Thoughts on Canada Day by a Newcomer

Phillipa Tom is a refugee from Zimbabwe who fled for safety to Canada about four years ago.  She settled in Peterborough with help from Casa Maria Refugee Homes, and is now living in an apartment in The Mount Community Centre where I also reside.  Phillipa kindly agreed to be interviewed on her experience of Canada Day.

Question: How do you spend Canada Day?

Phillipa: For the last two years I have gone to the local parade here in Peterborough. I like to watch the floats, the people gathered, and I really enjoy the brass bands as they march through the streets. Then I walk down to Del Crary Park where the multicultural Canada Day Celebrations are held.  You can taste something different from the local food venders who come from all over the world, but I usually don’t buy anything. There is lots to do there with multicultural entertainment and sports events, and craft displays of all kinds. Then I go home and tell my friends and family what I saw.

Question: Is there a similar celebration in your homeland?

Phillipa: Oh yes.  We celebrate Independence Day in Zimbabwe on April 18. Great crowds gather for music with singing and dancing, and lots of speeches from visiting politicians. In the afternoon there will be a soccer game.

Question: Do you notice any difference in the way we celebrate our country?

Phillipa: Here people celebrate with great respect for their country. You can feel the love they have for it.  In an oppressed country it is not the same.

Team Building With A Purpose

It’s a well- known fact that team building occurs when colleagues work together, share fun and even volunteer for a worthy cause.  Such activities enhance workers’ lives and create a healthy work environment.  That’s exactly what happened on June 19^th when twenty staff members and two Sisters of St. Joseph formed a team for the Big Bike ride.  Giddy excitement, casual dress, sunshine and good humour made for a perfect day to head to downtown London and participate in the annual Heart and Stroke Foundation’s annual fund raiser.  

After registration and posing for photos, the ride began from Pall Mall Street.  The assembled gang piled onto the long red bicycle made for not two but at least twenty-two.  Under the red and white banner announcing, “Sisters of St. Joseph”, off they peddled in unison down the street smiling, waving and cheering.  They disappeared out of sight, around the corner, down busy Wellington Street and through various side streets.  Younger, stronger staff set the pace while others pedaled furiously to stay on even keel.  Honking horns spurred on the cyclists until the route was completed and the gigantic red bicycle crossed the finish line.   As the St. Joseph’s riders dismounted the contraption, they cheered for a job well done and rejoiced at their fund-raising contribution of $1,500 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.  Those staff members who were unable to participate in the ride, made generous donations to the event.

The next day, no limping or complaining of aching joints was apparent.  Smiles prevailed.  Some danced around the dining room describing the outing as exhilarating, fun, entertaining, wonderful, unforgettable. Our staff had taken yet another step in making already cheerful workers even closer allies. - Sr. Jean Moylan

A Father's Day Reflection

As the father of five and a grandfather of seven (almost eight!) I look forward to Father’s Day.  When I reflect on my role as a father, I think it can be summed up as nurturing the love which is at the heart of our family.

As a husband and father, I think first of all my wife, Clare, who is central to our family.  As a couple we have worked together to create a family which is pretty special – if I do say so myself! As parents, our love is the source of what energizes our family. 

Clare and I have had our share of joys – births (including twins in two generations!), family camping, graduations, weddings, new jobs, etc., etc.

We have also had our share of tribulations – miscarriage, mental illness, death of a newborn grandson, job losses, and especially the death of our Kevin, a victim of drug addiction. The strength that comes to me as a father has certainly helped bear these trials.

The high school I taught at in Peterborough (St. Peter’s) has as its motto “Through Trials to Triumph”, and I have always thought that this sums up our family life and my role as a father.  We have all suffered with and supported each other through various difficulties, and now as a family we enjoy a closeness which is special to us.

A very poignant confirmation of the success Clare’s and my life in creating family came as I followed Kevin’s coffin after his funeral.  As we walked to his grave I had a very strong feeling of joy come upon me and I thought “We’ve done something right!”  Despite the pain and sorrow of the moment, the outpouring of support from a huge variety of people – our friends (some of whom we hadn’t seen in ages) and many more friends of Kevin and of our other children made my spirit soar – "Yes, we've done something right – in the midst of this deep time   of grief for a son whom we supported the best way we knew how."

On this Father’s Day I am very thankful for Clare, for our children and their spouses, and, of course our grandchildren. 

I am blessed indeed!

Joe Keast, Archivist/Librarian for the Peterborough Sisters 

The Sacred Heart

The month of June is dedicated to The Sacred Heart of Jesus as a reminder of the love that God has for us.  When we look upon images of the Sacred Heart, we often see Christ pointing to His heart, a sure sign that He loves us, but only if we see His heart as open.

If I mention the name Bugs Bunny many will smile. We all know this beloved bunny, but if I was to mention Charles Jones, you may wonder why and who he is. Well, he is the one who developed the beloved character, but his own personal favourite was not Bugs, but rather Pepé Le Pew, the romantic skunk who was forever falling in love with someone. Sadly, his love was always rejected because of his smell or often just due to the fear of his potential to smell. However, that did not stop Pepe. He kept right on loving. He just refused to give up. Pepe, like Jesus always was open to love even when it was rejected. The offer would always be there.

Perhaps, like Pepe, you have been rejected. How do you, how do I, react when people reject our love? We may even ask if God loves us, even when we know in our hearts that our God is a God of mercy and compassion. Despite our prayers, our faith may not feel as strong as we thought. So, we need more reassurance and that is why Jesus came, to remind us of God’s presence and love.

Let me share a story which illustrates this beautifully.  A little boy had just gotten his own room. During his first night in his new room, a violent thunderstorm broke out. The boy started screaming, “Daddy, daddy, come quick I am scared.”  “Don’t worry, Bobby” his father called out from his room, “God loves you and will protect you.” The boy yelled back, “I know God loves me and will protect me. But right now, I need someone with skin on!”

That is the reason for celebrating the Feast of the Sacred Heart in early June. It is God coming among us with skin on. It is God revealing God’s self as one of us. It is God reminding us that even if others reject our love, God could not and would not. Scripture shows us that the human Jesus grew tired, wept with and for His friends and foes, was rejected and died in pain on the Cross and yet He always reaches out.  His wounded heart open to love, willing once again to offer hope, to offer mercy, to offer love.

When you meditate and pray from your own heart, what image of Jesus speaks to you as you listen to the Sacred Heart?

 - Fr. Ian Riswick, Chaplain of the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood in Toronto.