Keep Walking

Walking, Walking, Walking to Jerusalem … five weeks, here we are at last! Look, there is a big parade, would you believe it, Jesus, like a King, riding on a donkey. Alleluia, Alleluia, here He is our King. The excitement draws us in – who doesn’t like a parade. And so the week begins!

Jesus lies low until Thursday then He makes it Holy with the institution of the Eucharist and by washing the feet of his disciples. The evening is flawed only by Judas, who is about to betray Jesus.

If I wrote my version of Holy Week I’d prefer to move from Holy Thursday right to the glory of the Resurrection. However, as you know, “you can’t have one without the other.”

Is this not the way to approach life – parades, festivities, meals, and celebrations? Soon enough we come to realize that in every life Good Friday must fall.

We want to be part of the parade, maybe even lead the donkey but as night falls so do we, not to be seen again until Easter Sunday.

We have walked to Jerusalem over the last few weeks – we have arrived.  Now, how will we walk into the “total” reality of Holy Week? Can we move from the head to the heart? Can we move our Lenten conversion into the past Easter season?

Will our change in heart and spirit continue to grow as we continue our walk into Eternal Life?

We are gifted with the call to serve and fed by the Eucharist – now leading the parade is up to us. Jesus is Risen, Alleluia – He wants to take part in our parade. Can we make room for Him in our daily parade?

Jesus lived the whole mystery.

Alleluia Christ is Risen

– and so shall we!

Barbara Vaughan, CSJ

Wing Beats of Hope

Monarchs ~ our Fragile Prophets

At Villa St. Joseph Retreat & Ecology Centre in Cobourg we would always look forward to the arrival of the Monarchs in late summer and early fall. Their orange and black wings, exquisitely patterned, would be everywhere. If you walked near the Mountain Ash tree by the verandah the branches would suddenly flutter alive in a breathtaking dance of winged beauty and dazzling life.  Each year their numbers have been dwindling and we have had the sense something was deeply out of balance

The recent Mexican postings reveal that the forest hibernation colonies have once again sharply decreased. There remain only nine hibernating colonies. Last year there was a total area of 7.4 acres and this year it dropped to 2.94 acres. This is a 59% decrease in population in one year. In 1997 there was 44 acres of colonies.

Why does it matter?

Monarchs lead the most spectacular and incredible migration journey of any species, traversing thousands of kilometres navigating territory they have never seen. These iconic butterflies are key pollinators for many species besides milkweeds. And as the same habitats for monarchs, are essential for other pollinators, they are fragile prophets we need to heed. Without pollinators our own food sources will come under risk. What can we do?

What Can We Do?

There is a day of Action and Contemplation for the Monarchs and Other Imperilled Pollinators from dusk on Sunday, April 13^th (Palm Sunday) to dusk on Monday April 14^th (Rachel Carson’s death anniversary). See: http://www.makewayformonarchs.org

Monarch Waystations:   At Villa St. Joseph Ecology Centre we have left significant parts of our fields uncut to preserve the milkweeds for the nurture of monarchs .We are now a designated Monarch Waystation with signage, bearing witness. But anyone can create a designated Waystation, in a backyard, a congregational home, a church. There are lots of other plants that provide sustenance for monarchs. Check out: http://monarchwatch.org

Let us make wing beats of hope this Easter and heed our fragile prophets. Rachel Carson will surely bless us and the monarchs!

Linda Gregg, CSJ

Photo: Margaret Magee

Three Times Blessed

Sr. Lenora Forster, csj – Teacher . . . Sr. Lauretta Heenan, csj – Teacher, Principal, Supervisor of Schools Windsor . . . Sr. Mary Arthur, csj – Radiologist, Guest Wing

All communities have traditions and this has proven true for the Sisters of St. Joseph, London neighbourhood.  When one Sister goes to glory, two more follow within a short period of time and so…  Sr. Lenora Forster, csj – March 12, 2014; Sr. Lauretta Heenan, csj – April 4, 2014; Sr. Mary Arthur Renaud, csj – April 7, 2014; they will truly be missed here on earth, but also warmly welcomed by our heavenly csj community. 

In recent time each of these Sisters have resided at our Care Centre, each bringing their own flavour to that local community. 

