The fruit of silence is prayer. The fruit of prayer is faith. The fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, and the fruit of service is peace.
- Mother Teresa
A Place of Stillness
In Renfrew County, along the banks of the Madawaska River, stands a grey building surrounded by trees.
It has been a haven of hospitality for many years- even for the brave men who rode the logs, bringing them to harvest in the 1800s. This place at Springtown was known as the “Stopping Place”- a home that also welcomed the itinerant priest and the schoolteacher. It was discovered by three of our Pembroke Sisters, who embraced it with loving care and vision, to create the present Stillpoint House of Prayer.
the ‘stopping place’
Countless retreatants have crossed its threshold throughout the 32 years of its ministry. The walls still ring with the wisdom of Sisters Maria and Betty. We are grateful for its sturdy structure and its amazing views; the big old barn provides shelter as well for people who come for prayer and quiet. We believe the Holy Spirit resides at Stillpoint too, amidst the green gardens and lawns, the spruce and lilac, and the multitude of wildlife.
An all-season place for quiet and calm, Stillpoint invites one and all.
-Sister Helen Russell, csj
The Rural Libraries of Cajamarca - A Peruvian Dream Realized
Since the early 1960s, the Sisters of St Joseph have had a presence in Peru. During those years a priest from England, Father John Metcalfe ministered in the Andes in Cajamarca with primarily the Indigenous population located in small subsistence farming communities. Focusing on education, he wondered why anyone would want to learn how to read when they did not have access to newspapers or books. As a result, he creatively evolved a lending library system, simple but effective, with a presence in every small community. Fifty years later his dream still promotes and encourages reading to enhance education and critical thinking. Critical thinking that included indigenous land rights with ecological protection.
The present administrator of the Rural Libraries of Cajamarca, Alfredo Mires Ortiz, has contributed a blog focusing on the continual evolution of that broadened educational dream. - Sr Mabel St. Louis, csj
The Rural Libraries of Cajamarca
In memory of Fr. Gerardo Prince St. Onge, ever-present.
Modern times only give the impression of being modern and make us believe that we live in the future. But the old injustices prevail; the iniquity is still there, even if we don't want to see it.
There are words that have been in fashion around here for quite some time: development, competitiveness, success, entrepreneurship, empowerment, acceleration, celebrity, etc. And there are other words whose use is becoming outdated: poverty, hunger, exploitation, love, solidarity, fraternity, spirit, etc.
But hiding the words does not liquidate the realities, because there are still poor people and because of hunger they continue to die, and because love continues to be lacking. The pain of those who suffer is not relieved by covering their mouths or averting our eyes.
And never more than today - when the continuity of the human species and nature are at risk – is competitiveness or celebrity more shameful, when what the world requires is commonality.
That is why we continue the journey with our Rural Libraries of Cajamarca: because books can also be the bread that nourishes our memories and our hopes. Rediscovering words, rewriting our stories, and re-creating ourselves with, from and to the earth is a way of building tomorrow without having to stumble over the same stone so many times.
Reading is decanting and discerning, attracting the world and projecting oneself onto the world. And we have been doing this for 50 years, trying to understand and unlearn. It is not an empty path: we are an independent organization and we are not guided by ideology or motivated by a reward. We are a community, we are family. We are children of marginalized memory, unappreciated history, and pursued dreams. And we learn from the most humble, from the prodigious presence of those whom society does not value and does not take into account.
-Alfredo Mires Ortiz
In this wonderful fifteen minute video, Alfredo Mires Ortiz, head of the rural library program (RED), shows us the creative ways the people of Cajamarca participate in the "moving libraries" with their local 'librarian' holding books at home, and the volunteers who carry the books on their backs in backpacks to the next village in the hills. The books not only provide practical knowledge. As Alfredo explains in the introduction and the conclusion, the library reclaims Peruvian history from the false claims of the Spanish conquest, replacing it with the truth. The library then, informs and supports, celebrates Peruvian history, culture, values, and dignity.
-Sister Wendy Cotter csj
Las Bibliotecas Rurales de Cajamarca
A la memoria de Fr. Gerardo Prince St. Onge, tan presente.
Los tiempos modernos solo dan la impresión de ser modernos y nos hacen creer que vivimos en el futuro. Pero las antiguas injusticias prevalecen; la iniquidad sigue ahí, aunque no queramos verla.
Hay palabras que por aquí andan de moda hace bastante tiempo: desarrollo, competitividad, éxito, emprendimiento, empoderamiento, aceleración, celebridad, etc. Y hay otras palabras cuyo uso va resultando anticuado: pobreza, hambre, explotación, amor, solidaridad, fraternidad, espíritu, etc.
