My brother, home for Thanksgiving, is a volunteer at two veterans' hospitals in Toronto. He says many of those men pray to a woman whose name is St Marguerite and he asked me if I knew anything about her. So the whole family at Thanksgiving got a mini version of her story. I then sent to those men the prayer card for the sick (revised in 2012). Here, at Andrews, 35 Marguerite Bourgeoys charm bracelets have been purchased (cost $10) to give to relatives and friends. There are 20 charms on the bracelet, each of which depicts an aspect of Marguerite's life. The bracelets come with a typed account of her life story. All proceeds go to our communities in Central America. These bracelets could be a welcome teacher-aid for catechists who wish to share the story of Marguerite with their students.
After a busy year of preparation and planning, St. Gertrude’s parish in Woodstock celebrated their 175th Anniversary on Sunday, October 8. I was invited to represent the Congrégation de Notre-Dame Sisters; our presence in Woodstock goes back to 1983. The people there have stories and happy memories of all who served there. A lengthy slideshow during the meal brought back faces familiar to us. Sister Therese Arsenault, who was there from the beginning, (Sister T., she was called) was given honourable mention in many conversations. Congratulatory letters were read from Sisters Esther Clarkin and Ann Marie McDougall, two of the most recent ministry persons; both were unable to be present. The Congrégation de Notre-Dame Associates continue their active involvement since we have moved from the parish. It was a treat to be included in the celebration events with Bishop Harris, former pastors, past-and-present parishioners, friends and guests.
On Tuesday, October 10th the former and new administration team members met for the transfer of Province responsibilities.
The opening prayer of our gathering inspired us with the following words:
Giver of the dream, this I ask:
for courage to take the paths the feet of my soul have always known;
for vision to see the wonders the eyes of my longing would never forget;
for stillness to hear the song the ear of my spirit will ever remember;
for daring to taste the delights the tongue of my heart forever recalls;
for wisdom to touch the depths the hands of my desire could never erase.
In the ritual of blessing, former team members symbolically blessed members of the new team and offered a bracelet of beads representing the various gifts of leadership: Wisdom; Compassion; Courage; Balance; Commitment; Vulnerability and Vision.
May the spirit abide deeply in all of us as we continue to journey forth.