Just Watch Me

Where did the exclamation, “just watch me” originate?  Almost any older politically interested Canadian will recall former Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s response uttered when asked how far he would go in dealing with the 1970 October Crisis in Montreal.  Indeed, he went so far as to invoke the War Measures Act.

My recent crisis is not the caliber of the Quebec crisis but is has been a somewhat   frustrating experience for me.  My wrist watch was failing and I was coaxing it along without much success.  Time was passing.  Therefore, on a recent shopping excursion, I spotted a reasonably priced watch.  “Aha”, I exclaimed.  “Just what I’m looking for”.  I picked the neatly boxed watch from the shelf and approached the saleslady. Smiling, she slipped my treasure from the box and handed it to me. “Oh”, I lamented, “The band is much too large.  Can you adjust it here?”  She gave me the weary eye and replied, “Yes, but, but ….”, as more dollars danced before me.  Then she began the process, using what looked like a hammer affair and little nail-like pieces of metal.  Out popped one link, 2 links, finally 6 links and a clasp to finish the bracelet.  “Bravo!” I breathed as she fastened the sparkling new watch to my slim wrist.

However, the watch story continued at bedtime, when I attempted to remove my timepiece.  My wrist began to turn from pink to red as I pressed, pulled and yanked to release the clasp that held the watch captive to my arm.  Amidst the struggle, those famous words “Just watch me”, came to mind.  Will this mean the amputation of my hand?  Ouch!  My thumb nails are protesting.  Will I get to bed tonight?  Finally the clasp released.  Will I be able to wear this watch tomorrow?    A final question arose in my mind, “Have you heard about an expansion band?”  I’m determined to get one tomorrow.  Just watch me!!!!

Eileen Foran, CSJ

A Convent Home Transformed through Social Innovation

Have you ever had to say goodbye to a cherished home that was so much a part of your life that separation seemed almost impossible?  Have you wondered what could happen to that space that had been cared for with pride and devotion and in return had offered great satisfaction and security?  Early in the second millennium the time had come for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peterborough to leave a residence that had been theirs since 1895, a farm dwelling that had expanded and developed into a  complex of over 130,000 square feet of buildings, and housed at one time over 100 Sisters.  The property was sold in 2007 to a Toronto company that had planned apartments for seniors, but with the economic crisis of 2008 it was forced to abandon this undertaking, and our home went to the parent company in Calgary that immediately put it on the market for sale.  For more than four years we waited and prayed for a buyer that would honour and appreciate this beautiful space that encapsulated our history, and we watched an empty Mount St. Joseph deteriorate as time, weather and vandalism took its toll.  Then a miracle occurred in August of 2013 when 5 courageous members of the Peterborough Poverty Reduction Network risked all to buy the building with a vision for social innovation that contained all that we could have hoped for in the treasure that had been ours.  What is now The Mount Community Centre is alive with the same mission to serve those in need as we are, and we look across the way these days filled with hope and gratitude for all that is happening there.

An initial search for housing and food security to respond to Peterborough’s most urgent needs as established by the PPRN became a much larger dream with the purchase of this property. Currently construction is well underway in the residential wing as 47 apartment units will be ready to move into by the summer of 2016. With thanks to a $50,000 donation from a local agency, the large commercial kitchen is being fully restored to a ‘community food hub’ which will offer a place for tenants and others to learn how to prepare nutritious meals using produce grown on the property. Finally our first non-residential tenant is expected to move in before December, and this organization will provide day and overnight respite care for people living with Alzheimer’s or other kinds of dementia.

Meanwhile a host of special events has been taking place at the Mount Community Centre over the past while.  The deconsecrated chapel has become a space for weddings, music festivals and concerts, a Greek dinner and a poverty meal, an interfaith gathering and much more. Larger rooms have provided space for a variety of gatherings, including meetings and entertainment, and smaller rooms have been used as a quiet place for artists, musicians and office workers. November brought to the scene the production crew of Murdock Mysteries who filmed a small segment of this popular series. All of these activities contribute to the huge financial challenge that this wonderful project entails.

The plan for The Mount Community Centre will take 10 to 15 years to complete, and is centered around five main pillars – housing, food security, community services, arts and culture and ecological sustainability. As an impossible dream slowly becomes a concrete reality, one of the most surprising and amazing factors is the number of volunteers from many walks of life and the tremendous contribution they are making to this unique project which is the largest and most ambitious of the rising number of community hubs that are popping up across our country in response to social needs. If you wish to know more about this exciting venture, or get involved, you can go to the website at www.themountpeterborough.com

Joan Driscoll, CSJ

From Guard to Guide

Recently, I went with a friend to see the ‘Masterworks from the Beaverbrook Art Gallery ‘exhibit at the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery in Sarnia.

