Sisters Who Served in World War II

During the Second World War, in 1941, Canadian women lobbied the federal government and were successful in having military organizations for women.  Thus, there were over 50,000 women who served in the armed forces and made valuable contributions serving Canada in uniform and doing their part to assist the success of Canada’s Victory Campaign.

Several Sisters of St. Joseph who were civilian women in 1942, joined the growing ranks of the women serving in the war effort. Sister Olga and Sister Pauline, now in their late nineties, were two of our group of women who made contributions to the war effort during their “salad” days.

Sister Olga Barilko (pictured left) belonged to the Women’s division, Royal Canadian Air Force (WDs).  She was born in Edmonton, AB and served in Halifax as a clerk operational filter.  Her task, along with several WDs, was to monitor all the air, sea and land traffic on the Canadian East Coast and report activity to the next level.  Sister reported that during the midnight shift when there was little radar traffic, some of the women played bridge to earn 15 cents for breakfast.  In her spare time, Olga played successfully in the army, navy and air force women’s hockey league.

Sister Pauline Leblanc, (pictured right), from St. Albert, Alberta, joined the Canadian Women’s Army Corps, better known as the WACs.  In deference to the abbreviated name, she recounted that they called themselves the “Army’s Cutest Women” and the moniker stuck.  Pauline’s responsibility was to ensure that all supplies needed by the German prisoners of war located in Calgary, were collected and delivered to the camp.  She loved the work and considered the guys like brothers because most of them were still teenagers.  They were just happy to be safe in a country that treated them well.  Be assured that “the boys” were well cared for on her watch.

Many stories could be recounted about the considerable number of service women who later entered our congregation sometime after the war ended. There was Sister St. Philip Neri who died on Nov. 28, 1984.   She served during her civilian life as Barry Bowles in the Women’s Nursing Sisters (as the Canadian military nurses were known) and was decorated for her deeds of valour as a nurse on the front lines.

Such were the good deeds of thousands of valiant Canadian women during the Second World War.

- Sister Jean Moylan, csj

 

Scars of War – Wounds of Peace[i]

As I was driving to work one morning this week, I heard a radio announcement advising listeners that the local cable station would be televising area Remembrance Day celebrations. Stopped and waiting for the traffic light to change, my thoughts spontaneously turned to the tremendous cost paid for our freedom. Initially, I pondered the lives of the many soldiers who sacrificed their young lives for us. As the light switched from red to amber then green, I continued on my way shifting my attention to the present individuals whose lives have been undeniable altered by their battle scars of mind and body. Their war wounds have had a long-lasting affect on them and have rippled out into the lives of their loved ones. These sobering thoughts mingled sadness and gratitude within my heart. As I arrived at work, I was left with the thought of how appropriate it is that we annually set time aside to remember the brave women and men who have borne the scars of war and thus have secured our peace.

- Sister Nancy Wales, csj

[i]  A title of a book by Shlomo Ben- Ami published in 2007 on The Israeli-Arab Tragedy

 

Celebrating Joyfully

National Vocation Awareness Week: November 3-9, 2019

National Vocation Awareness Week is an annual celebration of vocations to consecrated life and to ordained priesthood and the place they have together with all others through their vocations to live the good news of the Gospel in service in the world. The week-long celebration was begun in 1976 as an initiative of the Catholic Bishops of the United States. Recently, and thankfully, the celebration had begun to “creep across the border” and is now finding a place in Canada.

In addition to celebration this event is a call through prayer and education to re-create awareness of the joy of consecrated life and priesthood in the Church and world. It is an invitation to young people to consider where God may be calling them in loving and fulfilling lives. It is also an invitation to each and all of us to renew our prayers for an increase in vocations to consecrated life and priesthood - that is, to lives of “living faith, living mercy, living joy and living beauty” for a world so in need of the hope and promise of Christ today.