In the spirit of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, Congregation de Notre Dame Sisters and Associates in the Kingston, Ontario region have a long history of supporting Home Based Housing for ending homelessness and helping to rebuild lives. Our support continued during the pandemic and for this past Christmas. Donations were collected supporting the purchase of personal items, treats and gift cards. The students of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys School also joined in with donations.
On Sunday, January 30, the Sustainability Committee led sisters and associates in another ZOOM session. Facilitated by Alana Forrester, the group gathered was invited to look at the Mission Orientations 2021- 2026 through the lens of Marguerite Bourgeoys. Over 70 devices were connected (some had more than one person present) as we enjoyed nearly two hours of listening and sharing. Anna Rowley and Karen Volpe served as tech persons keeping things moving. Participants expressed joy, gratitude, and much appreciation for this opportunity to walk with Marguerite and the call to remember stories in our own journey. Great Committee! Great ideas! Great event! Next session will be April 3, with Sister Kathleen Deignan.
The theme is “The Power of Care – Women, Economics, Human Trafficking.” Trafficking is one of the deepest wounds inflicted by the current economic system. Wounds that affect all dimensions of life, personal and community. The pandemic has increased the “business” of human trafficking and has exacerbated the pain: it has favored the opportunities and socio-economic mechanisms underlying this scourge, worsening the situations of vulnerability that involved the people most at risk – disproportionately women and girls. The latter, particularly penalized by the dominant economic model. The gap between men and women has thus grown.
https://crc-canada.org/en/marathon-prayer-8th-international-day-prayer-awareness-against-human-trafficking/#one