Sunday, 18 November, will be the Second World Day of the Poor. Diane Smyth rsm was invited to help the Mercy world reflect on the underlying meaning of this day. Sr Diane writes:
is a large centre located in a former school building in the heart of St. John’s, Newfoundland, operated by two religious orders of women, the Presentation and the Mercy Sisters. It is a place where those who are made poor for many different reasons and in many ways may receive food, clothing, personal and medical care, dental care, and counselling; where individuals can have a shower, do their laundry, have their feet cared for by trained personnel. Most of all, the members enjoy the companionship of other men and women who may be in need themselves or volunteers who provide friendship, support and encouragement and who can take a beating in a card game! There is time and space for art, music and computer.
On Hallowe’en this year something interesting happened! Many people, young and old, dress d in costume to bring a Hallowe’en spirit to their school or workplace. A woman who worked near the Gathering Place dressed in costume as a hippy with long hair wig, dark glasses and sloppy dress. She had laid a few bags near the fence as she prepared to go to her job in a convent nearby. When she noticed a colleague of hers approach her she bent down a little so she would not be recognized and begged for cigarettes. The colleague hardly spoke to her, turned her back on her and walked away, saying “No, no cigarettes.” She did not realize who the “begger” was!
Might that encounter have been different had she known the true identity of the “hippy”? Does this story sound a little like the Gospel story of the Good Samaritan? It presents us with a sobering reflection: how do we treat and relate to the ”other”, especially the ones who are almost invisible and nameless in our society, the ones who look shabby, dirty or disheveled? The ones who beg at the entrance to the shop or on the sidewalk?
Many of those who go to the Gathering Place have so very little in every aspect of their lives. They are those on the edges of society and have hardly an identity card! For most of their lives they have grown up in need, disorder and displacement and have had no family, little education or skills, no stable dwelling place, don’t know where and how they will get food, clothing or shelter. Many suffer from psychological, mental and physical ailments, personality disorder, addiction, criminal record, interpersonal conflict or antisocial behaviours. As members of the Gathering Place (annual fee $3.00), they find care and response to many of their needs, all that I mentioned earlier. The majority of the members find in the Gathering Place “their place”. Some have learned how to send emails, surf the web, obtain good quality and clean clothing, have substantial meals with bread to take home, have space to play games, read, watch television, develop literacy skills, develop any artistic, creative or musical skills that they might have. Some have said that the Gathering Place has saved their lives, giving them a sense of belonging, of self-esteem, of dignity. Some even earn a few dollars from the occasional sale of their created products, like jewelry or art.
With the faithful leadership of a small number of dedicated staff and over 1,100 volunteers, the Gathering Place reaches out to each member and guest to provide for most of the needs of each person. At the Gathering Place the members find dignity, respect and love; at the same time the staff and volunteers are blessed in their commitment and generous love. Occasionally there may be eruptions of conflict and outbursts of anger among members but these are minimal in the total scheme of things. The members hold a certain loyalty and are protective of “their place”. For the most part each person is proud to be a member and enjoys the freedom , the space and the interpersonal encounters with other members, staff and volunteers. Most of these men and women are the ‘displaced’ persons of St. John’s and surrounding area but at the Gathering Place they have a place of love and care, a place where they are welcome, a place that becomes home for the few hours each day that they are there. As the harsh and isolating winter of the north Atlantic sets in, the Gathering Place will be even more important in their daily lives.
The Gathering Place has wonderful credibility and visibility in the local community and is well supported by many individuals, groups and organizations who represent the important outer circle of the caring and wider community. The whole circle of care, including every person or group involved, ensures that the Gathering Place is a beacon of light and hope at the centre of the St. John’s community and a model that challenges others to reach out to those men, women and children who live on the fringes and in need of the basics of life.
Kindness is wanted and needed so that no person is left outside a circle of care and compassion.
Messages to: Diane Smyth rsm – Leadership Team
On Tuesday May 21 about thirty of us attended a grand celebration in the parish of Eucharist followed by a hot roast beef dinner. Sister Roisin Gannon represented the Presentation Sisters. Bishop Anthony Daniels surrounded by seven priests of the Grand Falls Diocese celebrated Eucharist in St. Anne’s Church with participation of the sisters and parishioners in readings, music and other moments in the liturgy. The church was sparkling and beautifully decorated with roses. A large banner hung in the church acknowledging the 150 years’ anniversary – Our Journey Together! At the end of Mass, a plaque was presented to the Congregation which will be placed in the church to commemorate the anniversary. In his homily Bishop Daniels connected the call and ministry of the sisters to that of the early disciples of Jesus and gratefully commended their life and ministry among the people of Conception Harbour and surrounding area.
In Canada Indigenous women and girls are targeted for violence more than any other group. More than 4000 Indigenous women and girls have gone missing or been murdered in the last 30 years – an appalling statistic! Canada’s National Inquiry into this tragic history called upon all governments – national, provincial, territorial and indigenous – to work together to build an effective and accountable National Action Plan to address this crisis. Indeed, there is an urgent need for all Canadians to make efforts to raise awareness of this Canada-wide tragedy and to do whatever we can to make Canada a country for all Canadians.
