Photos for the Blog

I forgot to attach the photos to the last two blogs.
I beg your patience while you drift from one picture to the next, dealing with the August and September activities.
One pic. is of deer tacks near the gas well on one of my relatives property; another is of my niece and her horse; and a few other random shots.
This is what I call "The Pumpkin Pile". Of course, there are a lot of squash in it too. This pile is not only pretty, but good to eat as well.

Photo From Vacation and Signings

Here are the pictures which I forgot to publish in the very last blog:

September Song

Since I was on vacation (or as Canadians say, on holiday) in Ohio from late August to mid-September two seasons passed in front of me. I arrived home in Ohio amid good old summertime hot sun weather. When I returned to Toronto, I could see trees turning scarlet or yellow already.
While on vacation, I was able to visit the Mahoning County or Canfied Fair once again. As a teenager I was a 4-H member. That meant bringing my project to the Fair having it judged and spending 24 hours there for a week at a time. Now I have a 13 year old niece whose project this year was her horse Dynamite (Dee for short.) Megan, the horsewoman also brought her rabbit, Blackberry. The Fairgrounds cover many acres, so it was providential that Blackberry and Dee were housed in neighboring barns. Another niece had a sewing project as well as a health project. Our thirteen year old nephew is also in 4-H. His project involved repairing small engines.
I also met one of my fellow 4-Hers who now operates a farm machinery business. I was surprised that he recognized me after many years.
One of the highlights of my vacation was taking part in a book signing for my own new book, Tender Mercies, Prayers for Healing and Coping.
The first event took place at the chapel of the Society of St. Paul in Canfield, Ohio. Even though they do not have a parish, the Fathers and Brothers of St. Paul open their large chapel to the public for two Sunday Masses. The 10:00 AM Mass is televised. Father Jeffry Mickler of the Society of St. Paul offered the TV Mass on "signing day." After Communion he held the book up, recommended it and even read one of the prayers--the one for a person who has lost a spouse. A lady came up to me after Mass and asked to have her book signed. "I made up my mind to get the book when Father read that prayer. I recently lost my husband." Another lady came up to me and told me she has anxiety attacks. She too went home with one of the books to help her cope with her difficulties. Father Jeffry also interviewed me for a Catholic radio program for the Diocese of Youngstown. The program is called "Wineskin's." Father Jeff also taped a TV interview with me for the Catholic and ecumenical TV channel in the Youngstown, Ohio Diocese.
A number of relatives and friends purchased copies of the book for themselves and for gifts.
Today I was able to give a copy of "Tender Mercies" to the Archbishop of Toronto, Most Reverend Tom Collins.
My Uncle who is 87 year old, and still very alert told me he was disappointed. When I asked "why," he said he thought the book would contain my autobiography--the adventures of my life. One of these days I half-promised him I would sit down and chronicle some of my adventures in my life as a Daughter of St. Paul.
I hope you all get a chance to read my book--and most of all to pray with it!
Here are some pictures: one of the book, and others of the Fair, and a variety of things....

August Update

Summer seemed to be in full force when all of a sudden I saw TV ads for back-to-school sales! Where did summer go! My vacation or "holiday" as it is called in Canada (and probably most places once under British rule) will not take place until the end of August. I realized today that I it's about time that I plan the year's meetings with our Pauline Cooperators, both the English and Italian speaking groups.
When I get back from vacation I will be conducting a meeting for our Pauline Cooperators. In October they will have their National or North American Convention in the Boston area. Some of the Canadians are planning on going to Boston.
This coming Sunday our little community of Sisters is planning to visit the Shrine of the Canadian Martyrs in Midland, Ontario. I am looking forward to learning more about the "Canadian" Martyrs. In Auriesville, New York there is the Shrine of the North American Martyrs, since the Jesuits who gave their lives came from what is now Canada to what is now upstate New York, USA to evangelize the Native American people.
So much has happened in the world since my last blog. There were lots of events that caused us to pray more: the Minneapolis Bridge collapse; the suicide bombings continuing in Iraq, the miners trapped in Utah...last night's news predicted a possible tsunami on the Pacific coast. Thankfully, that seems not to have happened.
Sometimes God "gets the blame" when accidents happen or other tragedies occur. However, God does not cause evil. He made the rivers, but not the bridges, as I once heard a preacher say. God is not a chess player, moving figures around for fun. At times the reason behind certain tragic events certainly is not clear to us, and may only be clear when we get to see creation through his eyes in eternity.
One of my favorite passages from St. Paul is Romans 8:28, "For those who love God, all things work together for the good." May you enjoy a blessed day!

