Blessings received and blessings bestowed

Our Lady's Missionaries in Canada

Voices from Maryglen Residence
Prepared by Sr. Noreen Kearns, O.L.M.
Summer 2004

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After 40 years of offering affordable housing, the Maryglen continues to welcome women from around the globe. "The Glen" sits quietly without any identification near the busy intersection of Church and Dundas Streets in downtown Toronto.

Let us just drop in and take a stroll down the halls of the mighty Glen. On the first floor we can listen to the voice of Annette:

"I heard of the Maryglen in 1983 when I first arrived in Canada and was looking for a place to live that was not too expensive. Maryglen was recommended to me by a coordinator of the YWCA and needless to say I came, I saw and I am still here 21 years later."

Climbing the stairs to the second floor we can hear the soft voice of Ann saying:

"It amazes me how so many newcomers to Toronto mysteriously find their way to Maryglen from places all over the world. My neighbours right now in the Glen come from British Columbia, Quebec, Argentina, Pakistan, Philippines, Uganda, Korea, Mexico, Iran, Columbia and Vietnam. We all arrive here to find a safe, affordable haven in an accessible downtown location. Some come after having past painful experiences in Toronto in shared accommodation. Here the women receive much help in the transition through a warm and respectful welcome and an orderly environment. Many find friends or a caring neighbour, and either privacy or company as they choose. How all these strangers can live and share space in considerable peace and harmony is truly a blessing of God, and of the caring residents and dedicated staff and Sisters."

From the top floor loud and clear comes Francia's voice:

"Maryglen is a residence where I feel safe. The diversity of the residents means learning about other cultures, customs and traditions and of course enjoying their good cooking. Some of us develop friendships and keep in touch even after leaving the Glen. Since the Glen is centrally located I can walk to work, thus getting my daily exercise and saving on transportation expenses. After a hard day's work I return to be greeted with a warm smile from the receptionist. Yes, Maryglen is a place I call home."

These women's voices assure us that in the midst of rushing traffic and ongoing neighbourhood construction, our global home is still a safe and peaceful dwelling place.

BRING US HOPE

Having always been a strong and active person, to be reconciled to my illness is not always easy. However, this is proving to be a fruitful period in my life. Although I am unable to go outdoors in winter and am just getting about the house with the aid of a walker, I am now able to develop and use the creative side of my personality for which I had little time before.

I have time now to write letters to our missionaries overseas, especially to our new associates in the Philippines. Friends and members of my community tell me they are cheered by my homemade cards, my table decorations, a chat on the phone, a listening ear, and all that living at our centralhouse in Toronto is about.

Sr. Therese MacDonald, O.L.M.

Sr. Catherine Peco O.L.M.

Thanks to improved health, I am increasingly able to engage in household and community activities. A greater blessing for me is the coming to a deeper appreciation of good health and the kindness and caring of others-community, family and friends-gifts so often taken for granted. My gratitude and blessings to all.

Sr. Catherine Peco, O.L.M.

Seeing the world through spiritual eyes
By Sr. Norma E. Samar, O.L.M.

Our Lady's Missionaries are searching for searchers who look at the world around them with spiritual eyes. Fr. Dan Macdonald established Our Lady's Missionaries in Alexandria, Ontario, in 1949. At that time the focus of mission was to convert the heathens in foreign lands. Now, we have grown from that awareness and matured along with Catholic understanding of missionary work. We find Jesus in the midst of the people around us, especially the under privileged.

"We go out to countries around the world other than our own and participate in renewing the face of the earth."
(Our Lady's Missionaries' vision statement)

Here in Canada, I meet with young women who are searching and wanting to be more aware of how God is working in their lives and in the world. At one of our Saturday sessions, held once a month, they shared their hopes and dreams:

Rosemarie Valdevilla: "Through prayer and God's grace, I hope to go deeper into my feelings, my true self, and learn to recognize God's full presence in my day-to-day life."

Weena Lejarde: "To spend a quiet time with God and continue to have a meaningful relationship with God. To centre myself in prayer and reflection, so that I will always be reminded of God's love, mercy and forgiveness."

Annabelle Jose: "Knowing and trusting myself leads to knowing and trusting God."

Mina Velasco: "A desire to be gentle, to be close to God always, and to share my gifts."

These women's longings and desires are valid. Yet, that searching for God will certainly be satisfied when we are happy working with God's people, in particular the most needy persons and those on the margins of society whose human rights are denied. This is always a challenge in our world today. Can we make a difference?