Sr. Lenora (Sr. Julia Marie) had a smile that beamed from ear to ear and was always visible in the T.V. room. 

Sr. Lauretta Heenan spent 98 years journeying this earth. In community she was given the name Sr. St. Anne and as young Sisters we called her “Lady Anne”. We have always known her as gracious, dignified with a warm smile and twinkling eyes. She maintained these qualities even during the time of her homeward journey. 

Sr. Mary Arthur we warmly referred to as “the little colonial”. She was an efficient little lady who loved people – those she met in radiology, our guest wing and everyone else who crossed her path.

Each of these women have richly blessed our community. The lesson I have learned is that the Lord loves variety and delights in mixing and matching. These women brought all of their virtues and foibles to the csj community and each enriched our lives by answering God’s vision for them.

Dear Sisters, thank you – rejoice always and pray for us. St. Lenora… pray for us…St. Lauretta… pray for us…St. Mary Arthur… pray for us.

Sr. Barbara Vaughan, CSJ

The New London Poverty Research Centre

The Sisters of St. Joseph are pleased to work with the London Food Bank on this new venture, and delighted to have such an amazing Steering Committee to move this project forward.  We’re also grateful to both the London Community Foundation and King’s College for their support of this initiative. 

With our involvement in this project, the Sisters of St. Joseph are saying that:

• Poverty is human-made. And, if it has been created, it can be undone.
• But such fundamental change only happens when the community works together.  We all have our own understandings of the causes and consequences of poverty, and we tend to fall into different political camps around the issue. But we need to learn to talk about poverty in ways that make sense to people no matter where they stand in the political spectrum. We need to get beyond the polarization that generates apathy and negative stereotypes about people living in poverty. We need practical solutions.
• We want to create a context in which we’re learning from the experiences of people who live in poverty so that we’ll know what really makes a difference; a context in which funders, service providers and policy-makers can point to evidence-based solutions. Most important, we want citizens of good will to have the knowledge they need to get involved in creating change.
• Businesses often come to London to test out their products because we’re considered to be so ‘typical.’ We think London should be the testing ground for bigger things than that. Let’s ‘test out’ what it takes to shift attitudes about poverty and to address its root causes. Let’s be the place where people come to learn about what it takes to create real systemic change. And let’s do it with the next generation, some of whom are here today because they’re ready for change.

That’s the hope that the Poverty Research Centre offers. But it’s a hope that will come to full fruition only if Londoners take up the challenge.

Sue Wilson, CSJ

Poverty Research Centre to Change the Conversation in London

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 7, 2014 London, ON - A new collaborative initiative, the London Poverty Research Centre, is set to begin its work in changing the conversation regarding poverty in the London community. Details will be released at a media conference on Tuesday, April 8th, 2014, 11:00 a.m. at King’s University College in the Andy & Helen Spriet Learning Commons, Darryl J. King Student Life Centre, 266 Epworth Ave, London.

Senior officials from the Sisters of St. Joseph, the London Food Bank, volunteer members of the Centre’s Task Force along with funders and partners including the London Community Foundation and King’s University College will provide details on the new Centre.

On December 2nd, 2013, the London Community Foundation announced funding in the amount of $250,355 to support the creation of The Poverty Research Centre. The Centre is a joint venture of the Sisters of St. Joseph and the London Food Bank and is guided by a volunteer Task Force. Its bold vision is to see an end to poverty in London.

"Of course, the Centre cannot achieve this vision on its own," says Sister Sue Wilson of the Sisters of St. Joseph. "However, we believe the centre can play a key role by providing all Londoners with an accessible pool of relevant research, analysis and promising practices that can create real change in our city."

"It will take all of us to make a collective impact on the issues associated with poverty in London," says Jane Roy, Co-Executive Director of the London Food Bank.

Also attending the media conference will be secondary school students from Social Justice Clubs along with King’s students and faculty who will engage in research for the Centre.

Parking available in lot P1 on north side of Epworth.

Media Contacts:

Poverty Research Centre Task Force
Ross Fair  rfair9@rogers.com  Cell: 519-495-9614

King’s University College
Jane Antoniak jane.antoniak@kings.uwo.ca 
ph: 519-433-3491 x4384; Cell: 519-719-9366