News - August 2020 RSS Feed

Join Faith Connections on a virtual journey, looking at Creation Care and Catholicism. Originally planned as part of our biannual pilgrimages, we were set to travel to the Villa St. Joseph Ecology and Spirituality Centre in Cobourg, ON. We’ve post-poned that trip until 2021 and, in the meantime, we want to offer you a “sneak peek” as to what the pilgrimage will be like.

This week we are invited to pray for the two Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambéry who serve as educators in Papua New Guinea. The country experienced a 5.5 earthquake on Sunday. So far, we don’t know how this has affected the Sisters. Please hold the country in your prayer.

Just as the Eucharist is at the heart of our Christian faith, shared meals are at the heart of our community life. In the early decades many of our Sisters served as “the convent cook”. They dedicated themselves daily to the preparation of community meals that brought us together, keeping us strong and healthy as we carried out our various apostolic ministries. Name as many of these creative culinary Sisters (living and deceased) as you can, who faithfully fed and cared for us over the years.

This was a difficult quiz! The pro-Cathedral of the Assumption in North Bay was renovated shortly after this August 15, 1965 Final Vow Ceremony for "the class of 1957" which included Catherine Paul, Shirley Grexton, Bernadett Sammon, Marguerite Vick, Frances Carter, Deenie Farenzena and Peggy Rumball. The original greco style Cathedral ceiling was painted a stark white, the frescoes of the saints in the sanctuary painted over, the three stained glass windows and the oak panelling removed. The vows of the fifteen Sisters were placed in the hands of Mother St. Edward (Norean McColgan) and witnessed by Bishop Alexander Carter. Father James Hickey is on the podium on the left hand side.

Note that this week we are being invited to pray for the 22 sisters and 25 Associates in Norway. My last email was a Monday morning mistake, however, I did find some new information for you. The Sisters in Norway are from the Chambery congregation. Read a report: www.sjchambery.org/pt/destaque/887/vivernanoruegaatingidospelapandemia

This week we are invited to pray for the 4 Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery ministering in Mozambique. Here is a 2019 report of a community gathering http://www.csjchambery.org/en/destaque/732/visitaaochaosagradodemocambique Early in July we received word that our Sisters were offering refuge in their convent for 60 people fleeing violence. The following is a July 23 news report on the violence in the country https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/churches-burned-people-beheaded-in-mozambiques-escalating-extremist-violence-51620?fbclid=IwAR3K3O-ASnsDBD-2Mwh0KYQ35