A passion for peace

Our Lady's Missionaries in Canada

By Sr. Mae Janet MacDonell, O.L.M.
Summer 2003

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Our Lady's Missionaries are strongly opposed to war as an affront to the message of Jesus. War is a contradiction of the soul of our mission.

I recently returned to Canada after two years in East Timor with the Jesuit Refugee Service. There I witnessed the struggles of a people making the difficult journey towards reconciliation and peace after years of conflict and devastation in their country.

Returning home again, I welcomed the opportunity to catch up with family, friends, and my missionary community here in Toronto. Yet, these months were overshadowed by the violence of the threats of war in Iraq.

Last year, our community became involved in silent protest against the war. Nonviolence and peaceful negotiations became central to our conversations. Each morning during the fall and winter months, Srs. Mary Gauthier, Noreen Kearns, Frances Brady, Norma Samar, and myself, joined Scarboro missioners in a peaceful vigil against the proposed war.

Together we stood outside Scarboro Missions' central house in Scarborough, Ontario, as traffic hurried by, carrying people to work. In time, we began to recognize some of the drivers and a feeling of connectedness gave new meaning to our mission. Gradually the numbers grew who, reading our placards, "Let us say NO to WAR in IRAQ", affirmed our mission by blowing their horn or waving.

As war became a certainty our missionary community joined thousands who called for peace in marches through the streets of Toronto. When the horrors of war were presented to us daily by the media, we joined in nightly vigils organized by Romero House, outside the American Consulate here in Toronto.

Along with concerned citizens throughout the city, we offered our lighted candles, and our prayers and reflections in the hope for peace in the world. We brought with us the memories of the violence and destruction of war, the burdens carried by so many, victims often of unjust systems in the countries where we have served.

In our collective history, Our Lady's Missionaries have seen the ravages of war, the futility of war, and the long-term effects of every kind of violence. These have been a great part of our experience. Some of the Sisters here in Toronto have shared their thoughts as people who ardently desire world peace.

Sr. Catherine Peco reflects, "So many of us have witnessed firsthand the devastations of war that I cannot justify war as a means of settling conflict between nations. I have seen the effects of war in Japan, Vietnam, and Nigeria. It has widened the gap between rich and poor, and intensified the suffering of all. I believe we must share what we have, respect human dignity, treat others as equals, and help rid the world of greed and the need to dominate."

"I have seen too much of the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Japan," says Sr. Noreen Kearns who went there when we opened our Japan mission in 1949. "The soul of that whole nation has been touched by it and so has mine."

Sr. Susan Moran says, "Many of our sisters and brothers are brutalized by life on the street. Unjust social systems and a lack of love and compassion deny them their dignity. Because we in the Out of the Cold program witness this suffering in our country, we join our prayers with all who suffer in Iraq."

Sr. Norma Samar remembers, "After a long process of awareness-raising about the state of oppression in the Philippines, Our Lady's Missionaries joined in grassroots reflections with the Philippine people who yearned to be free from the unjust system they endured for many years. Patience, prayer, and empowerment of the people eventually led to thousands filling the streets of Manila. They silently and nonviolently proclaimed their desire for peace. As the people offered their yellow flowers of peace, the hearts of the military were won over and the tanks stopped rolling."

"My inherited lesson in nonviolence was taught to me during the people-power revolution in the Philippines in 1986," recalls Sr. Elaine MacInnes. "We took part in a nonviolent demonstration along with 400,000 people in Manila. Eventually the dictator, President Ferdinand Marcos, met us on our own terms. He fled in peace. We were both winners."

"A lifetime of missionary experience continues here in Toronto," says Sr. Therese MacDonald who spent many years in Brazil. "Love for our neighbour and respect for all cultures and creeds have been a rich part of our lives. We have given ourselves in service so that peace and dignity may reign in our world."

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