Closing of the Year of Mercy
The closing of the Year of Mercy and the 175th Anniversary of the arrival of the Congregation of Notre Dame sisters in Kingston did not go unnoticed by the associates and sisters in Kingston. Through a process of prayer, reflection and contemplative dialogue, Mary Cockburn helped us to stir up and renew our resolve to keep the fruits of the Holy Year alive within us. Following this, we were entertained and inspired by a small group of Sisters who mimed the story of SS Edward and SS Alexander, who came from Montreal to Kingston, as Rosemary Shannon read from a script she had prepared. In a humourous way this tremendous story of courage and resolve was recalled. Cake and beverages followed, and by the way, the two Sisters and the stagecoach in which they rode, stood bravely atop the beautifully decorated cake.
Congratulations to Sister Alice Long
Congratulations to Sister Alice Long (shown here with her teacher, Anne- Marie Rolfe) on becoming a Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher! Sheri Green and Melissa Wilson of Fredericton, NB were also in the program; they work here at Windsor Court and are happy to share their enthusiasm with me.
The Daniel O’Hanley Memorial Lecture
The Daniel O’Hanley Memorial Lecture – November 20 – sponsored by LAMP (The Latin American Mission Program, Charlottetown)
Daniel O’Hanley was a missionary in Nicaraqua from 1984-1991, working in solidarity with the Nicaraguan people in a time of great upheaval. He was killed on July 3,1991, in Managua as a result of a botched robbery. Each year his life is commemorated by a lecture whose topics and presenters reflect current times and conditions both in the south and in the north. This year we were privileged to hear Stephen J. Augustine, Hereditary Chief Mi’kmaq Grand Council and Dean Unama’ki College and Aboriginal Learning at Cape Breton University. This remarkable, gifted, gentle man, starting in the present, took us on a journey back into the history of his people to their origins in the Maritimes. His insights, regarding their deep faith in the “ONE ENTITY” who is good and is the source of all life and their sense of belonging to Mother Earth were very powerful. Theirs, he said, is an Earth Religion. He quoted one of the missionaries who came in the early days to “bring the faith” as saying: “These people are living the catechism.” We felt at home when he made connections to Lennox Island, to Eskasoni, to places in NB, like Big Cove, and in particular when he made the connections with the Acadian people. It was a stimulating, thought -provoking lecture.
