Our Regional Chapter began with a beautiful Eucharistic celebration led by the members of the liturgical committee. Through songs of different languages and colors, we lived a multilingual and intercultural experience, an image of the diversity of the members of our Region.
In her word of welcome, Sr. Minkada Brigitte introduced Father Armand Fessi celebrant of our beautiful Eucharistic celebration and animator of the two retreat days which will begin our Chapter. He is a man of experience both in religious life and in the life of the church.
This movie is not receiving great reviews, in spite of its star performers. It is funny, great one-liners exchanged between the aging still-in-love couple. We see the truly total dedication required in care-giving with someone going through ever-deepening memory loss. In discussing the film with reviewers, the actors point out that respect for the person, the whole person, can be difficult to keep uppermost in everyday life. I liked the way Helen’s character kept working at this for her husband. Their relationship appeared genuine – happy at times, persistent in showing their love for each other, and trying at times, while they struggled to cope.
In a special award ceremony held at the Arcadian Court in downtown Toronto on Monday, March 26, 2018, our Sister Mary Jane Leonard received acknowledgment and recognition of her 20 years as a volunteer in the palliative care unit at St Michael’s hospital in Toronto. The inspiring award ceremony, ‘in the heart of the community,’ sponsored by the Province of Ontario, honoured many volunteers in a wide variety of social service organizations with a symbolic customized trillium pin and personalized certificate. This remarkable and diverse group of intergenerational volunteers have given invaluable support to social, religious, educational, health, cultural, historical, intercultural and interfaith concerns. The room held an incredible 2700 years of volunteer service in the centre of the city! Volunteers had their picture taken with MPP Han Dong of the Trinity-Spadina riding. Congratulations Mary Jane, we are so proud of your journey to this very significant periphery!