By this time, the Sisters had been in Newfoundland for almost a year, a year in which they devoted themselves to the visitation and care of the poor and the sick of the town, traversing the narrow streets and visiting the rude shacks in which many of the Irish Catholics lived. Forty-two pupils were enrolled when the school opened, and in the following year fifty-five students were in attendance.
Mary, the woman we know as Mother of God, was one like us, a person who lived each day and faced the joys and the challenges of each day. We meet her first in Scripture as a frightened adolescent who is being asked to do an almost impossible thing. The last time we meet her in Scripture she is an older woman, more confident perhaps, yet still being asked to do an almost impossible thing
In my home province of Newfoundland and Labrador, when anyone meets a stranger, the first questions are “What is your name and who are you called after?” and “Who are your parents?” The first page of our New Testament, the beginning words of the Gospel of Matthew, could well have been written by a Newfoundlander! In these words we find the answer to the same questions about Mary
At the Annunciation, a young woman whose name is Mary is visited by an angel who tells her that she is to bear a son who will be special in many ways. When Mary challenges the possibility of this ever happening, the angel’s reply is decisive, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you” (Lk 1:35). With this assurance, the young woman replies, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” (Lk 1:38)
Mary’s response was immediate. She spoke the most words spoken by any woman in the New Testament. She used echoes of words spoken by the women of the Old Testament: Deborah, Miriam and Hannah. In this song, she passionately gave what the theologian Edward Schillebeeckx called “a toast to our God,” which we call the Magnificat.
In the days before Mary was to give birth, she and Joseph were forced to go to Bethlehem to be counted for the census. They had no choice in this matter. The late stages of Mary’s pregnancy and the difficult journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem did not matter to the political leadership of the day.
On another visit to the Temple to celebrate Passover when Jesus was twelve years old, Jesus remains behind and speaks with the teachers with authority, and then he says these mysterious words to his parents, “Did you not know that I had to be in my Father’s house?” This time the writer tells us that “His mother treasured all these things in her heart.”
The young Jewish peasant girl has become a confident woman, a teacher, a mentor and a commanding presence. She has grown into her calling to be a partner with God in the work of Incarnation and Redemption. Having given life to her son, she now calls him into his new life of public ministry, she remains with him to support and nurture him to the end, and she will remain when he is gone to support and nurture the church which continues his presence on earth.
“Spirituality is that which gives us the strength to go on for it is the assurance that God is in the struggle. Spirituality spells out our connectedness to God, our human roots, the rest of nature, one another and ourselves.” In this way in 1994 the Third World Theologians redefined spirituality and began our thinking on “right relationships.”
Let us reflect on Mary in right relationship with the environment. First we must speak to our emerging understanding of ecology, a new sense of how all creation has been created by God, is good and is interconnected. In the 13th century Meister Eckhart said, “Apprehend God in all things, for God is in all things. Every single creature is full of God and is a book about God. Every creature is a word of God.”
There are several beautiful passages in the Gospels in which we get an understanding of Mary’s sense of self. At the Annunciation, we see Mary’s poignant inner turmoil in the face of an awesome task being asked of her, “But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be” (Luke 1:29). She then asks outright the question, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34)
These women ancestors of Jesus suffer indignities and oppression, but live to reflect the face of God, the righteous One, the merciful One, the maternal One, the One who is found in the company of those who are marginalized, oppressed, suffering, poor and powerless. Jesus, the son of Mary, has indeed inherited the qualities of his foremothers.
The beautiful prayer of the Magnificat which Luke ascribes to Mary is a powerful description of Mary in right relationship with other people. While the first part of her psalm focuses on Mary in relationship with her God, the second part expresses Mary’s love for people. Mary rejoices in God her Saviour because God‘s mercy is from generation to generation.
Mary was first and foremost a Jewish woman, a practicing Jew who remained faithful to Judaism. She would have been aware of the Hebrew Scriptures, the sacred books she called Torah and we Christians call the Old Testament. She bears the name of the leader Miriam about whom God said in the book of Micah (6:4), “I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of slavery; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam
Earth Day, celebrated annually on April 22, seeks to highlight and promote efforts dedicated to protecting our planet and its natural resources. The theme for this year’s Earth Day, Invest in our Planet focuses on engaging governments, institutions, businesses and citizens in the work of restoring the health of our planet. We are all too aware of today’s many environmental crises that negatively affect our planet and pose a serious risk to our health and our future – global warming, deforestation, widespread pollution, loss of biodiversity, endangered wildlife, shortages of clean water, etc.
There are more than 370 million Indigenous People in some 70 countries worldwide. Since 2000, it plays a critical role in addressing issues faced by Indigenous Peoples -ensuring their rights and concerns are considered by the UN.