Celebrating, Cottage-Style

Did you know that there’s a new treat called birthday timbiebs?  That’s what our little foursome at the cottage discovered when we set out to celebrate Sister Dora’s 85th birthday.  The venue chosen for the special lunch was Tim Horton’s because one of our Sisters generously shared a sizable gift card which she had received.  These are the special, unexpected deeds of kindness that occur during our life together in community.   

Sister Dora celebrates her 85th birthday

On July 12th, off we drove to nearby Bright’s Grove to celebrate the occasion and spend our windfall. Fortunately, Timmy’s usual lunchtime hustle and bustle was absent, so we had a leisurely celebration.  Of course, Tim Horton’s menu doesn’t include birthday cake, but we did spy the new, delicious waffle cake birthday timbiebs.  These little round bites sufficed for cake and candles to complete our special event.

Incidentally, I’m a belieber and follow the career of Canada’s young Justin.  Therefore, it was fun to have this be a part of our unique way to celebrate Sister Dora before returning to relaxing at Derrynane cottage on lovely Lake Huron. Its inviting water and magnificent sunsets provide a perfect setting to savor our last days of summer bliss.  We are forever grateful for this quiet, refreshing retreat where we’ve been vacationing for over half a century. Quite a Canadian moment indeed.

-Sister Jean Moylan, csj

Etched in My Heart Forever

This morning I was reading a short reflection written by one of the MacKenzie-Fort Smith Diocesan staff.  She points to the question “Who is our neighbor?”  The parable of the Good Samaritan tells us that our neighbor is everyone!  Like Jesus’ story, we’ve all had the experience of being passed over in time of special need. This is illustrated in an experience I had last week on my birthday. 

I woke up feeling a wee bit out of sorts.  I tried to shake it off but the feeling of being in a funk continued.  So, I decided to take a long walk around Frame Lake neighborhood (Yellowknife, Northwest Territories) to explore the rugged beauty that surrounds me. This most often grounds me and offers me a new perspective.  After walking about 2 kilometers I saw some men sitting on a semicircular cement block.  They were laughing and swinging their arms.  I wondered if they were playing “hand games” a familiar Indigenous sport that usually attracts hundreds of people.  Anyway, I inquired if this was what they were doing.  The men laughed and said they were throwing stones at a small target along the bank. They were simply enjoying each other.  I could tell they had spent the night outdoors and enjoyed a night of bottled spirits. 

I was about to walk away when I realized that I had my tiny purse with me and perhaps a couple of gift cards for A&W.  Oh, let me backup for a moment.  Over the past 18 months or so, whenever I receive small donations, I purchase $10 A&W gift cards and give them away to people asking for money on the street.  This way, they can buy a burger and a drink for about $9.52.  I looked in my small purse thinking I might have at least a few cards on hand.  Well, lo and behold, I had 7 gift cards!  Was this meant to be or what?

I passed the gift cards to each of the men and received several comments.  There is one comment that will be etched in my heart forever.  

One of them asked, “Is it okay from now on if we call you MAMA BURGER? “

My response, “It sure is.”

I laughed and chuckled all the way home. I have a street name now!  And that feeling of being in a funk was completely lifted.  Mama Burger received the BEST gift on her birthday!

-Sister Linda Parent, csj

Memories of Lac Ste. Anne

With the anticipated visit of Pope Francis to Canada this summer, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact location where he should spend time to meet with the natives and deliver an apology from the Catholic church for the harm that has happened in residential schools. 

Where can he stand to satisfy the desire of each nation traumatized by the harm done to the native children and their families?

Where can he voice apologies to all the people who suffered as students in residential schools?

I believe that Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta is the proper place for Pope Francis to deliver his message.  It is on the banks of Lac Ste. Anne’s sacred waters where many residential school survivors can gather.

Lac. Ste. Anne is a pivotal point; the Spirit blows to south, north, east, and west.