July Jubilees

Yesterday was a "jubilee" day at our Provincial Convent in Boston, Mass. Seven Sisters celebrated 25 years of religious profession and 3 celebrated 50 years. The main celebrant for their Mass was Bishop Richard Lennon of Cleveland. Bishop Lennon served as chaplain for our Boston community for more than 18 years.
Here in Toronto we celebrated in our own way by hosting a barbecue supper for seven young women. Some of them are volunteers in our centre, others are discerning the possibility of entering religious life.
On a more personal note, I am happy to share with you the news that August 1st is the release date for the book which I authored called "Tender Mercies, Prayers for Healing and Coping." I received an advance copy and it looks good. This book is intended to bring comfort and a means of healing to those suffering various kinds of stress, or those struggling with addictions, or those suffering from various forms of abuse, and it even has prayers for those recovering from natural disasters. I will let you know more about the book in future blogs. I am aware that there are many people who feel they cannot pray formal prayers when they feel agitated, or depressed by any number of problems. In "Tender Mercies" I offer some guidance on why pray, and how to pray. The prayers offered are usually brief--a bit longer than sound bytes--yet complete enough to launch a person's prayer experience. I certainly prayed much before I worked on the book, and as I was waiting for its "birthing process"--its journey through its various editorial stages--I continued to pray for whomever will receive a copy of this new book.
Today would be the feast day of St. Mary Magdalene. She displayed a great love for Jesus, and he chose her to be the first to announce the good news of the Resurrection to the first Christians. May we all share at least some of her enthusiasm and love for the Lord.

Ordinary Time

The weather this week after Canada Day and the Fourth of July is sizzling. Today in Ontario it is supposed to be about 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit or 35 Celsius. We thank God for air conditioning.
In the Church's liturgy, this is considered "Ordinary Time"--the 14th week of it. This week we will celebrate the feast of St. Benedict. He is one of the Patron Saints of Europe, the Founder of western monasticism. We who have the Bible today can thank Benedict's monks who painstakingly copied Bible manuscripts by hand in the monasteries that spread throughout all of Europe. "Ora et labora" that is, pray and work was Benedict's original motto. Then a third element was added: "studia", or study.
Another legacy which Benedict and his monks gave to all the world is that of "lectio divina." It literally means "divine reading." There is a lot to say about "lectio." In another post I will tell you more.
As we live this ordinary time in which every minute is an extraordinary grace, let us think about Jesus in Nazareth who spent 30 years of "ordinary living."

