A Great Read

Theo of Golden, a Great Read

Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi, is an unprepossessing book, and the best book I have read in some time.  It leaves you deeply touched, and somehow moved to be a little more like Theo. 

Theo is an 86-year-old gentleman, possessed of a certain wealth, well-travelled in the world, who speaks five languages.  For some reason known only to himself, on a certain spring day just before Easter, he moves from   upscale New York City, where his office is, into the small town of Golden.  He is not yet certain how long he will live there.  On his first day in the town, he goes into the local coffee shop, and notices on the walls of the shop a large number of hand-sketched portraits of local people, all done in pencil, on white paper.  After drinking the excellent coffee, he decides to return later, when the shop is not so busy.  On his return he spends a long-time walking around the walls, gazing intently at the beautifully drawn portraits, studying both the artists fine work, and the faces he sees depicted there.    There are 94 of these portraits hanging on the walls of this café - art gallery.  Speaking with the owner of the café, he learns that the portraits are the work of a local artist, named Asher, whose wife was killed a while back in a car accident, and whose daughter, seriously injured, he cares for.  Theo is surprised to learn that although the portraits are of local people, are beautifully done, and are for sale at very reasonable prices, so many have not been purchased. An idea is born.  

Theo decides to purchase the portraits, one at a time, and to offer each of them as a gift to the person depicted.  However, he wants to meet the person involved, and so he hatches a plan.  First, he buys the portrait of a young woman with short hair, familiar eyes, and an unsmiling but not unfriendly face, because that one intrigued him most.  Then he writes a hand-written letter to this woman, Mrs. Minette Prentiss,  whose name is printed on the back of the portrait, introducing himself, and saying that he saw her portrait in the café, and wanted to gift  her with it, writing, “after all, it only seems right that the finished work should go to the one who inspired it.”  He then says that he will be sitting on a bench beside the fountain in the square nearest to the café, at 7 pm on a given evening, and would be honored if she would meet him there where he could give her the portrait as a free gift.  Aware that this would seem an odd request he assures her that he is a harmless old man, a widower, a father and asks nothing of her, except to meet him to receive it.   After much deliberation, Minette Prentiss shows up, and is struck by the old man’s warmth, his gentle, almost timid smile, and the impact of his looking intently into her eyes.  She feels that he has anticipated this meeting and now takes delight at being in her presence. There follows a beautiful conversation: she opening up her life and her heart to this very kind old man, and he truly listening intently and caringly.  After presenting her with the carefully wrapped portrait, Theo tells her what he sees in her face: strength, bravery, kindness, and even some sadness, the good kind.  Needless to say, after that meeting, Minette Prentiss goes home feeling a whole new sense of beauty and the goodness that is herself, and happy to have a new friend.   

And so it goes, with each of the many portraits Theo purchases over the year that he lives in Golden, gradually meeting many of the local people one by one, looking intently at their portraits, and then at their faces and getting to know each of them,  hearing their stories, telling them what goodness he sees in them, and leaving them with a new appreciation of themselves, and a new lease on life. 

I won’t tell you the end of the story, as I hope you will read this book.  After speaking about it with a friend, she sent me an excerpt from an LCWR booklet that expressed essentially what Theo had done, and how it had transformed the little town of Golden into a whole new kind of community.  The excerpt is entitled “Influencing by Listening”, and the writer is Nancy Murphy, DC. of St. Louis Missouri.   At the end of her excellent little reflection, Nancy writes,

“I believe we’ve been freed from our past responsibilities to have time to listen—to listen to the voice of God in our sisters and brothers--to help them realize their worth in the eyes of God.  Our “influence” is not what we do but how we listen.”

Theo of Golden left me wanting to look more closely at the stories written in the faces of all the people that I interact with, and to listen more intently to their stories. 

-Sister Mary Diesbourg, CSJ

Image: freestocks/Unsplash

Shepherding Today

Good Shepherd Sunday, rooted in the Gospel of John and celebrated on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, reminds us of Jesus as the Good Shepherd—one who knows, protects, and lays down his life for his sheep.