Those people
By Sr. Mary Gauthier, O.L.M.

Just recently I attended a meeting in Toronto and I kept hearing the words, "those people." One person said, "I look out my office window and I see those people sleeping just below and I don't like it." Another said, "I also see those people when I walk to the office each day and it is a reminder for me to reflect on and ask myself why those people have to sleep on the sidewalk."

Two different reactions to the homeless. One is of resentment, disdain or guilt, and the other is of blessing. As I reflected more on the words, "those people," they made my heart ache. So often, unjust social structures and policies create or worsen poverty. These structures cause great pain to our sisters and brothers who find that they just can't make it and end up living on the streets.

What does this say of our society today? Dignity of the person seems to be lost. It is painful to see, but the challenge of seeing does call me to ask how I can make a difference. The words of Jesus came into my heart: "Whatever you do to the least of my sisters and brothers you do to me."

Having lived and worked in a developing country, the Philippines, for 25 years I can now say I have some understanding of "those people." I understand a little more clearly that we are made in the image and likeness of God. What is done to the least of God's creatures affects the whole universe from an ant to a mountain. "Those people" taught me the value of caring for each other as well as for all of God's creation. My hope is not only that we find a way to accept folks who are different, but also that we allow those people to call us forth to live the Gospel message of compassion and justice.

New Horizons
By Sr. Elaine MacInnes, O.L.M.

Here I am in Toronto, March 7, 2004, helping my former assistant at the Oxford Prison Phoenix Trust give a workshop to 40 meditation and yoga teachers for work in correctional institutes in Canada.

The day was also my 80th birthday so there was ample opportunity for a multiplicity of cakes, songs and presentations. I was well advised that peer pressure was bound to decline, and the worry of dying young was a thing of the past.

We call our group Freeing the Human Spirit and you can visit us online at www.freeingspirit.com. We began in October of last year and already we have entered or are in negotiations to enter 15 correctional institutes here in Ontario. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Alberta are also on our horizon.

Another special date for me is December 7. On that day last year, I celebrated my 50th anniversary of entering the convent. These dates are important because they remind me of the necessity to train others to do my work. I am happy to say that this training is in progress and, as our Native brothers and sisters say, tandem to this, I am preparing to go into the light.

A beacon of hope
Sr. Susan Moran O.L.M.

The tremendous success of the Out of the Cold program at Sr. Michael's College is due in large part to the undergraduate students who lead it. So acknowledges Basilian Father Terry Kersch who, along with fellow campus minister Marilyn Elphick, helps to oversee this social outreach now in its 13th year at the college...

"The heart of Out of the Cold is relating to our sisters and brothers in need. We try to live the teachings of Jesus in all that we do," comments Our Lady's Missionary Sr. Susan Moran (inset), founder of Out of the Cold. "The gift of joy the poor give us is ours to receive. We start off helping them but we end up learning from them."

The Out of the Cold program began humbly in 1987 in a space donated by All Angels Anglican Church and St. Michael's College high school in Toronto. A small group of students assisted with this beginning. In 1991, the program branched out to St. Michael's College, University of Toronto, with the help of past campus ministers Sr. Joan Atkinson, Sister of St. Joseph of London, and Basilian Father John Reddy.

Sr. Susan Moran calls the program at the college "a beacon of hope," and is continually encouraged by the inspiring work of its student co-ordinators. The program also operates in 54 emergency winter locations in Toronto and some 30 additional locations across Ontario. More than 6,000 Out of the Cold volunteers donate their time and resources each winter to serve the homeless in Ontario cities...

Adapted from "St. Mike's helps people get out of the cold", by Anthony J. Palma in the March 12, 2004, issue of The Mike, student newspaper of St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto.

The Canadian Church Press presented Sr. Mae Janet with an award for her story, "The blood of brothers" (Catholic New Times, December 14, 2003, edition), which told of her experience in Hebron. She writes of two men she met there who belong to the Bereaved Families Circle, a group of Palestinians and Israelis who have all lost someone in the ongoing conflict and who have chosen to work together for peace. She writes that this is just one of many stories of the people and organizations involved in a nonviolent search for peace in the Middle East. You can read her story on Our Lady's Missionaries' website: www.ourladysmissionaries.ca. Or contact them to receive a copy: Tel: 416-752-0263.

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