Canada Day/Indepence Day

Yesterday Sister Marlyn and I went downtown to celebrate Canada Day by taking part in the multicultural festival at Dundas Square. That's in the heart of Toronto's downtown. The weather was unseasonably cool, so it was providential that we both took our jackets. Sister has a white Roots sweatshirt with the red maple leaf design on it. She was very much Canadian. I too wore a little stickpin with the Canadian flag. We were able to see dances from Egypt, Ecuador, and Indonesia. There was limited seating, so I ended up on the steps leading up to the stage. All the dances were lively. The Egyptian Pharaoh dance was truly beautiful. It reminded me of scenes from Cecil B. De Mille's Ten Commandments. We were asked to wish one another "Happy Canada Day" several times. Little children were handing out maple leaf stickers to remind us what day it was. It was the 140th anniversary of Canada as a nation. Being still a "newbie" here, I have to check out what that really means. Many of those at Dundas Square were obviously not native born Canadians--the audience was truly multicultural.
Later, Sister and I wandered into a large used book store where I found some titles for my brother who is interested in Canadian history. One book is about German U-boats which had been active in the St. Lawrence river area during World War II. I learned about an aspect of both Canadian and American history of which I was totally unaware.
Our Superior left for a meeting in Los Angeles on media. Since we live in "Hollywood North" Sister heads up our Toronto Centre for media. She has been doing that by holding monthly "Movie Nights." She uses a regular feature film, and finds a connection to a gospel passage. She reads the passage and then projects the entire film. After a brief intermission, the group is invited to discuss the film in relation to the gospel. We have been getting a steady audience each month. Her LA meeting may bring other elements into the "movie mix." Some of the movies we watched in the past year were "Holes," "Ladder 49," "Bend It Like Beckham," "The Spitfire Grill" and "The Guardian." Then Sister will make her annual retreat and what we call an "encounter"--an updating session of about 5 days.
Sister Marlyn leaves soon for a three week encounter in Brazil where she will be join other Sisters from the Americas. Since we are an international congregation, there are occasional meetings like the Brazil encounter that gather Sisters from many countries who share the same ideals in a variety of cultures.
For all the Americans who read this, my best regards for a safe and happy July 4th holiday. I pray that God will bless America, and continue to keep us free and good.

Away from It All

This past Monday I returned from a week long retreat in Ohio. It was a week without phone calls, mail, or Internet access. The timing was so that I was able to attend my niece Sharon's graduation ceremony as well as the party on the following Sunday. After connecting with the Lord during a time of semi-seclusion and silence, I was able to re-connect with ten of my brothers and sisters. Only one of my siblings was unable to attend. She lives in South Carolina. As you may have been counting, I am from a large family.

My retreat was spent with part of my spiritual family. As a Daughter of St. Paul I am a member of what's called the "Pauline Family." My retreat director was Father Ignatius, SSP. The SSP stands for Society of St. Paul. Today in New York's Staten Island borough, members of the Daughters of St. Paul and the Society of St. Paul are celebrating the anniversary of the arrival of the pioneer Paulines in America in 1932. After an ocean voyage of about 12 days, the future priests and the young Sisters arrived in the Port of New York with few belongings and much faith. For the historians among you, 1932 was the height of the Great Depression. Those were days when every nickel went a long way. The Sisters' first home was a small apartment in the Bronx. In 1936 the Sisters and the Fathers moved to Staten Island locations.

The chapel where I spent my days of retreat is well air conditioned. The Lord provided perfect weather for my time of more intense prayer. The nights were cool and the days comfortably warm and sunny. Father suggested some New Testament readings which had a lot of substance and meaning for me. At night time traffic on the road outside seemed quiet. The only noise at night came from what I think were frogs who kept up an alto and bass chant all night. Even the flying creatures like flies and mosquitoes were pretty tame and restrained. One morning three large deer showed up on the back lawn. I could hear coyotes, I saw several rabbits, and ground hogs were around too. "Wild life" in this our area of Toronto is limited to black and grey squirrels, sea gulls and a few other birds. One morning as I left the front door of chapel, a chipmunk zoomed by me, practically running right over my feet. A mulberry tree at the monastery is home to several kinds of birds and a host of chipmunks. I wish you all have the opportunity to one day spend a week of prayerful retreat in a place similar to that where I was in Ohio. I will post here some of the photos of St. Paul's Monastery so you can see what I mean.

The pond whihc is in the back of tghe monastery was a favorite place for meditation. I call it the "Reflection Pool," since I could see the trees and shrubs all reflected like a mirror on the pond's surface. A robin is framed by the remains of an ancient mulberry tree.

