Vol XV. No. 31
Archive - Dec 2009 - Oct 2019 http://colleagueslist.blogspot.ca/ http://colleagueslistii.blogspot.com/
GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPE
CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address: waholst@telus.net
This email is sent only to a voluntary subscriber list.
If you no longer wish to receive these weekly columns,
write to me personally - waholst@telus.net
*****
Dear Friends:
This week, many of the articles I am sharing
relate to Jean Vanier and the Coronavirus.
I begin with a letter sent by the community leader,
Robyn, of L'Arche Calgary, my local L'Arche people.
Hopefully, you will find other helpful material in this issue.
Wayne
******
SPECIAL ITEM
COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER
FROM L'ARCHE CALGARY
March, 2020
Hello everyone,
This is our first Community News since learning the information
about Jean Vanier. I find it hard to believe it has been two weeks;
it seems like it was both yesterday and forever ago. It’s been
challenging for us, a time of shock, disbelief, disappointment
and sadness. I personally feel quite tired. I confess I’m
struggling at the moment to focus on my day-to-day work,
although I feel grateful that the work still continues.
It seems like our piece of the world has been turned a bit
upside down. It’s hard to think about what the future of
L’Arche might be as we now have many questions about
our past. Many people have asked what happens now.
Do we erase the reminders of Jean?
The photos,the quotes, the books, the stories? Will L’Arche
continue as we know it or will things change? I’m afraid I
don’t have the answers right now.
This will be the work of the larger Federation and it’s
some thing we will do together worldwide. As a planner and
a problem solver, I’m finding it difficult to be in this “holding
pattern”, but it reminds me of a phrase that’s used in the
concept of Healing Circles – “Holding Space”. When you’re
in a circle together, you are holding space for one another.
You accept each other’s thoughts and feelings, without
judgement and without “fixing” or problem-solving,you
practice empathy and compassion, and you have faith in
the group to hold all of this together. I think our Calgary
L’Arche community and the larger community of L’Arche
around the world is in a place of “holding space” for each
other right now. We are in a place of trust – in each other
and in God -to discern the way forward. While I am finding
it challenging to wait, I also know we get there, and we
will only get there together.
There have been numerous articles written about Jean
Vanier and L’Arche in the last couple of weeks and all of
them can be found online if you’re interested. I do want
to share a link to the article from Ian Brown of the Globe
& Mail, done in collaboration with L’Arche Canada.
It was wonderfully done.
"The Jean Vanier I Knew and the One I Didn't"
Get free online account - https://tinyurl.com/v55seet
With deep gratitude for all of you,
Robyn Jacob
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
San Antonio, TX
Personal Website,
March 2nd, 2020
"Jean Vanier, Revisited"
https://tinyurl.com/uao565e
--
Jim Taylor,
Okanagan, BC
Personal Weblog
March 2nd, 2020
"Why Do Heroes Have to be Perfect?
https://tinyurl.com/r9joywe
*****
NET NOTES
CUTTING VANIER TIES
A DAUNTING TASK
Catholic Register,
March 5th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/tdnowhk
--
LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOUR
AT A TIME OF CORONAVIRUS
A Reflection by Jim Wallis
Sojourners,
March 5th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/ryvmu4b
--
NEW DOROTHY DAY FILM COMING
She Defied Definition in Her Time
Religion News Service
March 4th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/sx5ng5h
--
WHAT IF CHRISTIANITY NEVER EXISTED?
A History Based on Counterfactuals
The Christian Century
March 4th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/rmh2mv5
--
A CALL TO BE A COMPASSIONATE CHURCH
UCC Statement on Covid-19
United Church of Canada,
March 6th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/ty8q2yr
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
San Antonio, TX
Personal Website,
March 2nd, 2020
"Jean Vanier, Revisited"
https://tinyurl.com/uao565e
--
Jim Taylor,
Okanagan, BC
Personal Weblog
March 2nd, 2020
"Why Do Heroes Have to be Perfect?
https://tinyurl.com/r9joywe
*****
NET NOTES
CUTTING VANIER TIES
A DAUNTING TASK
Catholic Register,
March 5th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/tdnowhk
--
LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOUR
AT A TIME OF CORONAVIRUS
A Reflection by Jim Wallis
Sojourners,
March 5th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/ryvmu4b
--
NEW DOROTHY DAY FILM COMING
She Defied Definition in Her Time
Religion News Service
March 4th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/sx5ng5h
--
WHAT IF CHRISTIANITY NEVER EXISTED?
