Lent 4 - Is it Time to Reboot?

Annually, about now in the Lenten Season, I seriously begin to consider that it would be a good idea to reboot. I am not literally suggesting that I need to restart my computer; I’m meaning ‘reboot’ figuratively, as Merriam-Webster defines it. Reboot means “to start (something) anew : to refresh (something) by making a new start or creating a new version of (something)”.

As I get set to reboot and intensify my preparation for Easter, I find myself returning to the words penned by the Concord Pastor, Fr. Austin Fleming. In his nightly prayer on the eve of Ash Wednesday, he shared the words below with his Facebook followers:

 … What am I going to do for Lent this year?

A better question for me to ponder, Lord:

What are you going to do for me this Lent?

How will you move in my life this Lent?

What changes in me might you want to make?

What gifts have you to offer me

that I might better love and serve you?

What do you want to do for me in my prayer?

What will you say to me? share with me?

What are you going to do in my life this Lent, Lord?...

I was struck by how the Concord Pastor flipped around the whole idea of this religious season for me and others. Instead of having us concentrate on our own Lenten plans such as, “What am I going to do for Lent this year?”, Father Fleming offers us a whole different way of approaching Lent. He encourages us to forgo our feeble attempts at change and put our focus on the Soul Healer. He suggests that we ask what the Healing One might want to bring about in us this season and then try to work with The Soul Healer’s plans.

On the verge of rebooting my Lenten efforts, I am pondering, “What if I fervently prayed with the pastor’s series of questions?” What if I focussed on asking, “What are YOU going to do in my life this Lent, Lord?” and then listened carefully to what YOU whispered in my heart.

Is it reboot time for you too?   Are you willing to join me in a Lenten Reboot?

-Sister Nancy Wales, csj

Memories from the 100th Anniversary of the Sisters in Pembroke

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph Pembroke

During the next 11 months, we continue to share the amazing story of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Pembroke, Ontario as we celebrate 100 years of our service and witness in the Diocese of Pembroke and beyond.  As we tell our story we would like to express our gratitude, love, and prayers to so many of you who have been with us on this journey. Our Congregation is witness to the love and support you have bestowed on our community and we will be forever grateful for these gifts. We would like to say a heartfelt thank you and invite you to read our story in the months ahead as a way of celebrating this important milestone with us.

Written by Grace McGuire, CSJ Associate

Chapeau Convent and Teachers’ College

The convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Chapeau was founded in 1921 and the sisters’ work of instructing young people was soon recognized. The Quebec ministry officials held much respect for the sisters’ work. As early as their founding year in Chapeau, Ralph Maltais, a school Inspector, wrote: “I must congratulate you for having given your boys and girls an opportunity of acquiring a much better instruction and education.”  The sisters could take credit and praise, at least in part, from the 1936 report to the Chapeau School Board by inspector J. Bedard, states: “ Your schools, twelve at the time, are among the best organized of my district and the sacrifices which you make for their maintenance indicate the great importance you attach to education.”

 The first Teachers’ Convention held in Pontiac county occurred in 1934 in Chapeau at the Convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph, a three-day event for some 35 teachers and hosted by the sisters, underscoring the congregation’s intense involvement in the educational effort of the area. The sisters were an abiding presence in the elementary and secondary schools and parish community until   the convent closed in 1999.  Thereafter the convent was used for various purposes then in 2016 the building was purchased by Rejean Marion, an entrepreneur and former resident of the area, who has reclaimed the convent and restored the interior to include a restaurant known as, ‘Les Gourmandieu du Couvent’ and a venue for musical concerts.   

Sister Marjorie

On October 1, 1940, a teacher training center was established in Chapeau under the directorship of the Sisters of St Joseph. It was a residential, bilingual Normal School. For the first fifteen years three hundred teachers were graduated, English or French-speaking and frequently bilingual. Then in 1955 Chapeau Normal School became St. Mary’s Teachers’ College (S.M.T.C.), an English-speaking institution which continued until June 1969, when teacher training in Quebec became affiliated with universities. In its 14 years of existence it prepared some 412 teachers, some local some from western and northern Quebec, Montreal, Gaspe, the Eastern townships, and Ontario. From its inception in 1940, as a residential women’s college, through its years of expanding courses (two-year diploma courses), admission of men students, doubling of enrollment, lay rather than clerical administration, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Pembroke undertook the direction and much of the teaching. Some twenty-five sisters acted as directors, teachers, and eventually, in its closing year, Sr. Mary Edwin (Marjorie McGuire) was principal. (The principalship was in the hands of the clergy during the early years as Quebec Council of Education demanded.) While the Sisters remained the stable directing and supporting factor, their annals record a close working relationship and interdependence with other men and women, both clerical and lay.  (With notes from Sr. Mary Desmond (Clare Gallagher)