June Blog

I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw that my last blog entry was in mid-May!
June is full of religious feasts, at least for us members of the Pauline Family. Last Sunday was the feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Soon we will celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, then the celebration in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, next the Immaculate Heart of Mary. At the end of the month is the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. On the 30th of June, we Paulines have a special Mass in honor of St. Paul. On that day three of our novices will pronounce their first vows at our Boston convent. The novices are from California, Arizona and Singapore. They are from three different ethnic heritages: Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese. Yet they are now part of a world-wide religious family. In a sense, they are "nuns without borders" since we Daughters of St. Paul are in 51 countries. There is a possibility that one day any one of those three may be called to serve in a different country.
In a few days one of our Sisters who was serving in Philadelphia for the past two years will leave for "the missions." Sister has been asked to become a missionary in the sense that she is leaving the USA, her homeland, to serve abroad. She will go to Rome for studies and then she may be assigned to one of our convents in what was formerly the Soviet Union, or she may go to any other country in need of a Pauline Sister.
We already have eight Sisters from the USA serving in other countries (not counting us assigned to Canada). We will miss her. Now with email we can always keep in touch electronically.
Sister Roberta is the "new" missionary. Last year Sister Pat (Patricia Thomas) left for her mission assignment in Moscow. I knew Sister Pat when she was a young woman in Alaska discerning her call to be a Daughter of St. Paul. When I was assigned to our book center in Alexandria, Virginia several years ago, I met Roberta the high school student. Now she is Sister Roberta. During her novitiate, Sr. Roberta and I were together for six months in our Charleston, SC convent. As a novice, Sister spent time in a smaller community to experience what life might be like once she made her vows.
Another one of our Philadelphia Sisters is flying to Rome soon. There she will perfect her Italian skills in preparation for attending the Course on the Charism of the Pauline Family. I attended the Course from 2003--2004. She will have the chance to study the life of our Founder, Blessed Alberione, the history of our order, the Daughters of St. Paul, and each of the other nine branches of the Pauline Family, plus many other subjects. After I finished the Charism Course I felt enriched not only by all the informational input, but also by new friends with whom I still correspond.
On Friday I will leave for Ohio. On Saturday one of my nieces is graduating from high school. For the first time in m life I will be able to attend a niece or nephew's graduation. Then on Saturday evening I will begin a spiritual retreat at St. Paul's Monastery in Canfield, Ohio. So during that time I will not be blogging or emailing. Once a year we Sisters have the privilege and the obligation to make a week-long retreat. I look forward to this precious time.I promise you all that I will pray for you too. Have a good month of June. God bless you! Sister Mary Peter
A P.S.
Check out the Daughters of St. Paul on "YouTube." Here is a link:

Click here: YouTube - Best Catholic Books: Summertime Spirituality

Niagara Falls

Every time I see Niagara Falls I am amazed. Thankfully I cannot get a "ho-hum" attitude toward this wonder of the world. This past Tuesday four of us Sisters went to see the Falls. One of us four had never seen the Falls. She had passed by on her way to places like Cleveland and Buffalo, but had never been able to get off the Interstate and enjoy the sights. She was duly impressed. I was able to take a few nice pictures for Sister and even a few seconds' worth of the cascade as the water plunges over the falls. Sister Irene and I went down under the Falls. I was impressed once again at the 34 million gallons of water rushing by us each minute as we stood at a portico beneath the Falls. My first assignment after I left our mother house was in Buffalo. The historical lore tells us that Father Hennipin, the Franciscan who accompanied the French explorers in the Niagara region, exclaimed "What a beautiful river!" or "Que beau fleuve!" (My French is probably all wrong here). To those around him it sounded like "buffalo"--the bison--so that is the word that stuck and became the name of the city which sprung up along the shores of Lake Erie and the Niagara River.

