Sent to bring good news
St. Andrew's Parish sends one of its own to walk as a Scarboro missioner in another land and culture
By Miriam Wheeler
October/November 2006
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Miriam Wheeler and a small team of Scarboro missioners make school and community presentations during their visit to her home parish. At St. Joseph's high school in Cornwall, Ontario, Grade 11 students learn about working in overseas mission.
My mission-sending ceremony at St. Andrew's Church in historic St. Andrews West, near Ottawa, Ontario, was the culmination of a lifechanging formation program with Scarboro Missions. Family, friends and parishioners at my home parish received me warmly and shared in blessing my mission journey. Fr. Bernard Cameron graciously welcomed the Scarboro contingent to the Sunday liturgy, concelebrated by Scarboro Fathers John Carten and Vic Vachon.
The luncheon following Mass gave the Scarboro group an opportunity to meet the parishioners and share stories of mission. Everyone lingered, enjoying the friendly atmosphere.
The next day, Scarboro lay mission coordinators John and Jean MacInnis and I embarked on a three-day round of school and community presentations.
We were warmly greeted by Sr. Terry Ann Wilson, chaplain at St. Joseph's Catholic Secondary School, our first stop in nearby Cornwall. John and Jean gave two slide-show presentations to the Grade 11 classes of Cathy Shea and Brian Butlin. One presentation gave a brief history of Scarboro Missions and the other focused on Scarboro missioners at work.
Left L-R: Kaylee Beaulieu, chaplain Sr. Terry Wilson, David Hallett and Katrina Jansen. These St. Joseph's high school students travelled to Scarboro missioner Fr. Lou Quinn's parish in San Jos. de Ocoa, Dominican Republic, in March 2006. The map holds pictures of children from Ocoa that St. Joseph's students have met since Sr. Terry began taking them there in 1995.
The students of St. Joseph's are well familiar with the work of Scarboro's Fr. Lou Quinn in the parish of San Jos. de Ocoa, Dominican Republic. For the past 12 years, Sr. Terry has been organizing and accompanying student groups from St. Joseph's to Ocoa. Preparations such as fundraising and information sessions for this valuable learning experience start almost as soon as classes begin in September. While in Ocoa, the students assist with the building of homes, schools and clinics. They work on environmental conservation projects and help the people dig trenches for water lines to their communities.
That afternoon I had the opportunity to reconnect with staff at St. Andrew's Catholic Elementary School where I taught before joining Scarboro Missions. It was a pleasure to introduce John and Jean and to share the Scarboro story.
The following morning St. Andrew's students from Grades 4 to 8 filled the gymnasium. This time, John and Jean presented a slide show featuring their years as missioners in Guyana. The children were most attentive and anxious to have their questions answered. St. Andrew's School has always had a generous mission spirit, raising money for Scarboro and other mission endeavours.
Students at St. Andrew's school, St. Andrew's West, Ontario
That afternoon we drove to St. Francis Xavier Catholic High School located near Hammond, Ontario. Hammond is a small community nestled in the lush farmland of Prescott and Russell Counties. St. Francis Xavier and a neighbouring elementary school, Pope John Paul II, sit on a large tract of donated pastureland. Both schools create a commanding presence amid the rural landscape and picturesque farms. We were welcomed by St. Francis school chaplain Gordie Van Putten. It was a joy to meet the students and respond to their interest and questions about mission.
Tuesday evening, we were invited to attend the Catholic Women's League annual potluck dinner in the historic parish hall of St. Andrew's church. The women of St. Andrew's parish are both generous hostesses and marvelous cooks.
My thanks to Scarboro Missions, my parish and community, and the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario for the opportunity to come back to speak as a Scarboro missioner.
Miriam’s first impressions of Guyana...
Estrela De Sousa, with students at St. John Bosco Boys’ Orphanage, welcomes new missioner Miriam Wheeler to Scarboro’s Guyana mission team.
Since my arrival in Guyana, I have been in awe and enjoying each new experience. These first impressions of sights, scents and sounds have stirred my senses.
Last night I attended my first Scarboro team meeting and today we went on an outing together, swimming in Coke-coloured water and walking through magnificent rainforest with phenomenal flowers and birds. The past days have been busy. Scarboro missioners Kate O’Donnell and Estrela De Sousa took me to visit the orphanage school in Plaisance. There were three grade-level classes in one room, reminding me of a 19th century one-room schoolhouse. We each did a craft project with a different group of children. Despite having few school supplies, the children were happy and eager to learn. I’m glad the computers have arrived, along with the books and supplies we packed and shipped from Canada prior to my departure.
We also went to the Ursuline Convent to meet the Sisters with whom we do much of our work here. Sr. Mary Peter and Sr. Beatrice gave us a tour of the orphanage where 46 little girls showed off their home and tried to bend some of the rules while they had visitors. My heart ached to think of what so many of them had already experienced in their short life.
Another day, Kate took me to the Missionaries of Charity seniors home for women. Gracious Tetra invited me to return when her daughter next visited so that I could meet her. Later we went to the nursery daycare where one Sister and two adults try to meet the needs of 24 busy toddlers. These few early days have revealed that mission here will be a time of much giving and receiving.”
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