Canada in the spring

This picture is so beautiful that it makes me want to plan a trip to Canada. In the meantime, I am fascinated by the history of the Society of the Sacred Heart in Canada. I will continue to share something of this as it helps to reflect on the way God uses us through history. I will continue today to quote from the house journal cited in Mother Callan's "The Society of the Sacred Heart in North America." It seems that the day school with its 150 children in 1844 was "formed of very ignorant children, even in what regards religion, and the parents know little more than the children. To combat this ignorance, Mother de Kersaint, who is Mistress General of the free school, has opened a class for the women of the neighborhood, giving interesting instructions every Sunday afternoon, and during the first year the attendance averaged about fifty."
Then comes praise for the pastor who is a saint. He seems to have provided the nuns with everything and kept increasing their property. He had promised "four arpents of land. Shortly after our arrival, we were informed that we owned twenty. At the end of some months the pastor asked Reverend Mother Sallion to go with him to visit a farm which he wished us to accept. Then he spoke of another piece of property, and along with it a pretty stretch of timbered land. Here at the end of 1843, we own 360 arpents of land, varying in worth, some quite valuable, some less so."
Mother Sallion is ill in the spring of 1844 when Mother Hardey arrives from New York with several religious. Mother Dumont is left in charge of the house as Mother Sallion is named treasurer general for the American convents and accompanies Mother Hardey and Mother Cutts on the visitations of their respective vicariates as we were not really provinces. The house journal speaks of being "buried in the depths of Canadian snows so many months of the year", but adds that they are never without spiritual help for the Jesuits "are kind and devoted friends." Then it tells us that four of the pupils have entered the novitiate and Mother Sallion returned in November.
It also tells us that it takes about twelve hours to reach the convent from Montreal and so parents are reluctant to send their children and the boarding school has disminished. They are looking for a place in Montreal.

Early Society Canadian History

I am getting really interested in reading again about the beginnings of the Society of the Sacred Heart in Canada. We have Mother Sallion's account.She was the first superior and left New York on December 11 with Mother de Kersaint and Mother Eveline L'Eveque and Sister Anne Battandier. The trip on the Hudson river was so cold that the passengers were advised to go to bed early. Encountering an ice barrier, the captain decided to return to New York but offered to land any passengers who did not want to return. The nuns debated. "We were told to go, but not told to return...Let us imitate the Holy Family; perhaps we shall find shelter." They put their trust in the Sacred Heart and disembarked; they trudged forward in the bitter wind and finally reached an isolated post office. It was December 17 when they reached La Prairie, opposite Montreal. Then, after Mass and breakfast and a little rest at the Jesuit Superior's there, Mother Sallion announced that they intended to go on to Montreal! It was a dangerous trip as only part of the St. Lawrence river was frozen solid. However, they did reach Montreal only to learn that the Bishop was not expecting them until spring.
Mother Sallion wanted to get to their new house but she wrote: "The Bishop urged us to remain in Montreal until the day after Christmas. On the twenty-sixth the pastor of St. Jacques sent four small sleighs and two large ones, each driven by a trustee of the church, to fetch us and our baggage....The sleds made wonderful rapidity over the ice. Out of the thirty-six miles, we made twenty-four on the St. Lawrence and the Assumption River. Reaching St. Jacques, we went first to the church, where we found Father Pare, the pastor, awaiting us."
The account continues to talk about how warm the house was with four enormous stoves in full blast and another one in the kitchen. "There is not much furniture in the house as yet, but we have the essentials, and the rest is being made at a shop in the village...The convent was a surprise to the religious who came with sme, it is so well built and convenient...We have all kinds of provisions..."
The boarding school opened on January 2, 1843; they began with three and had sixty by September and the day school soon had 150!

Love God; Love one Another

Today we have Jesus telling us that to love God with our whole heart, our whole mind, with all our strength, and to love our neighbor as ourself and we will be close to the Kingdom of God.
I suspect that we love God with the love He gives us; then we love Him in others. But God is love so we need to allow God to love us so that we can love Him. If I do not love my neighbor, how can I say that I love God?
We had a beautiful Mass here for Ines, our sister who died in Colombia on September 2. Her friends came and we spent time telling some of the things we remembered about her life. She was one who loved God and loved each because she saw God in each.

Canada, we welcome you, too!