The Pope’s apology will blow in all directions to represent the tribes who will gather at the shrine.  Lac Ste. Anne is sacred ground with openness to reconciliation.  There will be more meaning to having the Pope’s apology given at Lac Ste. Anne than in his visiting a school here and a grave there; this is not the same as going to holy ground where people’s minds and hearts are open to reconciliation in a prayerful, peaceful atmosphere.

Lac Ste Anne is located 45 miles northwest of Edmonton, Alberta. It is an hour’s drive from the village of St. Albert to the waters of Lac Ste. Anne.  Years ago, in the mid-eighteen eighties, the Oblate Fathers, established a mission along the shores of God’s Lake which today is known as Lac Ste. Anne. Their mission was to serve the Cree Nation in the area.  In July 1889, the first annual pilgrimage to these sacred waters was founded and organized by the Oblate Fathers and the Cree of the mission. 

In 1974, I made the day-long trip from Yellowknife where I was a missionary to be present for the annual July 26th retreat pilgrimage at Lac St. Anne.  This was a special, important day when the native peoples brought their tents and travelled great distances from all directions to take part in the deeply spiritual celebrations. Throughout the years, Lac Ste. Anne become a widely known pilgrimage destination.

The native peoples have deep devotion to pilgrimages.  They leave their homes in great anticipation and travel in groups, often on foot, prayerfully singing and praying along the week-long route. They arrive just in time to celebrate the July 26th feast of St. Anne, who is referred to as the mother of Mary to whom Jesus was born.

Each day of the pilgrimage is hosted by the native communities: the National Aboriginal Parish (Edmonton), the Cree of Northern Alberta, communities from the NWT, northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and the Blackfoot from Southern Alberta.  All the pilgrims join in the liturgy, singing and praising God in their own language.  The cacophony of sound produced by the various languages singing and praising together is an amazing, uplifting experience.

Spiritual activities that occur during the days of the pilgrimage include recitation of the rosary with each praying again in their own language. Stations of the cross are recited by the faithful and confessions are heard everywhere by the clergy.  A highlight of the entire days is the evening procession with a statue of Mary, the mother of Jesus.  It is adorned with flowers and rosaries and carried along a winding pathway.

Many bishops representing the northern dioceses attend the pilgrimage activities at Lac Ste. Anne, especially for the daytime ceremony of the blessing of the lake and its healing waters.  It was inspiring to see fully clad people and leaders walk into the sacred lake. People fill their gallon jugs with the blessed water to be taken to their homes.

First Nations people enjoy pilgrimages and celebrations.  It is a time to gather, share food and tell stories.  Feasting and fun are important parts of special occasions.  Caribou, smoked fish, and bannock are brought to every table. There is never a dull moment.  Children run around playing games, yelling, screaming, and enjoying life.  Tarps are at hand for any kind of weather.

Sister Mary Jo

In the late 1980s, Lac Ste. Anne became more widely known.  Vendors arrived to sell their wares on the outskirts of the beautiful sacred grounds.  This has resulted in more settlers visiting the area.  Consequently, people stray from the shrine to buy the cheap wares on display.  Despite this encroachment, the Native peoples have never lost their love for their grandmother, Saint Anne.

- Sister Mary Jo Fox

The schedule of Pope Francis’ visit to Canada has now been released, it can be viewed here.

St. Jean Baptiste Day

St. John the Baptist, an ascetic Jewish prophet, is most known to Christians as a blood relative of Jesus, Jesus’ forerunner and a preacher about God’s final judgement who offered a baptism of repentance. The Blessed Virgin Mary traveled approximately 81 miles to visit her cousin Elizabeth prior to both John and Jesus’ births. Given the times and the distances it is unlikely John and Jesus ever met until Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan. Scripture tells us that on that encounter John recognized Jesus as the one who was to come.