A History Based on Counterfactuals
The Christian Century
March 4th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/rmh2mv5
--
A CALL TO BE A COMPASSIONATE CHURCH
UCC Statement on Covid-19
United Church of Canada,
March 6th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/ty8q2yr
--
WORRIES OVER VIRUS PROMPTS
CHANGES IN WORSHIP SERVICE
An American Survey
Religion News Service,
March 6th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/twnjv3l
--
UNSEALING OF THE VATICAN ARCHIVES
MAY REVEAL MORE ABOUT 'HITLER'S POPE'
Pius XII Found Himself in a Very Difficult Spot
The Guardian, UK
March 5th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/sdt7gje
*****
MOMENT IN TIME
Globe and Mail
March 2nd, 2020
MOMENT IN TIME
Since St. Patrick’s Day falls in March,
we’re looking at Irish culture in Canada this month.
Irish emigrants come to Canada in ‘coffin ships’
Grosse Île, Quebec, is the largest of a small archipelago
of islands in the St. Lawrence that served as a quarantine
depot for the port of Quebec between 1832 and 1937.
Initially established to contain a cholera epidemic, it is
now the largest resting place in Canada for those who
died as a result of disease during the great migration
forced by the Irish Potato Famine: More than 8,072
Irish emigrants are buried in its cemetery, shown above.
Countless more died on the voyage from Ireland in
unsanitary vessels known as “coffin ships."
Approximately 100,000 emigrants made it to Canada
in 1847 alone. Another 6,000 of those who died after
arrival are buried at a secondary site at Pointe-Saint-
Charles in Montreal. More than four million migrants
came through Grosse Île in its century of operation.
The site is now managed by Parks Canada and, in 1996,
it was designated the Irish Memorial National Historic Site.
As of the 2016 census, 4.6 million Canadians claim Irish
ancestry, the fourth-largest ethnic identity behind English,
Scottish and French. In 1909, the a fraternal Irish group,
the Ancient Order of Hibernians erected 14-metre granite
Celtic cross on the west of the island. It reads:
“Sacred to the memory of thousands of Irish Emigrants
UNSEALING OF THE VATICAN ARCHIVES
MAY REVEAL MORE ABOUT 'HITLER'S POPE'
Pius XII Found Himself in a Very Difficult Spot
The Guardian, UK
March 5th, 2020
https://tinyurl.com/sdt7gje
*****
MOMENT IN TIME
Globe and Mail
March 2nd, 2020
MOMENT IN TIME
Since St. Patrick’s Day falls in March,
we’re looking at Irish culture in Canada this month.
Irish emigrants come to Canada in ‘coffin ships’
Grosse Île, Quebec, is the largest of a small archipelago
of islands in the St. Lawrence that served as a quarantine
depot for the port of Quebec between 1832 and 1937.
Initially established to contain a cholera epidemic, it is
now the largest resting place in Canada for those who
died as a result of disease during the great migration
forced by the Irish Potato Famine: More than 8,072
Irish emigrants are buried in its cemetery, shown above.
Countless more died on the voyage from Ireland in
unsanitary vessels known as “coffin ships."
Approximately 100,000 emigrants made it to Canada
in 1847 alone. Another 6,000 of those who died after
arrival are buried at a secondary site at Pointe-Saint-
Charles in Montreal. More than four million migrants
came through Grosse Île in its century of operation.
The site is now managed by Parks Canada and, in 1996,
it was designated the Irish Memorial National Historic Site.
As of the 2016 census, 4.6 million Canadians claim Irish
ancestry, the fourth-largest ethnic identity behind English,
Scottish and French. In 1909, the a fraternal Irish group,
the Ancient Order of Hibernians erected 14-metre granite
Celtic cross on the west of the island. It reads:
“Sacred to the memory of thousands of Irish Emigrants
who,to persevere the faith, suffered hunger and exile in
1847-1848, and stricken with fever, ended here their
sorrowful pilgrimage.”