Due to health challenges, I had to step away from my ministry with Good Shepherd MInistries in Hamilton, and move to London for care, but I recently attended a retirement gathering for a devoted worker from Good Shepherd Ministries in Hamilton.

What stood out was the remarkable work of three brothers—Terence, Justin, and Richard—who have built an extensive network of care across 26 homes, offering food, housing, clothing, medical, and psychiatric support, along with outreach programs.

The Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd, members of the venerable religious congregation founded by Brother Mathias Barrett, are now the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God – Province of the Good Shepherd in North America.

Like the Good Shepherd who knows each sheep by name, the brothers, staff, and over 600 volunteers extend deeply personal care to those they serve.

So on this Good Shepherd Sunday, let us proudly and gratefully salute the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God – Province of the Good Shepherd in North America!

Truly, Jesus the Good Shepherd continues to be with and guide the most vulnerable of His sheep, through the compassionate and loving Community of brothers, staff and volunteers in Hamilton, ON.

-Sister Rita Bohnert, CSJ

Earth Day: Rooted in Relationship: Forests, Faith, and Care for the Land

GUEST BLOG

At Ignatius Jesuit Centre, care for the land is not separate from spiritual life. It is part of it.

Set on over 600 acres in Guelph, Ontario, the land at IJC holds forests, fields, wetlands, and trails that are actively cared for through conservation, farming, and community engagement. For us, ecological stewardship is not only about protecting natural spaces, but about restoring right relationship — with the land, with one another, and with God’s creation as a whole.

As we mark Earth Day, we are reminded that forests are more than landscapes to be preserved. They are living communities. They hold memory, shelter biodiversity, regulate climate, and offer spaces for reflection and renewal. They also require ongoing care.

At IJC, this care takes many forms. Through our conservation work, we are restoring native habitats, managing invasive species, and working to establish long-term protections for the land. Our Old Growth Forest Project, in particular, is a commitment to thinking beyond our own lifetimes; to steward a forest that future generations may inherit, even if we will never see it fully mature.

This long view is deeply connected to our spiritual practice. In a culture that often prioritizes immediacy and extraction, both faith and ecology invite us into something slower and more attentive. Forests teach patience. They remind us that growth happens over decades, that resilience is built through interconnected systems, and that care is often quiet and unseen.

Alongside conservation, Ignatius Farm continues to be a place where people learn through direct relationship with the land — growing food, tending soil, and participating in ecological cycles. Increasingly, this work is being integrated with opportunities for reflection, retreat, and education through our emerging Centre for Integral Ecology. The Centre is being developed as a place of formation, where people can engage the ecological and spiritual dimensions of life together through hands-on learning, shared reflection, and dialogue. In this way, we are responding, in a practical and grounded way, to Laudato Si’’s call to care for our common home — bringing faith, ecological understanding, and lived practice into closer relationship.

This invitation is already being lived out through the participation of volunteers and community members. On any given week, people gather to remove invasive species, helping native plants and trees to regenerate. Others join in planting trees, tending the community orchard, or supporting restoration projects across the property. On the farm, volunteers seed, harvest, and care for the soil, learning directly from the rhythms and limits of the land. These are not abstract acts of care, but physical, relational ones — ways of coming back into contact with the living systems that sustain us.

At its core, this work is an invitation. Not only to protect the natural world, but to reconsider how we live within it.

Prayer Intentions

We invite you to join us in holding these intentions in prayer:

• For the healing and restoration of forests and ecosystems under pressure around the world

• For the plants, animals, birds, and unseen life that share this Earth with us, in gratitude for their presence and with hope for their healing where they have been harmed

• For the patience and long-term vision needed to care for the land across generations

• For all who work in conservation, farming, and ecological education, that they may be sustained in their efforts

• For deeper awareness of our interconnectedness with all of creation, and the courage to live differently in response

Courtesy of the Ignatius Jesuit Centre