Growing up in the parish of St. John the Baptist in Peterborough there was always great celebration on or about June 24th. Beginning with a special Mass, all then went ahead to the grounds of the church for our parish festival where there was entertainment by parishioners and the children from the school, games for children and adults, special draw prizes, home baking, tea-room, 50/50 draw and more. All of that was intended to honor our patron saint, raise enough to pay our insurance costs, and more importantly to build community.  As recently as June 22nd the tradition continued after 72 years. One could say mission accomplished.

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day originated from celebrations of the summer solstice, an ancient pagan tradition in which fires were lit to celebrate light on the longest day of the year. In France, the Roman Catholic Church adapted this holiday and associated it with John the Baptist, cousin of Jesus. For our French Canadian brothers and sisters in Quebec and throughout Canada St. Jean-Baptiste Day has always been celebrated with great flourish often beginning the evening of the 23rd and filling the next 24 hours with religious celebrations, music, special food, bonfires and community-building fun. It is also a celebration of Canada’s francophone identity and of their incredibly rich and proud culture.

John the Baptist preaching

As a youth I had thought of St. John the Baptist as a holy and faithful man of God who preached repentance. I also thought his camel hair clothes and meals of locusts and wild honey were to say the least unusual. Today, on further reflection of his legacy of community and cultural celebrations in his honor, he has for me become a catalyst for religious reflection, celebration and relationship building.

Who is he for you?

Bonne Saint-Jean-Baptiste a tous !

 -Maureen Condon, CSJ Associate

The Absent Father

Being from a single parent family was never a claim I made.  However, my knowledge from a very young age was that my father had died at 57 from a medical emergency that is immediately addressed today and known as a “strangulated hernia”.   Many were the times I would ask Mom why Dad died and always it was this same answer. 

Dad and me.

Writing now about Father’s Day still stirs loss even with his longstanding absence.  Yes, there are several memories I treasure.  Children appear to handle trauma well, but do we really?   All of us come to know suffering, loss and separation at the beginning of life and learn that nothing in life is permanent but hope to the contrary, that it was.  We know many separations along our journey.  Yet, there is a more current view that tells us separation is an illusion and that “we are all “One”.  I find the idea of “oneness” comforting and resonate more with belief that dad and I are now connected, both in body and spirit. 

Integrating the experience of death into my 4 yr. old self, did not always come easy as I keenly remember Dad was my idol, my love, my hero.  I hated saying he was dead because a following conversation then seemed flat, there was nothing more to say.  As an example, I was walking home from school one day with another 6 yr. old girl, when she soon asked me, “What does your father do?”  I said I did not have a father, that he was dead.  Immediately I did not like the sound and feeling of those words, so I said, “no that’s not right.  That man who died was not my father. My oldest brother is really my father, but we don’t want the neighbours to know”.  I knew I was lying and feared my mother might hear this tale I had told, so quickly added, “we don’t want the neighbors to know”, meaning do not repeat this. 

Imagination is a creative way to bring joy, let the spirit fly, fantasize. It is also a way to buffer painful life issues for children, adults, all of us, to create a more acceptable story.  While thoughts/memories even on this Father’s Day are thin for me, they are more treasured with added years. 

Most precious for me are the memories shared about dad, with my mother, when I was very young.  In those moments when no one else was around, she would take from her bottom bedroom dresser drawer, a big white box.  It contained a white shirt with lots of tiny pleats.  Then she would say, “this was your dad’s wedding shirt”.  Pausing a while, then she would tenderly lift something else, colourful long, and narrow, and say “these were your dad’s ties”.  Those occasional experiences with her helped fill a gap which words lacked.     

How can we each make this year Father’s Day a special time to remember Dad, whether he be living or deceased?  What about remembering those who have served us as substitutes, (especially mothers) for an absent father.  To these substitutes in my life I owe deep gratitude, especially my Mom and oldest brother Francis, who now enjoys eternal rest with my absent, yet ever-present father. 

Sister Patricia St Louis, csj