News from Visitation Province
A Special Birthday Celebration in Sydney
Thursday, April 7th was a special day at the CND Health Center. We celebrated the 100th birthday of Sr. Mary Cecilia MacDonald. She was joined by sisters and family members. Many well-deserved accolades came her way. She even took to the floor for a few dances. We are so blessed to have her with us and to be able to celebrate Mary Cecilia.
Arlene Rutledge, Coordinator
April 17th marks the Birth and Baptismal Day of Marguerite Bourgeoys in 1620 in Troyes France
MARGUERITE BOURGEOYS was born in Troyes, in the province of Champagne (France), on Good Friday, April 17, 1620. She was baptized on the same day in the church of Saint-Jean, a church that was located near her home. Marguerite was the sixth child in a family of twelve. Her parents were Abraham Bourgeoys and Guillemette Gamier. House in Troyes where Marguerite Bourgeoys was born, second from the left; demolished in 1976. In the background is Saint-Jean-au-Marché church, where she was baptized.
Kathy Kelly, Associate
Earth Day – Friday, April 22
"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."
– Native American Proverb
What can we do to observe Earth Day this year? How can we express appreciation and respect for the natural world? It has been said the Earth has the ability to heal if we stop hurting her. Let’s celebrate Earth Day in some way that will be meaningful for us wherever we are. We might choose to:
Pay attention to the accumulation of plastics in the environment.
Select biodegradable products when we can or use recycled paper products.
Think of a species or a habitat we need to protect, such as bees, wetlands, trees.
Conserve our precious resource – water.
Enjoy the outdoors, go for a walk or even a have “sit” in the sunshine.
Happy Earth Day!
Eleanor McCloskey, CND, for JPIC Core Committee
KAIROS Blanket Exercise
The JPIC (Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation) Core Committee was very pleased with the enthusiastic turnout last Saturday for the KAIROS Blanket Exercise.
30 Sisters and Associates took part. This project has been on our wish list for many months.
Several.who participated have indicated they appreciated the experience, which was new learning for some.
Carol and Teresa, CND Associates, were our JPIC volunteers to get the project started, and we are grateful to Sister Karen Kelly who served as liaison with KAIROS, to make it happen. Thanks to all who took part.
Eleanor McCloskey, CND, for JPIC Committee
With thanks to those who enabled sisters and associates to participate in the Blanket Exercise on April 9th. Each of us was impacted in our own way. I became more aware of the land displacement of Indigenous peoples with the arrival of the settlers including my own family’s arrival from Ireland and Scotland and settlement in Quebec and the Prairies. Two resources are providing a good follow-up for me. I’m reading “Five Little Indians” by Michelle Good, a novel which Sister Eleanor McCloskey recommended. It is set in western Canada and involves residential school experiences of removal from families, mistreatment and struggles afterwards. The other resource I recommend is the recorded recent 90-minute video “"Lacombe's Ladder: Catechism and Colonization in the First Nations' Context", a lecture and questions with Prof. Darren Dias, OP. It is a good explanation of the underlying theological and doctrinal view of the time which enabled colonization and missionary activities as well as thoughts related to the current situation of reconciliation.
Kathy Kelly, Associate