Guest Bloggers

Remembrance Day

It is a privilege to acknowledge and honour the bravery, commitment and life-giving sacrifices of Canadian Veterans each year but this year I would like to highlight two intertwined celebrations.

Starting in 1994 in Winnipeg, National Indigenous Veterans Day has been celebrated on Nov 8th. This day acknowledges the significant contribution of Metis, First nations and Inuit veterans in various conflicts who faced systemic inequality and denial of the same post war benefits as their non-indigenous counterparts. Always resilient, they worked diligently, especially in the light of reconciliation efforts, to develop this day of special recognition. The local celebrations include such cultural features as drumming, smudging, singing, dancing and a sacred fire. It is a time to spend with family and community in a less formal setting.

November 11th, the traditional Remembrance day continues in all municipalities in Canada, noted by the singing of our national anthem, prayers speeches in honour of our veterans and their sacrifices, children singing “In Flanders Fields” and more often now welcome and significant involvement of our First Nation, Metis and Inuit brother and sisters. May we continue to move toward oneness of celebration and reconciliation on all fronts.            

Thanks Dad and ALL VETERANS !        

-Maureen Condon, CSJ Associate

Image: Annie Spratt @anniespratt/ Glib Albovsky @albovsky | Unsplash

All Saints Day

I’ve always loved Halloween and now enjoy seeing the excited children trick-or-treating for their candies.

Driving around these days I see so many houses decorated for All Hallow’s Eve and have to say there has been a significant shift in the choice of displays. I grew up with playful paper decorations of pumpkins, black cats, spiders and bats, if any decorations were present. Today most decorations, intended to scare the children, are inflatable devils, huge skeletons, flashing lights, smoke, ghosts, ghoulish clown, loud noises and tombstones. It’s making me think.

In Christianity, All Hallow’s Eve was originally the vigil of All Saint’s Day, a day to honour ALL saints, known & unknown. Traditionally, as Catholics, we honour them by attending Mass, reflecting on their lives and visiting the graves of our loved ones for All Souls Day.

Is the move to demonic decoration something I should attend to? Have I a responsibility to reconsider my own vigil preparation and witness to its original purpose? I think so.

Maybe in addition to giving out treats I will send each child/family away with a smile, a Happy All Saints Day greeting and a God Bless you. I look forward to the reactions!

And to you, Happy All Saints Day!

-Maureen Condon, CSJ Associate

Image: Neven Krcmarek/K. Mitch Hodge/Unsplash

International Literacy Day

International Literacy Day is celebrated annually on September 8 to recognize the importance of literacy as part of the fundamental right to education. The day also is an opportunity to remind the world that literacy is the foundation for lifelong learning, empowerment, health and wellbeing, and gender equality.

CODE is Canada’s leading international development agency dedicated to education and literacy. At CODE, we believe in the transformative power of the written word. Since our founding in 1959, our programming has expanded from shipping books overseas. We are grateful to the countless foundations, community groups and donors who have made it all possible.

In collaboration with our in-country partners, our programs emphasize teacher training and the creation of high-quality, locally authored children’s books, because literacy only blossoms when children can see themselves reflected in what they read.

Our impact is deep and measurable. Between 2019 and 2025, CODE empowered 1.6 million students, distributed 1.6 million culturally relevant books, and trained 25,000 educators.

We see this work realized in the Grade 1 classroom of Children’s Hope Elementary School, Liberia, where the classroom is filled with culturally appropriate and locally designed wall posters with letters of the alphabet and blended sounds. Bookshelves line the class filled with anthologies that have been developed by Liberian authors and published by Liberian publishers. The teacher – Mrs. Blaki – moves around the classroom providing support to groups of children working on literacy activities. A young girl, Aminata, is huddled together over a storybook and sounding out words.

As we mark International Literacy Day, we reflect on our vision: a world where every young person, like Aminata, can pursue literacy, through quality teaching and learning.

At this time, 9 out 10 children in Sub-Saharan Africa are suffering from what the World Bank terms “learning poverty,” which is defined by the inability to read and understand a simple text by age 10. And so, we know the work at CODE must continue and with partners such yourselves, we can work towards establishing literacy programs; develop local books; and work with teachers.

Together, we can write a brighter future—one child, one book, one teacher at a time.

-Sara McGinty, Director of International Programs and Partnership

Image: Aleks M/Unsplash

St. Jean Baptiste Day

The Fête nationale du Québec, the official holiday of Quebec, is celebrated on June 24th. It honours both the summer solstice and the patron saint of French Canadians, St. John the Baptist. Over the years it has evolved into a vibrant celebration of Quebec’s language, traditions and community spirit.

Saint John the Baptist, a 1540 painting by Titian

St John the Baptist is a major figure and recognized as the last Old Testament prophet and the precursor to Jesus. The French however are far from the only ones who venerate St. John the Baptist. He is honoured as a prophet in Islam, a significant figure in various Christian traditions, including Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican churches. Bahai, Druze and Mandaeism also venerate him and remember his messages of repentance, preparation for the Kingdom of Heaven and baptism. It is widely held that he baptized his cousin, Jesus.

The church has set aside two feast days regarding his legacy, June 24th,to celebrate his birth and August 29th to honour his martyrdom at the hands of Herod Antipas at the request of his daughter Salome.

Pray for us great St John the Baptist that we may lead other’s to oneness with Jesus.

-Maureen Condon, Associate