The Falls are truly awesome. In late April as I flew back to Toronto from a week in Boston, the pilot tilted our plane so we on my side enjoyed a gorgeous aerial view of the water. The immensity of the Falls reminds me of the song "Our God is an Awesome God." It's good to praise God and thank him too for the gift we have in the nature around us. I have a friend in Maine who lives near the ocean. In fact there are parts of her house that allow her a fantastic view of the Atlantic. At times I feel, "I'd love to live there where Ginny is, so I can see the ocean all the time." Yet I know that this is impossible for me. However, the beauty of having seen the water cascading over the Falls, churning and misting minute after minute, reminded me of the immensity of God's graces that he showers on each of us. So I am compensated for not living in Maine!

We as Church are in the midst of, or preparing to pray the Novena to the Holy Spirit. Jesus had promised "I will send you Another...an Advocate." The powers of nature remind me of the story of the First Pentecost when the Advocate, the Holy Spirit did come. The Acts of the Apostles tell us this: "Together they devoted themselves to constant prayer. And, Mary the Mother of Jesus was there." (Acts of the Apostles) The power of the Spirit on Pentecost was awesome. His power can be just as awesome today, not only in the pounding force of the Niagara River's cascades, but most of all in the grace He gives us to be open to God's presence and to the needs of those around us.

Whereabouts and Spirituality with Spider Man 3

To your left are some photos of St. Thecla's Retreat House where I spent the last weekend of April. The "twig cross" was a natural formation on the retreat house grounds.

Here it's already May 6, and I have not blogged since April 22! On April 23, we had an evening Mass with one of the Toronto Auxiliary Bishop, Most Reverend Peter Hundt. After Mass we enjoyed dinner cooked by Sister Marlyn, and a spirited conversation with the bishop. He is very youthful--I am not sure of his age. I was impressed by his understanding of "where people are" religiously and his willingness to help them progress to another level.
The next morning I left for Boston, Massachusetts. I was scheduled to help at the annual Cooperators' Retreat for the Northeast held during the last weekend of April.
My assignment was to prepare all the prayers to be done in common, including an Hour of Eucharistic Adoration. Since my ticket was made for two days ahead of my scheduled assignment, I used some of the time to finish a translation from Italian to English for a Sister in Rome. Then I made some handouts to use for the retreat's Hour of Adoration. Sister Patricia Cora who is in charge of the Boston Cooperators gave several sessions on holiness and sanctification of the mind, the will and of the heart. Sister used simple Power Point slides and reflection guides for each talk.
While I was away, a letter arrived from the Bishop of my home Diocese, Youngstown, Ohio. The newly installed Bishop, George V. Murry, S.J. (a Jesuit) sent a kind letter of thanks in reply to my Easter greetings and congratulations on his accepting the nomination of being Bishop of a diocese which has been "bishop--less" for two years.
I look forward to seeing Bishop Murry on my next visit to Ohio. Bishop Murry is a scholar and an experienced bishop after having served in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.
The Boston Retreat went well. Sixteen people were able to come, including a priest who is a novice in the secular institute of Jesus the priest; and a couple who are novices in the Institute of the Holy Family. One of the Cooperators is a FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Association) representative. He had just returned the day before from parts of Nebraska which had suffered from storms and floods. He may now be in Kansas, assessing the aftermath of the huge tornado which ripped apart the town of Greensburg. A young couple expecting their first child also made the retreat. In reality there were 17 persons there, although one was in disguise!
The evening of my return from Boston marked our April Movie Night, part of our ongoing

program called Faith and Film hosted by Sister Hosea. About 25 people watched Bend It Like

Beckham, including the youth group from a local parish and their priest. A lively discussion followed the film viewing.
Our book centre was extra busy in the last few days due to many folks coming to us for items to use for First Communion and Confirmation gifts.

Our quarterly order for Italian titles arrived from Rome while I was away. It was good to see Pope Benedict's new book "Jesus of Nazareth" and his document "Sacramentum Caritatis" already available in Italian for our Italian population.

