A beautiful sunny day blessed the various May Day Celebrations in which Frances Brady, Mary Gauthier and Rosemary Williamson participated in at Queen’s Park Circle and later at Nathan Phillips’ Square.

There was an infectious sense of both celebration and hope for the future in the presence of diverse but committed groups.  One concrete expression of this hope is the fact that Toronto became the first Canadian city to declare itself a Sanctuary City for non-status migrants!  This means they can access city services without fear.

Christian Peacemaker Teams, Idle No More, The Sanctuary Network and No One Is Illegal were some of those who participated in the celebrations and speeches at City Hall.  This concluded with a walk along Queen Street and down Bathurst to the waterfront.

Rosemary Williamson, olm

On the second Thursday of each month from September to May several of Our Lady’s Missionaries gather in the evening with friends  to pray at Our Lady’s Missionaries house on Cosburn Avenue  in Toronto.    Each month a different  person facilitates the evening of song, readings, quiet time and sharing.   The theme varies according to the individual preparing and the situation and needs of our world.   Following the prayer, sharing continues over refreshments.   It is a blessed time of prayer and sharing to “keep in touch” and at the same time to broaden our horizons.

Sr. Joan Missiaen (more…)

Several Our Lady’s Missionaries Sisters attended Scarboro Missions’ recent Muslim-Christian Dialogue Series.  As always, it was excellent.  Not only were the speakers very good, during the breaks there was also a chance to get to know the Muslims who attended.  This made it personal.  And, as one young fellow exclaimed, “It feels like something wonderful is happening among us here!”

Muslim-Christian Dialogue Series

Excerpt from the invitation letter which accompanied the Dialogue Series Poster:

Dear Friends committed to Muslim-Christian dialogue:

Together, Muslims and Christians form 50 percent of the world’s population.
Muslims and Roman Catholics compose one-third of the world’s population.
These statistics alert us to the importance of the Muslim-Christian
conversation in today’s world.

After 13 centuries of not-so-good history together, Muslims and Christians
are now entering into new levels of conversation and cooperation in many
parts of the world.

Paul McKenna – Scarboro Missions Interfaith Dept.

On Friday April 12, 2013 the Toronto United Mennonite Church on Queen Street East hosted an evening of entertainment and education in support of the Christian Peacemakers Team (CPT). Several of Our Lady’s Missionaries attended at the invitation of Sister Rosemary Williamson OLM who is a member of CPT.

Ted Swartz and Tim Ruebke of “Ted and Company” presented a series of hilarious skits which had the audience laughing uproariously and at the same time paying attention to some of the dysfunctional and unjust aspects of our society.

Political and economic systems, food production, militarism and racism were all brought to our attention in ways that allowed us to simultaneously laugh, recognize the truth and gravity of what we heard and feel challenged to be part of action for change.

Interspersed through the evening Ted and Tim led an auction of pies made by supporters of CPT. Proceeds of the auction will support the work of the Christian Peacemakers Team in Iraq, Kurdistan, Palestine, Columbia and Canada.

Sr.Frances Brady,olm

Peace, Pies & Prophets

The Meeting Place is an adult drop in centre at the corner of  Bathurst and Queen Street.  A large number of those who frequent the centre are Indigenous People and this was my reason for volunteering there after my experience at Grassy Narrows in Northern Ontario with Christian Peacemakers Team.  The facilities include a pool table, laundry and showers, computers and free coffee.  The staff provide case management to address mental health and addiction issues and assist those seeking housing.

Every two weeks there is a dinner for those who are applying for compensation for their experience in the residential schools.  Resource persons are invited to speak at these gatherings which open and conclude with Indigenous rituals.  Frequently Leslie who is the Co-ordinator of the Meeting Place makes a presentation on the process.  Those who attend find encouragement and mutual support in this painful procedure.  I feel privileged to help prepare and serve the food.

Most of my time I just “hang out” initiating conversations or sometimes responding to greetings and comments.  Some are persons with mental health issues who are lonely while others are guarded or unpredictable.  Fostering trust takes time and rightly so with the trauma many have experienced.  Their compassion and generosity to one another is inspiring but it’s also tragic to see their struggles with addiction.

On one occasion an elderly man offered me tips on the shelters which serve the best meals.  Another who had never before responded to my greetings came and showed me how to hold the stick properly for shooting pool.

Leslie and her staff are compassionate listeners and respond to situations with patience and humour but when necessary show the door to those who are ignoring the rules or causing trouble.  Later that same day the person who was asked to leave is welcomed back if they wish.  The dynamics in the relationships between staff and members is for me “Gospel Living” among those disregarded  and dismissed by mainstream society.

Sr. Rosemary Williamson, olm

Canoeing at the camp

Easter is a journey from death to life. For the Hebrews it was the death to slavery from which God led them to their own land – free at last. With Jesus it was death by execution on the cross to a resurrected divine life. And for us , his followers, we are called to make a similar journey! How is it going? I’m talking about a personal journey, your journey and my journey. It is a journey from believing we are slaves called to obey a harsh, punitive God to believing in a God who delights in us, all of us, and who hungers to share life with us; a God who invites us to help build the kingdom right here on earth; a God who counts what we do to others as done to God’s own self. What does this journey look like?  It’s about dying to mistreating others as just competitors to cherishing them as sisters and brothers; dying to wrecking our environment like it was ours in favour of reverencing it as stewards; dying to complacency while the majority of our sisters and brothers live in chaos, hungry, being tortured, enslaved, homeless as if these deaths have nothing to do with us. With this kind of description of what death to life means it’s not hard to name some of our dark, negative attitudes. Once we name and own them we bring them to God, the only one who can extract us from our addictions. In prayer, daily, alone and in silence we know in faith that the God , who loves us infinitely, holds us, heals us and will bring us to freedom, the fullness of life in God’s own time.  

OLM Sisters at our Cosburn House participated in this years Earth Hour holding our Earth in prayer. Our prayer was one of gratefulness for the gift the earth is to each of us and for all the earth provides for our happiness, water, flowers, trees and all animals. We prayed for forgiveness of our neglect and the destruction we are continuing to ignore and asked forgiveness. We resolved to remain vigilant in being responsible stewards of God’s special gift to us “our Earth.”

Recently, due to needed accommodation for our Sisters, Our Lady’s Missionaries rented a small house in Toronto in the same neighborhood as the Central House.   Now residing there, are Sister Frances Brady and Sister Noreen Kearns.

Joanith House

As has been our custom for quite a few years, several OLMs joined the annual CNWE (Catholic Network for Women’s Equality) action to raise awareness regarding human trafficking which is held on or near International Women’s Day.  First, we gathered in prayer to reflect and to learn more about the issues.  Then, we walked together in silence to the corner of Bay and Bloor with placards and pamphlets designed to alert people to the fact that human trafficking is happening HERE and NOW.  Many passers-by thanked us for our presence.  Unfortunately, there were also many who simply ignored us.  But we cannot continue to ignore the presence of human trafficking in our midst.

One section of the CNWE pamphlet states: 

Why are we trying to raise awareness of this problem?

We believe in the dignity of every human person.  Trafficking abuses the basic rights of mainly women and girls.  Human trafficking has become a hidden and disgusting part of the global economy, and it’s up to all of us to become informed about the issue, and work together to make it a thing of the past.

To learn more, go to:

www.endmoderndayslavery.ca     

or    

www.wix.com/timea77/walk-with-me

Silent Procession to the corner of Bay & Bloor

At the Corner of Bay & Bloor

At the Corner of Bay & Bloor