Pero escondiendo las palabras no se liquidan las realidades. Porque pobres sigue habiendo y porque de hambre se sigue muriendo y porque amor sigue faltando. El dolor de los que sufren no se alivia tapándoles la boca ni volteándonos los ojos.
Y nunca como hoy –cuando la continuidad de la especie humana y la naturaleza están en riesgo– resulta más vergonzosa la competitividad o la celebridad, cuando lo que requiere el mundo es mancomunidad.
Por eso seguimos caminando con nuestras Bibliotecas Rurales de Cajamarca, porque los libros también pueden ser el pan que nutre nuestros recuerdos y nuestros anhelos; redescubrir las palabras y escribirnos con la tierra es una forma de construir el mañana sin tener que tropezar tantas veces con la misma piedra.
Leer es decantar y discernir, atraer el mundo y proyectarse al mundo. Y en eso andamos ya hace 50 años, tratando de comprender y desaprender. No es un camino vacío: somos una organización independiente y no nos guía una ideología ni nos mueve una recompensa. Somos comunidad, somos familia. Somos hijos de la memoria marginada y de la historia despreciada y de los sueños perseguidos. Y aprendemos de los más humildes, desde la prodigiosa presencia de aquellos a los que la sociedad no valora y no toma en cuenta.
Weekly Pause and Ponder
This is our finest hour. We live in a unique time, perhaps as significant as when the first humans arose in self-consciousness in an animal world. Millions of us are rising in a more universal, holistic, or cosmic consciousness in a self-centered world. We are being called forth in every field and discipline to fulfill our potential through joining together in creative action.
In the Gospel According to Thomas it is said, “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”
- Barbara Marx Hubbard (Conscious Evolution)
Wisdom, Age and Grace
Our most senior Sisters are amazing! Last week, as I was walking down our care centre hallway, I met Sr. Mary Eunice, 94, pushing her rollator toward me at full speed. She slowed down enough to inform me that Prime Minister Trudeau would be giving a speech in a few minutes and she didn’t want to miss a word of it. I knew that she would listen to his address and decide whether he should be admonished, advised or just in need of prayers.
Sisters Eileen & Michaela
A few days earlier, I was taking a copy of America Magazine to the Sisters’ rooms to see if they wanted to continue to be on the list for reading it. I went to Sr. Theresa Marie’s room where I found this soon-to-be 90-year-old busy on Facetime. She indicated that of course, she would like to receive America as it’s a publication where one can find the most recent updates and current events analysis from a scholarly Jesuit perspective. Next, I spied Sr. Eileen, 95, a blogger on our website and companion Sr. Michaela who is healing gracefully from hip replacement surgery. They were enjoying dinner in the little country kitchen. Yes, they agreed that America was a most worthwhile magazine to continue receiving and by the way, did I know where the September issue of MacLean’s was. “Yes, Sisters, coming right up”, I replied.
Sisters Theresa Marie, Mary Eunice and Veronica in the Chapel
Sr. Veronica is 94 and now deprived of eyesight. She enjoys when I visit and read to her from the latest edition of the Catholic Register. Our reading time is interspersed with our own editorial comments, smart remarks and even chuckles as we add our views and recommendations on the various articles.
Sr. St. Bride, now 95, arrived from Edmonton several years ago suffering, as she put it, “from too many birthdays”. She has little sight but is not one to miss the games of her cherished Edmonton Oilers or Eskimos (soon to receive a new name). They are no doubt included in her prayers along with many others. In fact, Sister has a telephone ministry that reaches all the way to the West.
Sister Paulette celebrates her 90th!
Sr. Paulette, our latest 90-year-old, was a Windsor school principal and later child and family counsellor for fifty years. Coming to London meant a switch from her 250ccs motorcycle to larger wheels for transportation. Now she enjoys busy days serving as receptionist relief at our residence entrance. Being a Windsorite, she follows everything American from current events to sports and politics.
Sister Marie Celine preparing sandwiches for the Hospitality Centre in London
Sr. Marie Celine, 91, a talented artist who spent over a decade in Peru, recently moved to the care centre. She helps to make sandwiches for the hungry who visit our downtown hospitality centre during these troubled times.
Our beloved senior Sisters live deep spiritual lives, filled with serenity, even in suffering.
Theirs is work well done in the Creator’s vineyard. They hold the wisdom of the years with gentleness, peace and joy.
-Sister Jean Moylan, csj