Last week flew by between finding space for new Italian titles, and serving the people who turn to us for books in our centre.

Many people of all ages and backgrounds visit our center. Yesterday a gentleman who served (maybe he still does) as a hotel concierge in Europe was interested in a collection of saints. We do have several lives of saints' collections in English, Italian and Spanish. The man was telling me of a beautiful chapel he had seen in Paris. He wanted to know who the Saint was connected with that chapel of the Miraculous Medal. He was fascinating to listen to, although I had to tend to others needs. He remains well impressed by the devotion he saw at shrines in Europe where steady streams of pilgrim testify that faith is very much alive in lots of people.

A mother of a recent First Communicant came in for gifts for her daughter's girl friends who were to receive Communion today. The mother was so thrilled that her daughter "got it"--the "it" being the meaning of Communion. The girl was so excited last week that she could hardly sleep. One night she told her Mom, "Only four more days!" The perplexed mother asked, "Four more days for what? It's not your birthday. The child beamed and said, "It's four more days to Sunday when I can receive Jesus again!" Would that we adults had that same enthusiastic love! I thought to myself, "Wow! the Lord really loves the little children." The mother just happened to have some photos of her daughter's First Holy Communion. The child's face was truly glowing with joy. Stories like these help to make my day.
Tomorrow I will take some time for a retreat day. Today, the first Sunday of the month, is our usual day of silent retreat. However, today our little community of Sisters went to see Spider Man 3 in a local theater. We chose an early screening to avoid the big crowds. Sister Hosea Marie will give a presentation on Monday night called "Praying with the Media." Since Spider Man 3 is a huge media event, we decided that we needed to know what was so great about this sequel and how does it relate to human problems and religious themes. We certainly had a great discussion in the car on the way home. Forgiveness, self knowledge, love and sacrifice, as well as giving in to pride and vanity all had front-row-center attention in the film. Of course, the good versus evil theme was there as usual. See it for yourself to see how much we can learn from a movie about what Jesus teaches us.

While I was in Boston I had a nice surprise. A young man, a biochemist and teacher, who is also the brother of one of our Sisters came by to tell three of us who know him well his good news: He is accepted as a candidate in a Trappist monastery in California. Trappists live a very austere life of prayer and work. They follow the original Rule of St. Benedict who gave his monks the advice: Ora et labora! Pray and work. Each monastery has to have an "industry" which supports it. Some sell eggs from the chickens they raise; others prepare honey and beeswax; others like the Trappistine Sisters in Massachusetts make candy, or fruitcakes, etc. This young man spent his summer vacation of 2006 visiting every Trappist monastery in the USA. His coast-to-coast wanderings led him to the California site which produces wine. The monks have their own vineyards. Our friend was thrilled that his background in biochemistry will help him develop even better grapes for the monastery. I have known this young man for 16 years. I was pleased to hear his good news and to witness his spiritual growth. I promised my prayers for him that he may be able to persevere and find true happiness at the New Caliveaux.

Have a super month of May. For us Catholics May is the month of Mary, when we remember her special role in bringing Jesus into the world, and in accepting her place in the plan of God as Mother of the Church. I know I plan to be more faithful to the daily rosary. It's like carrying the gospel in your pocket. Each time I pray the rosary I remember different episodes in the life of Jesus and see how I can learn from them.