From the person at the reception desk, the volunteer in the first exhibit room to the other volunteers helping folks along the way, we were truly welcomed.  

Given that these works of art are extremely valuable, besides volunteers, each exhibit area also included a paid security guard. 

Now ‘picture this’: while a tour group, having been regaled about all the history and qualities of the paintings, moved on to another gallery,  the security guard left his post and came towards me and my friend.  Had we stepped over the ‘line’?  Were our purses too large?  No.  It wasn’t anything we had done; it was all about what he wanted to do.

The guard told us that he had witnessed so many tours going through that he had absorbed much of what had been said.  He then took us through one picture after the other, intriguing us with their ‘stories’.  His obvious delight in sharing his new found knowledge was infectious. I simply found myself caught up in his enthusiasm. The guard had morphed into our own private guide!  

Somehow, I don’t think that this Security Guard fellow had any previous appreciation for art.  But he does now. He could have spent his shifts with the bored and vacant expressions of the other guards. Instead he expanded his awareness, increased his knowledge and then took great pleasure in sharing this with others.

This small story speaks to me of how being open and responsive to what life presents to each one of us is the key to our own personal growth and to how we can be ‘gift’ to others.

As stated by Dag Hammarskjold, “Each morning we must hold out the chalice of our being to receive, to carry, and to give back.”

Ann Steadman,
CSJ Associate

Turning Mental Health Inside Out

Help!  The inner cries, of persons who suffer with mental health concerns, need to reach our ears and hearts. From the shadows of secrecy, mental illness must move out into the light of our conscious awareness. The statistics are startling!  One in five Canadians will be afflicted with a mental illness at some point in their lifetime. The painful stigma, that has been associated with persons who struggle psychologically, needs to be lifted. Advocates of mental health such as Clara Hughes, Margaret Trudeau and Howie Mandel need to be heeded. Rising out of their personal harrowing experiences, they have been blessed with the courage and passion to speak out. Their prophetic voices unite with so many who have no voice, offering them new hope and assurance that they are not alone. 

A month or so ago, I attended an event sponsored by the St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation, at which Heather Hiscox, CBC Host, was in candid conversation with Howie Mandel. Mr. Mandel believes that as human beings, at certain stressful times, each of us has mental health issues which result in difficulty in coping with life. We need to talk about this reality; thereby, counteracting the shame that has been placed on persons who bear this burden in silence.      

When a person’s mental wellbeing is jeopardized, she or he may be pushed to the margins of society due to misunderstanding and lack of acceptance. Persons who do not seek necessary help soon enough, due to fear of ridicule and rejection, may end up in a crisis situation. They may become suicidal and filled with despair, resulting in admittance to hospital through an emergency department. Perhaps this trauma could be avoided, if persons felt that they could openly talk about the state of their mental health and when needed consult their family physician and seek out counselling. 

Mental health is everyone’s concern.  Let’s get talking! 

What are you and I willing to do to advocate for mental health so that persons can freely seek out the necessary support and treatment?  

Kathleen O’Keefe, CSJ

Do You Really Mean it?

Are good thoughts good enough? Yes, I am thinking about all those ever new “New Year” resolutions. A few years ago, I was the Pastoral Minister at a city parish composed of middle aged parishioners. The Pastor and I where asked by a number of parishioners about the possibility of having a midnight Mass on New Year’s Eve! We talked about it and decided to schedule the New Year’s Eve mass for midnight. Come December 31^st at 11:30 p.m. we waited to welcome the parishioners—we waited and we waited. At 11:45 p.m. two people arrived, a mother and the daughter who cared for her. The rest of the crowd must be coming shortly we thought so we lit the candles. Father vested and we were ready to bring in the New Year. The New Year bells began to ring and oh what a beautiful sound they made. As the bells rang out Father, the mother, the daughter and I gathered around the altar—we were it. The mass was celebrated with all the trimmings minus the collection! It was a great celebration, very peaceful, and reflective. Those who thought it was a good idea but didn’t follow through missed out on a much graced moment.

The following weekend we heard a lot of “we were going to come but…!” Unfortunately, a good idea or thought counts for little if there is no follow through. Perhaps as we approach the New Year we might plan to look a little more at the spiritual side of our lives. We are always so busy—no one, we say, is as busy as we are. Really! Try to spend just five minutes a day in total quiet, come to church early or stay a few minutes after. Perhaps do something to help the environment. Each night before going to sleep think of at least six things you are grateful for. Try to find some positive action and follow through with it.

Let’s make 2016 a year of making this world and ourselves witnesses of God’s Great Love. Pope Francis’s challenge to “Wake up the world was not just for a year—it was for a life time. Blessings to all for 2016! Let’s all be the active influence for good in 2016.

“Let us open the doors of our hearts to Jesus, so that he will accompany us now and through the year that is about to begin”.

Barb Vaughan, CSJ