would provide for their needs, while Mary’s hope, in time, would be to bring forth children who would continue the ancestral line of David. Like many young couples, they likely imagined an ordinary life—quiet, faithful, and rooted in their community.

Little did they know that everything would change. Mary was already with child.

One can only imagine what went through Joseph’s mind when he learned of Mary’s pregnancy. In their culture, a woman found to be pregnant outside of marriage faced the harshest consequences—stoning to death. The situation must have filled Joseph with anguish. Was he confused? Did he question Mary’s faithfulness? Such questions would be natural under ordinary circumstances. Yet these were anything but ordinary circumstances.

Matthew’s Gospel tells us that Joseph was deeply troubled:
“Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.” (Matthew 1:19)

Joseph was a man of honour. Even in his turmoil, he sought a way to protect Mary.

image: Josh Applegate / Unsplash

Then Matthew recounts what happened next:
“Just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife…’” (Matthew 1:20)

Mary’s unconditional “fiat”—her yes to God—opened the way for Joseph to trust as well. Listening to the message carried in his dream, he followed where God was leading. Together they set out on a journey that would be filled with uncertainty and trust.

Later, amid the political turmoil of King Herod’s reign, Joseph again listened to the guidance of dreams. Warned of danger, he protected his family and fled. When it became unsafe to return to Bethlehem because Herod’s son Archelaus ruled Judea, Joseph was once again guided in a dream. He turned toward Galilee and settled in the small town of Nazareth.

Joseph was a man who trusted God’s quiet guidance.

Today, we see the spirit of Joseph alive in those who welcome the stranger, the unwanted, the unrecognized, and the displaced. In their compassion and courage, they reflect the inclusive spirit of Jesus—a spirit that refuses to treat anyone as a stranger.

We give thanks for Joseph, patron of the universal Church, and for the thousands of Sisters of St. Joseph who claim him as their patron. Like Joseph, they continue to listen for God’s voice in the dreams and uncertainties of our time, courageously moving into the unknown territories of today.

-Sister Kathleen Lichti, CSJ

A Call to Protect Refugee Health Coverage in Canada

The Sisters of St. Joseph are concerned about how proposed changes to the federal health care program for newly arrived refugees will have negative impacts on refugees, refugee claimants, and health care systems across Canada.

Our Office for Systemic Justice has sent the following letter to the federal Minister of Health and the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada/IRCC to raise these concerns.

Read the letter here.

St. Patrick’s Day

Family Roots and Irish Tradition

Patrick was my father’s name. He grew up in Douro, a small, distinctly Irish township situated just east of Peterborough, Ontario. My mother, Bridget, was born in Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland. When she married my father and met the people of Douro, she remarked that their accents were even more Irish than those in Ireland itself! This background meant that St. Patrick’s Day was always a special occasion for our family. Our celebrations included attending morning Mass, watching a parade, enjoying Irish music, and sharing a meal of Irish stew and soda bread. We continue to honor these traditions to this day.

The Legacy of St. Patrick

St. Patrick was never formally canonized by the church because he lived and died before the official process of canonization began in the 12th century. Instead, he was recognized as a saint by the people, admired for his remarkable achievements in spreading the Christian faith to nearly every part of Ireland.

Prayer and Pilgrimage

St. Patrick was renowned for his preaching and his deep devotion to prayer. Much like Jesus, he would retreat to quiet places for prayer and reflection. One such place is Croagh Patrick, a mountain in County Mayo, which remains a site of pilgrimage to this day. Perhaps this March 17th, you will join me in reciting this beautiful Prayer of St. Patrick or listen on to Rita Connolly singing “The Deer’s Cry”.

The Prayer of St. Patrick

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks for me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

-Maureen Condon, csj associate

Images: Quentin Rey/Allec Gomes/K. Mitch Hodge | Unsplash