I love this picture with its welcome under the flag of Canada! I am getting excited about learning more about this vast and beautiful country; I am also going back to the history of the Society of the Sacred Heart in Canada. The Bishop of Montreal, brought a letter from Reverend Mother Barat to Mother Galitzin who was in New York in September of 1841. She said that the Bishop had thought to return by another route but she had asked him to go by way of New York to discuss the possibility of a foundation in his diocese. In fact, "the house is ready, practically furnished,,,I think we should not refuse the offer. His Lordship promises that we shall have novices soon and accomplish much good in time, the the beginnings may be small, as is ordinarily the case." (This letter is quoted by Mother Callan in The Society of the Sacred Heart in North America.)
Mother Galitzin was ready to leave for the South but now set out with Mother Salliaon for Canada. The Bishop hoped that the Society would immediately make the foundation but it was deferred for a year. Mother Galitzin  reported that the house was beautiful with an enclosure of five acres of fertile land. The Bishop not only was giving us the house but would furnish it and pay for the Religious who would come from France.; she did not mention that St. Jacques was just a village and not easily accessible from Montreal.
We did make the foundation setting out in December in spite of the intense cold that made the trip difficult. More on this later as it is fascinating to read about the early pioneers.

Feast of the Poor Souls

Today we pray for all those who have died and maybe are not yet experiencing the joy of Heaven. I am sure that it is good to pray for all those who have died, but I think there is no time with God and He made us to be with Him for all eternity so I guess we are not so sure now about Purgatory. Still, we pray for all those who may be waiting after death.
We are having a Memorial Mass here tomorrow for our Colombian sister, Ines, who died at the end of August. I hope many of her friends do come not only to pray for her but to celebrate her life and her gift of friendship.

Feast of All Saints 2012

This picture bothers me in the sense that I feel that all the saints will be somehow enjoying themselves in the Trinity and it is the risen Christ they are with in bliss.
Having said that, it is marvelous to imagine what eternity will be and, I suppose, it is also a waste of time as it will be so much more than anything I could dream up in my finite imagination. I know that I will be happy with God and will be satisfied at last and caught up in love and loving and all my family and friends will also be part of this eternal happiness.
In the meantime, we pray to the saints to intercede for us. I am concerned about all those who are suffering the effects of the storm. When we have a hurricane in Miami, the lack of power is very uncomfortable as we cannot use the stove, coffee lovers are especially stressed out in the mornings, we cannot use any machines in our house, there is no hot water, (sometimes no water or no drinkable water), no light to read by, etc. but the worst has been the heat as Miami is really hot! Now, people are without power up north and I suspect they suffer most from the cold. I am praying for all and know that it will take weeks and months to try to get back to normal. May all the saints help them during this time of suffering.

Happy Halloween

This was such a fun day when I was a child. I am not sure that I realized it was important as the eve of the Feast of All Saints but we did have a holy day so we went to Mass and not to school. Now, a Holy Day of Obligation seldom is celebrated during the week and when it is, schools arrange for Mass but no holiday. However, my memories of Halloween are all good and lasted until I entered. I cannot remember doing anything for Halloween as a novice.
What are my best memories? The Halloween parties. I do remember going out to gather candy but most of the fun was in being with my friends.
Now the eve of all saints is a remembering of so many of my family and friends who are now enjoying God as saints, happy for all eternity but still interested in our well being. I celebrate all the saints, but especially those closest to me.

Snow Scene in Canada

As the storm hits the northeast and continues to cause loss of power, flooding, and even snow, we pray for all those suffering from its effects. Florida had damage because of the flooding due to full moon, higher tides, and the hurricane all combining to wreck havoc on our coast, but we missed the strength of a hurricane and I think God has heard the prayer that is said at every Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle where we ask protection from storms.
Thinking about Canada, I suspect they are used to heavy snows and long winters. I am finding that I really know so little about our neighboring country and have a desire to learn more. Maybe I will write to one of my RSCJ friends in Canada to get more information to share here.
As for a more spiritual reflection for today, I can only quote from Ilia Delio's "Ten Evenings With God" as I have finished it and now will no doubt need to go through it a second time. The second evening is on Prayer. She says:

"Prayer is about God and our relationship with God....We long for God because we are created by God and this longing is both the source of our hope in God and the very thing we resist. Prayer is an awakening to the fact that the fulfillment of my life lies in God."
"God delights in creation and loves each of us with a personal love. Prayer, therefore, is God's desire to breathe in me, to be the spirit of my life, to draw me into the fullness of life. When I pray-- when I breathe with God-- I become part of the intimacy of God's life."

