Friendship in mission

By Sr. Gwen Legault, O.L.M.
May/June 2012

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Fr. Gustavo Guitierrez, a Peruvian theologian, recently stated that “there is no commitment to the poor without friendship.” If friendship is the foundation for mission today, I’ve experienced it abundantly in my current ministries.

R-L: Gwen Legault, OLM, Angela Downey and Betty Craig (seated) at Liberty Place, Toronto. R-L: Gwen Legault, OLM, Angela Downey and Betty Craig (seated) at Liberty Place, Toronto.

After many happy years in Nigeria, I returned to Toronto in 2007 searching for new commitments. I received a warm and friendly welcome to St. John’s Parish prayer group, which began in 1998 when the pastor, Monsignor Jim Stephenson, was diagnosed with cancer. Angela Downey gathered some people to pray for him and for all the sick. Angela had already been attending the prayer group at St. Brigid’s parish and the members there joined with her to help form the new group. Among them were Alma Hickey, Monica Donovan and the late Clara Calabrese.

With that same spirit of friendship and sharing, we continue to gather each Friday. We pray for the sick and suffering, but we also celebrate the gift of life with gratitude and hope. Friends and acquaintances who have been diagnosed with serious illnesses are constantly being included in our prayers. And the spirits of the saints who have gone ahead of us permeate our gatherings.

We are grateful for the bonds we have forged in the prayer group and the graces we have received. We feel encouraged to share these blessings with all those we meet each day. Group members visit the elderly and volunteer at a used clothing and household items store in Toronto run by VICS (Volunteer International Christian Service).

My involvement with the prayer group strengthens me in my volunteer work at Providence Healthcare and in my work with a refugee family as part of the Becoming Neighbours initiative. Community enables ministry and real community fosters friendship, and to me, friendship has become an essential part of each ministry.

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