News from Visitation Province
The UN World Day of Social Justice is February 20, 2023
This year’s theme is Overcoming Barriers and Unleashing Opportunities for Social Justice. As Pope Francis tells us in Laudato Sí, Social Justice is a climate matter. A healthy planet promises fairer societies and more economic and political stability. The JPIC (Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation) Committee would like to invite Sisters and Associates of Visitation Province to make a concrete action to reduce our carbon footprint on Monday, February 20th (and every day). Here is your JPIC Committee doing our part to reduce our carbon footprint meeting by Zoom on Valentine’s Day!
Karen Kelly, for JPIC
Pink Shirt Day February 22, 2023
Supporting Anti-bullying and Anti-bullying initiatives.
This year’s theme, inspired by experiences of kindness, empathy, courage and action is Lift Each Other Up.
Bullying isn’t something that happens just to children at school, although statistics indicate 1 in 5 students report being bullied. Bullying also happens at work, at home, in games, in families, in politics, in clubs and organizations. Cyber bullying is a recent and serious way of bullying through social media. On this day, people who want to be seen as recognizing and discouraging bullying wear something pink: a shirt, a scarf, socks, whatever we can find!
Eleanor McCloskey, CND, for JPIC
Festival Of Women and Girls: Making a World of Difference
This Festival will take place on Saturday, March 4, 2023 from 1-5 pm at The Mary Ward Centre (70 St. Mary Street) Toronto and is FREE to attend. Click here to register.
Come and enjoy: Music, Poetry, Scholarly Input, Finger Food, Key Note Presentations, Workshops, Booths, Reflection and Ritual.
We are really quite excited and feel privileged to share with you the "Festival of Women and Girls: Marking a World of Difference!" It will include music, poetry, scholarly input, finger food, keynote presentations, workshops, booths, reflection, ritual and just being together. What is even more special, is that some of the finger food will be offered by the creators of the Becoming Neighbours "Taste our Food, Savour our Diversity" cookbook.
Maura McGrath, CND
Mother Teresa: No Greater Love is a new documentary produced by the Knights of Columbus who provide the most powerful testimony about the one we call “Mother.” Being a canonized saint is rare, and being recognized as such during our own lifetime is rarer still. Being a true saint, totally devoted to Christ and His radical message of love. The movie interviews the Missionaries of Charity, who share their memories of her legacy. She told her sisters to “see Jesus in the face of the poor” and “bring the love of Jesus to the poor.” No Greater Love covers her childhood, and the hundreds of different places where she founded houses for the poor, the abandoned, the handicapped, and the lepers. She was not judgmental of these people but provided hope, love and a death with dignity. She also took people who had been rejected by mainstream hospital and mental institutions into her homes. Mother Teresa was fearless and brave and she was respectful of all faiths. She did not avoid the suffering of others but walked into the streets and embraced the “poorest of the poor” bringing a smile and peace to them. She felt their brokenness and understood their struggles, she encouraged them, prayed for and with them, she saw God in everyone. One of her famous quotes is, ““Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” The movie is almost 2-hours in length and some of the images can take your breath away. A documentary not to be missed.
The trailer link is https://youtube.com/watch?v=YQFBi8lup-k&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE
Dianne MacAskill, Associate
West Kootenay Associates have been making really good use of the webpage that was designed for the 400th Anniversary of Marguerite Bourgeoys’s birth. What a wonderful resource it has been! Just this week we met and in celebrating (still) Marguerite’s 400th Birthday, we are using one, two or three items from this site each time we gather. To mention just a couple of specific ways we’ve used the site, in our own local group, we, first of all, did a short tutorial for everyone on how to navigate it. And we really encouraged everyone to spend time there on their own at home. We watched together the clip of Troyes, Marguerite’s home and neighbourhood. It was fantastic! So well done. Beneficial too for those candidates journeying in our group! We have been planning our sessions in this way, along with prayer, and followed by the current session of “Listening to Indigenous Voices.” We are presently alternating between in-person gatherings and Zoom gatherings.
In addition, Sr. Norma Gallant and I were able to use it for a presentation we gave at CWL, also this week on the topic of Marguerite’s 400th. At CWL, we showed the front page of the site where it explains why we are celebrating this event, about Marguerite and her vision, (with some ad-libbing) and then the one called, “Today”, which explains succinctly and very well how Congregation de Notre-Dame lives that vision today. We also printed the “Prayer for Families” and after handing a printed copy to each, we all prayed together. We know the women appreciated the presentation.
Maureen Wiley, West Kootenay Associate