May we all find time for prayer and really be part of the intimacy of God's life! I suspect we are and do not know this. God is closer to the real me than I am to myself!

Canada, we love you!

Yesterday we had a lovely prayer service via PowerPoint and then a teleconference for the entire United States Province and Canada. We are definitely merging with Canada and may be one Province by next July. I am very happy about this and so glad that I did at least visit Halifax one summer. I would love to go back and really get to know their beautiful country and have had that desire for some summers. I did visit Toronto one year and also Vancouver, but have always wanted to ride the train across Canada. I am afraid it is too expensive, but at least now we will have our Canadian Sisters closer to us when we are one Province. The Canadians were novices with us so I do know some and then several have been coming to our meetings or visiting and that has been so helpful for all of us. I believe there are only about 19 left in their Province so the merger will take place with only a small ripple among us, but I am so happy about this.
I will be using some Canadian scenes in my blog this week. I should also add the link to their website. The first foundations in Canada were all made from the United States and they love Reverend Mother Hardey as we do.

Jesus Cures the Blind Beggar

Jesus was passing by and the beggar heard the people say that Jesus was now going past and he immediately begins to cry out, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me." The crowd around him tries to silence him but he calls out even louder and Jesus hears him and calls out asking that the beggar be brought to him. Then Jesus says, "What do you want me to do for you?" A key question He asks each of us.
Here is the last bit of a commentary from the Online NCR that I find helpful: Jesus was always talking about the kingdom and trying to get us to see that the kingdom is here; he said that the

"kingdom is close at hand, right before our eyes. God is working effectively in our everyday lives -- something most people never seem to notice. They presume God is securely ensconced in heaven, not active here on earth. That’s why Jesus demands a repentance of those who receive this good news. They must go through a metanoia, a complete change of their value system.
Notice what Jesus says to Bartimaeus. We’d logically expect him to command, “Receive your sight!” or something similar. But instead, he simply tells him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”
In a sense, Jesus is saying, “I don’t have to give you your sight; your faith has already done that. Faith in me enables you to see what I see.”
Mark provides us with a glimpse of the perfect disciple. Bartimaeus, Mark tells us, “followed him on the way.” That way leads to Jerusalem, to suffering, death and resurrection.
Whoever thought a blind beggar would actually show us what to pray for? It’s all a matter of noticing what’s before our very eyes.
[Roger Vermalen Karban is a priest of the Belleville, Ill., diocese and pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Renault, Ill.]

Kindness gives us peace and joy

I have just written a thank you note to a dear friend who went out of the way to shop for, buy, and send a gift she knew I wanted for my community. I then remembered so many acts of kindness through the years. It only takes a few minutes sometimes to do something kind; sometimes we are spontaneously kind to each other and look for ways to give joy; at other times, it requires effort and thought on our part but it is well worth the trouble. I do not forget the many kind words, deeds, and attentions that I have received. Now I am remembering so many and thanking again for them and praying for the kind person who befriended me. Sometimes it was just someone who took the time to listen to me; other times have been words of encouragement, acts of thoughtfulness, or just a hug.
We all need affection.
When I was a novice, there was a happy, holy older Religious in charge of the vestry who was there every afternoon in case a novice had a need such as extra handkerchiefs, or whatever. I used to go by to see her almost every afternoon. She would say to me in a cheerful voice, "Well, and what do you need today?" And I would answer, "Just a hug!" And she would give me a big hug (she was a big person as well as bighearted) and I would go on my way happy to have received this mark of love as I missed the affection that I had taken for granted at home. I often thought that she might have saved my vocation.
Let us find some way to show kindness to others today and feel God's peace and joy!

Hurricane "Sandy"

Miami has been so fortunate for five years now and have not had serious damage from hurricanes. However, the threat is always present and the hurricane season does not end until the end of November. I feel for the poor countries who are in the path of so many hurricanes. Haiti is one of the places where not only lives are lost but people are left without shelter and so many are without food and water. We are having a rainy, windy day and many schools are closed but the fear is further north as "Sandy" seems to be an unpredictable storm.
In the meantime, I am home and save and wanting to stay here.
I was thinking again this morning how grateful I am for my many friends and wondering if I pray enough for all the people God has put into my life. I find that relationships continue to grow in importance as I grow older; I look around me and see that many of my friends have gone to God. It is a day to reflect on how prepared I am to die.
What might I want to do today if I knew death was near?
In the meantime, let us pray for all who are suffering from Hurricane Sandy!