Another Nun Blog

A Sister friend of mine in Rome is from Singapore. We have been friends since she spent four years in Boston for her initial formation as a Daughter of St. Paul.
Here is her blog spot address: http://fspveritas.blogspot.com/index.html

Cast Your Nets

A Good Day for Fishing

Today was a beautiful one weather-wise in Toronto. I hope it was the same for you who are reading this. A few young women spent the weekend with us. Yes, there are still some women who see religious life--being a Sister--as a valuable, viable option for their life's choice. Today's gospel reading from St. John tells of a miraculous catch of fish. That came after a hard night of no fish at all. Then the Lord said, "Cast your nets to the other side of the boat." The net was filled with 153 fish. After Peter hauled the fish ashore, all by himself, the Lord had breakfast ready and waiting. Then came a moment of decision for Peter. Three times Jesus asked him: "Do you love me." Each time the answer was "yes." After each affirmation Jesus gave Peter a task--really layers of responsibility: "Feed my lambs; feed my sheep." Peter's love would have a price. I recently saw the film called "Peter" so the characters in the gospel were vivid in my imagination today. (Omar Shariff portrays a convincing Peter in the full length feature DVD.) Love is freely given, but it requires sacrifice. That's what Peter would find out soon enough.

So all of us find out that love has its own costs, yet the rewards beat out the costs any day! The young women who came this weekend were discerning if this life of ours is where God is calling them to pour out their love.

Today during our hour of prayer before Jesus in the Eucharist, we were asked to present a symbol of ourselves at this moment. I brought up a map of Toronto and the surrounding area--the GTA as it is called--along with a lighted candle. The symbolism lay in the candle light representing the light of Christ in the Word we distribute as Paulines in this area; plus the light of my own life which is burning out slowly for the Lord. Years ago my sister had a prayerbook for young women. I would borrow it sometimes. I still remember a poem in it which started like this: "Rabboni, when I am dying, how glad I shall be, that the lamp of my life has burned out for Thee." An old, seasoned missionary priest once said, "There is a fire in everyone. It can be the fire of love of God, or the fire of love for self." So I hope this "fire" is the right one--for God!

I have a poster in my office with the words: "We have believed in love!" That epitomizes one who gives his or her life in love. I think of that 76 year old professor and Holocaust survivor who died saving his students at Viriginia Tech. He certainly proved his love for others.

The late Pope John Paul loved the expression taken from the gospel of today: Cast your nets into the deep. That expression would take the space of an entire blog. Yet, there are times when God asks us to take a leap of faith, and cast into the deep. May we be ready for that when the time comes....

May you have a wonderful, Jesus-filled week of peace.

The "Sea of Peace"

For many families and individuals, this has been a painful week. I am referring especially to the shootings at Virginia Tech. The young perpetrator was obviously mentally disturbed. As one TV commentator remarked, "Hindsight is 100% surer than foresight." As we look to the past of that young man, then we see a trail of abnormal and disturbing behavior. Let us pray that in the future any such individuals will be helped long before they reach a point of no return.

The Presidential Prayer Team website gave an opportunity to sign a cyber "wall" for the victims and their families. When I responded to the PPT website, I thought of the words of St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380). She lived in unsettled times in Italy when the opposing parties--Ghibelline's and Guelph's--were antagonizing each other, and the Pope was living in Avignon, France, rather than in Rome.

Catherine learned a ot from prayer. Even though she had not gone to school, she was fearless when she felt it was God's will to act in a certain way. That certainty of being anchored to the Will of God gave her the courage to go to the Pope and respectfully urge him to move back to Rome. Despite her lack of academic skills, Catherine became a spiritual leader, and a mystic. One of her writings describes Jesus as "a sea of peace." I pray that the Lord will plunge the families of the deceased and wounded into this Sea of Peace, so they will be consoled in this time of grief and sorrow. May Jesus grant his peace to each of the deceased as well as to the survivors. May his strength and love console those who grieve.

On a much brighter side, it was a delight to be in our book and media center today to witness how many young people are approaching the sacrament of the Eucharist as they make their "First Holy Communion" this weekend or very soon in May. Many youngsters are going to have a Jesus-filled day when they receive the Body and Blood of the Lord for the first time. The graces of the Holy Spirit will anoint many young people as the Bishops of the Archdiocese confer the sacrament of Confirmation on many young people, and some adults in the Archdiocese. We pray that the remembrance of Who jesus is, his teachings and the examples of the Saints will help to prolong the spiritual effects of these two sacraments.

