A Pilgrimage

I was given the privilege of attending the Mission Alive Program in LePuy, France in September of this year.  It was a journey of self-discovery for me and for many of my colleagues from around the world who are partners with the Sisters of St. Joseph.  We were there as pilgrims, not as tourists, and we were guided by Sisters who helped us slow down and reflect.

Part of our week included a guided tour of Mother St. John Fontbonne’s home, as well as a trip to visit her grave in Lyon.  We learned about her life and the historical portion of the Sister’s beginnings, yet it was the thoughtful prayers and reflections at the graveside that highlighted why we were there.  Frankly, it brought more questions than answers…

Who was this strong woman who led her young charges into the unknown? 

How did the Spirit move in Mother St. John Fontbonne?

What can I learn from her example of strength and courage?

How is the Spirit moving in me?

I picked up a pebble from the grave to mark the day and it became a touchstone, a memory, an urging to move towards answering those questions.

-Guest Blog by Michelle Vermeeren, Staff, Sisters of St. Joseph

The Legacy of Mother Ignatia Campbell

Mother Ignatia

St. Joseph’s Hospital in London, Ontario recently mounted a special exhibit honoring the life and legacy of Mother Ignatia Campbell. On October 15, 165 years ago she took her final vows and then, 135 years ago, also on October 15, she founded St. Joseph’s Hospital in 1888. This was just 20 years after she and four Sisters travelled from Toronto to London to establish a community on Dec. 11, 1858. The staff of the fledgling hospital was 2 Sisters and 4 doctors, with a capacity of 24 patients.  Compare those numbers with today’s numerous programs and hundreds of staff.

The stirring Mother Ignatia exhibit is a collaboration between Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Archives and St. Joseph’s Hospital. The display consists of a variety of artifacts including Mother Ignatia’s prayer book, rosary, and pocket watch.  A beautiful, black Sister’s habit is also featured. Medical articles from both the hospital and Mount Hope across the street are of interest. On view is an 1870 coal oil lamp used at Mount Hope as well as a large brass bell, and chapel artifacts.

Standing in the quiet serenity of the tiny exhibit room, surveying medical items from another era is reminiscent of the simplicity of the medical world of over a century ago.  Among the artifacts in Dr. Luney’s treasured doctor’s bag is an irrigator circa 1880, a hematocytometer circa 1900, an atomizer circa 1909, and a pocket surgical kit circa 1880.

The steady progression of improvements, adaptations, and growth experienced by St. Joseph’s throughout the intervening decades right to our present day is mindboggling.  The trail blazers of dedicated men and women such as Mother Ignatia, have instilled the values of compassion, care, and excellence as each generation of healers gives way to the next.  Despite the many changes in health care and medical technology, one aspect that has never wavered is the love and compassion of caregivers.  The city of London and St. Joseph’s Hospital in 2023 are a far cry from the horse and buggy days of Mother Ignatia Campbell and her companions but the values of excellence and compassionate care remain unchanged.

-Sister Jean Moylan, CSJ

Photos: Photos of display taken by Noelle Tangredi.

The exhibit is displayed in the heritage corner at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Zone A, Level 1, near the Richmond Street entrance. It will be up from October 2023 to January 2024 and can be visited between 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday to Friday.

Connection Between Leisure Time and Contemplative Spirituality

As I took up my pen to write a few thoughts on the connection between leisure time and  contemplative spirituality, I decided that a little music would set the tone for such musings.  The first tape that I picked up was entitled “A Passion for Melody” and it struck me that this spoke aptly to the subject at hand.  For what is at the heart of contemplative spirituality if not a passion for the melody of creation woven by God into every aspect of our lives. 

Image: Unsplash/Ruslan Sikunov

In contemplative spirituality we begin to see creation with new eyes - its beauty, its grandeur, its power – like the phrases of a melody flowing from the mind and heart of a great composer.  This melody has many tempos and many cadences.  It is found in the slow, soft tones of imageless prayer; it is found in the measured beat of meaningful work; it is found in the ecstasy of love and in the playful intervals of leisure time.   

Contemplative spiritualty opens the door to this melody, allows us to see the unity, the oneness of all creation in God.  And thus seeing, we begin to understand that leisure time spent in activities which promote connectedness and “in-tune-ness” with ourselves and others, are as much a part of this grand composition as are the quiet intervals of meditation or the quickened tempo of ministerial labors. 

Leisure is one of the things that helps us to stay focused on God’s melody. Because we are more relaxed, to binds us more closely to the present moment where God, the great composer is always at work.  Conversely, if we do not engage in healthy leisure, we risk the danger of being “out of tune” with the melody of creation in our everyday life. We succumb to the worry, anxiety and busyness and gradually lose the passion for God’s melody. 

IMAGE: Unsplash/Ira Selendripity

Contemplative spirituality which touches all areas of our life (including leisure), keeps us attuned to the unifying quality of the melody of God.  In time we begin to hum that melody in our heart as we go about our daily tasks.  And if we should falter, we always have the presence of our Master Conductor, Jesus Christ, to call us back to what we already know in our heart – that any moment can be a contemplative moment, a moment of deep connectedness with God and all of God’s creation.  May the melody play on. 

Written by Sister Margaret Ferris , d. Nov.12, 2017.

IMAGE: UNSPLASH/Jigar Panchal