- Shane Dingman
****
WISDOM OF THE WEEK - March 8th
Provided by Sojourners and the Bruderhof online
Jesus says, “Forgive, and you will also be forgiven”
(Matt. 6:14). That is to say, forgiveness is forgiveness.
Your forgiveness of another is your own forgiveness;
the forgiveness you give is the forgiveness you receive.
If you wholeheartedly forgive your enemy, you may
dare hope for your own forgiveness, for it is one and
the same.
- Søren Kierkegaard
--
A seed only flourishes by staying in the ground in
which it is sown. When you keep digging the seed
up to check whether it is growing, it will never bear
fruit. Think of yourself as a little seed planted in rich
soil. All you have to do is stay there and trust that
the soil contains everything you need to grow.
This growth takes place even when you do not feel it
- Henri J. M. Nouwen
--
And take up their cross.” That cross is already there,
ready, from the very beginning; we need only take it
up. But to keep us from believing that we must simply
choose any arbitrary cross, or simply pick out our
suffering as we will, Jesus emphasizes that each
of us has his or her own cross, ready, appointed,
and appropriately measured by God.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
God Is on the Cross: Reflections on Lent and Easter
--
Lent is a journey. It means accompanying Jesus as he
travels to Jerusalem, the place where the mystery of
his passion, death, and resurrection is to be fulfilled.
It reminds us that Christian life is a 'road' to be traveled,
consisting not so much in a law to be observed as in the
person of Christ himself, who must be encountered,
welcomed, and followed.
- Benedict XVI
--
When we practice Lent in the spirit of Jesus, it's not
about making God happy, looking spiritual, or repeating
empty traditions. It's not a power move or a forced march.
Jesus and the cloud of witnesses show us that Lent is
about Jesus - and, therefore about love. The Holy Spirit
uses fasting, prayer, and generosity to satisfy us with
God's Fatherly love. As a result we are moved to share
that love with others. And that is history worth repeating.
- Aaron Damiani,
The Good of Giving Up: Discovering the Freedom of Lent
--
Suppose a person entering a house were to feel heat
on the porch, and going further, were to feel the heat
increasing, the more they penetrated within. Doubtless,
such a person would believe there was a fire in the house,
even though they did not see the fire that must be causing
all this heat. A similar thing will happen to anyone who
considers this world in detail: one will observe that all
things are arranged according to their degrees of beauty
and excellence, and that the nearer they are to God, the
more beautiful and better they are.
- Thomas Aquinas
--
Unfortunately, in seeing ourselves as we truly are,
not all that we see is beautiful and attractive. This
is undoubtedly part of the reason we flee silence.
We do not want to be confronted with our hypocrisy,
our phoniness. We see how false and fragile is the
false self we project. We have to go through this
painful experience to come to our true self. It is a
harrowing journey, a death to self – the false self –
and no one wants to die. But it is the only path
to life, to freedom, to peace, to true love.
And it begins with silence. We cannot give ourselves
in love if we do not know and possess ourselves.
This is the great value of silence. It is the pathway
to all we truly want.
- M. Basil Pennington
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT - Pope Francis
WISDOM OF THE WEEK - March 8th
Provided by Sojourners and the Bruderhof online
Jesus says, “Forgive, and you will also be forgiven”
(Matt. 6:14). That is to say, forgiveness is forgiveness.
Your forgiveness of another is your own forgiveness;
the forgiveness you give is the forgiveness you receive.
If you wholeheartedly forgive your enemy, you may
dare hope for your own forgiveness, for it is one and
the same.
- Søren Kierkegaard
--
A seed only flourishes by staying in the ground in
which it is sown. When you keep digging the seed
up to check whether it is growing, it will never bear
fruit. Think of yourself as a little seed planted in rich
soil. All you have to do is stay there and trust that
the soil contains everything you need to grow.
This growth takes place even when you do not feel it
- Henri J. M. Nouwen
--
And take up their cross.” That cross is already there,
ready, from the very beginning; we need only take it
up. But to keep us from believing that we must simply
choose any arbitrary cross, or simply pick out our
suffering as we will, Jesus emphasizes that each
of us has his or her own cross, ready, appointed,
and appropriately measured by God.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
God Is on the Cross: Reflections on Lent and Easter
--
Lent is a journey. It means accompanying Jesus as he
travels to Jerusalem, the place where the mystery of
his passion, death, and resurrection is to be fulfilled.