Many young women and men were able to access teacher training and develop long and successful careers in education due to the sisters’ dedication to excellence and loving concern for their students. The following anecdotes about the sisters express the thoughts and feelings of some graduates.

“Congratulations to the sisters on the 100th anniversary of their coming to Pembroke ON. I and three of my siblings were fortunate to have graduated from St. Mary’s Teachers’ College. The spirit of generosity of the sisters allowed our parents to afford to send the four of us there for a period of years from 1957 through 1965. In fact, the Sisters of St. Joseph were our educators from the beginning of our school days.” Kathleen (Sullivan) Ranger 1959-60

“My friend, Ted, later husband, had come to pick me up and Sr. Edwin wanted to meet him before we headed out into the night. We were in the library where Ted and sister played a game of ping pong for several minutes. I was surprised by the spontaneity of it all and the skill of both players. Imagine a sister in long robes and veil, starched headpiece, etc. playing table tennis with a blonde protestant!” Elaine (McCambley) Gibson 1957-58

 “There are a number of memorable women who introduced me to the value of natural process. One of them was Sr. Mary Bridget. She and I used to have a wee chat many days. One day she pointed out the health of one of her plants which thrived as it followed the sun. She made the point that one must follow simple processes. I always appreciated her observations.” Tim Houlihan   1966-68

“As I look at my yearbook I think of all my good friends I have who are teachers and I remember Sr. Mary Agatha’s words written there, ‘Blessed are they who have the gift of making friends, for it is one of God’s best gifts.’ I am grateful for her words expressed in my yearbook and for all the friends I made at S.M.T.C.” Marilyn (McGuire) Tanguay 1966-68

“From the first day I became a student at S.M.T.C. I felt part of a very special family. I was a day student so I drove to school. One day a snowstorm started early and got worse as the day went on. Sr. Edwin called me to her office and told me that my father had called and was worried about my driving home. She reassured him that I would be staying overnight. All of my needs were taken care of as I was more than welcomed into the safety of the dormitory. This happened a few times over the two years and was really appreciated by my parents and I.” Sandra (Herault) Mousseau  1963-65

- Grace McGuire, Associate of the Sisters of St. Joseph

Stay tuned as our story unfolds in 2021.

Work, Women and COVID-19

International Women’s Day

In a recent survey, “Gathering Women’s Voices for a She-covery,” women in the London region told us about their work experiences during the pandemic. 

Mothers of young children reported needing to reduce hours, move to part-time work, take a leave of absence, or leave their jobs entirely to care for their children. Their comments fit closely with a Royal Bank report (Dawn Desjardins and Carrie Freestone) from November 2020 which noted that, although mothers with children under 6 made up only 41% of the labour force in Feb. 2020, they accounted for two-thirds of the workers leaving the labour market.

But it’s not just about the care of young children.  Some women spoke of deep concerns for the mental health of their teens; others felt the need to invest more time in helping their children with their education.  As I read their survey comments, it seemed clear that women have been plugging the holes in our poorly funded social systems: inaccessible child-care, lack of mental health supports, weak elder care systems and educational supports.  And too many women have been paying the price with lost hours of work and high levels of stress.

As London thinks about how to improve our labour participation rates, it’s not enough to think in terms of matching jobs and skills.  We need to look deeper, to open our eyes to the ways in which weak social protections are effectively pushing women out of the labour market.

-Sister Sue Wilson | Office for Systemic Justice, Federation of Sisters of St. Joseph of Canada

The Survey was sponsored by Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada, Brescia, London Food Bank, Coalition to Empower Gender Equality, London Coordinating Committee to End Women Abuse, Pillar, and United Way.