It reminds us that Christian life is a 'road' to be traveled,
consisting not so much in a law to be observed as in the
person of Christ himself, who must be encountered,
welcomed, and followed.
- Benedict XVI
--
When we practice Lent in the spirit of Jesus, it's not
about making God happy, looking spiritual, or repeating
empty traditions. It's not a power move or a forced march.
Jesus and the cloud of witnesses show us that Lent is
about Jesus - and, therefore about love. The Holy Spirit
uses fasting, prayer, and generosity to satisfy us with
God's Fatherly love. As a result we are moved to share
that love with others. And that is history worth repeating.
- Aaron Damiani,
The Good of Giving Up: Discovering the Freedom of Lent
--
Suppose a person entering a house were to feel heat
on the porch, and going further, were to feel the heat
increasing, the more they penetrated within. Doubtless,
such a person would believe there was a fire in the house,
even though they did not see the fire that must be causing
all this heat. A similar thing will happen to anyone who
considers this world in detail: one will observe that all
things are arranged according to their degrees of beauty
and excellence, and that the nearer they are to God, the
more beautiful and better they are.
- Thomas Aquinas
--
Unfortunately, in seeing ourselves as we truly are,
not all that we see is beautiful and attractive. This
is undoubtedly part of the reason we flee silence.
We do not want to be confronted with our hypocrisy,
our phoniness. We see how false and fragile is the
false self we project. We have to go through this
painful experience to come to our true self. It is a
harrowing journey, a death to self – the false self –
and no one wants to die. But it is the only path
to life, to freedom, to peace, to true love.
And it begins with silence. We cannot give ourselves
in love if we do not know and possess ourselves.
This is the great value of silence. It is the pathway
to all we truly want.
- M. Basil Pennington
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT - Pope Francis
Lent comes providentially to reawaken us,
to shake us from our lethargy.
(end)
*****
For those interested:
ANNUAL ST. DAVID'S LENTEN RETREAT
Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre
Cochrane, AB
Sunday, March 15th, 2019
11:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Theme: "The Way of St. Francis"
11:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Theme: "The Way of St. Francis"
Led by Spiritual Director Susan Campbell
Cost: $30.
(includes registration, lunch and refreshments)
Restful reflections and nature walks, weather permitting...
*****
ST. DAVID'S ACTS WINTER MONDAY NIGHT BOOK STUDY
A Ten Week Series January 13th - March 23rd, 2020
(Family Weekend Session, February 17th, exempted)
Monday Evenings, TM Room 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
"FUTURE FAITH - Ten Challenges Reshaping
Monday Evenings, TM Room 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
"FUTURE FAITH - Ten Challenges Reshaping
Christianity in the 21st Century"
Author: Wesley Granberg-Michaelson
Registration/Hospitality and Book: $60.00.
Book only: $25.00
37 copies of the book were made available for sale.
All are now sold.
Total on-site registrations: 32
Total on-site registrations: 32
(plus 3 on-line participants). Grand Total: 35 to date.
Book Description - https://tinyurl.com/tybpxvd
Study Notes - https://tinyurl.com/qpx7l8n
*****
ST. DAVID'S ACTS THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY
Our theme this winter:
"Jesus' Parables and Miracles"
(a total of 10 examples)
As recorded in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark
and Luke and the Gospel of John
Ten Sessions - January 23rd-March 26th, 2020
Gathering at 9:30 AM in the St. David's TM Room
and Luke and the Gospel of John
Ten Sessions - January 23rd-March 26th, 2020
Gathering at 9:30 AM in the St. David's TM Room
and meeting 10:00 - 11:00 AM.
--
Summary Session: Thursday, April 2nd. 10AM - 4PM
Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre, Cochrane.
--
Summary Session: Thursday, April 2nd. 10AM - 4PM
$30.00 charge, includes lunch and refreshments.
Theme of the Day: "Assessing Jesus' Parables and Miracles"
Theme of the Day: "Assessing Jesus' Parables and Miracles"
Study resource -
"The DK Complete Bible Handbook"
Edited by John Bowker
http://tinyurl.com/odxlv7q
"The DK Complete Bible Handbook"
Edited by John Bowker
http://tinyurl.com/odxlv7q
*****
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