Today was one of unmitigated sunshine and mild temperatures in Toronto. It's amazing to watch how faces brighten too when the sun comes out. I thank the Lord for giving us good weather, espcially for all the young childen who will be receiving the Lord for the first time in Holy Communion.

In Jesus,

Sister Mary Peter

Amazing Grace--the Movie

Recently our Toronto Star newspaper had front page articles on the 200th anniversary of Great Britain's abolition of the slave trade. The USA took almost 50 years to follow suit.
Today three of us went to see Amazing Grace the new film that depicts the struggles of William Wilberforce to end his country's slave trade. His pastor was the ship captain turned preacher who wrote the song "Amazing Grace." Because slavery was part of the underpinning of the English colonies economy, few members of parliament were willing to vote against it. With dogged perseverance Wilberforce finally won. His story reminds me of St. Paul's advice to preach the gospel "in season and out" of season. Wilberforce's did that. Of course he made enemies, and he ruined his health. Yet he won in the end. The acting is top notch, and the action keeps moving. The movie focuses on William Pitt also. Pitt was a lifelong friend who served in Parliament with Wilberforce. The producers and screen writers came up with a good blend of friendship, subdued romance, Christian commitment, and hsitorical fact to make for a fast moving two hours. The emotional impact was strong--at least for me and my companions. So bring the Kleenex if you go!
Have a great continuation of Easter Week!
Sister Mary Peter

Little Easter

Happy Easter!

Today is Easter Monday. In the Church each day of Easter Week is a new Easter day. The psalms of Morning and Evening Prayer are the same each day of this week. Some of Christianity's best hymns are reserved for this time of year.

I hope that all of you readers were able to connect with family and some friends yesterday. I spoke with family members in Utah, Ohio, and South Carolina.

The weather has not been cooperating here in the north country, and apparently down in the USA too. Despite snow flurries and cold temperatures, Easter is real and Christ is truly risen. Of course we hope for the resurrection of the dead at the end of time. Yet there are daily resurrections that can bring us joy, and radiate peace to those who live near us. The first of the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary is that of the resurrection. Blessed James Alberione's reflection on this mystery goes something like this: "Jesus resurrection also represents our resurrection from the 'grave' of sin and defects. Let us ask the grace to rise from the tomb to new life in Christ."

Have a wonderful Easter Week!

Sister Mary Peter

Happy Easter!

Our chapel bathed in the Easter morning sun.

Happy Easter to all who read this! We rejoice in the reason for our faith--the rock foundation being the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was so uplifting to be present a the Holy Saturday Easter Vigil. The pastor from Blessed Trinity Church where we attended Mass last evening explained the history of the Easter Vigil to all of us present. Keeping "vigil,", waiting up at night to commemorate the resurrection of the Lord, goes back probably to the second century of Christianity: People read Scripture and prayed all through the night in anticipation of the Lord's resurrection. So we read the Scriptures and pray for various intentions. Then the Alleluia is sung three times before the Gospel is proclaimed. All through Lent the alleluia was silent. In fact, in some places a ceremonial "burial of the alleluia" takes place on Ash Wednesday. It resurrected again last night as the alleluias were sung. I felt very happy to be a Roman Catholic--to be connected with all these centureies of belief and practice; to all the people of every culture who worship the same God with the same sacrifice and the same teachings from Scripture. It was good to see about 15 adults baptized or received int o full "Communion with the Roman Catholic church.

I want to pass on to you an Easter homily from Hong Kong. It is very upbeat. HK of course means Hong Kong.

Please enjoy it.

Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday, April 7-8, 2007 by M. Sloboda (Father Michael Sloboda, a Maryknoll priest serving in Hong Kong.)

Happy Easter!
I’ll begin and end with words of joy from the ancient Greek Church:
[Tonight] Today we rejoice in the salvation of the world.
Christ is risen; let us arise with him!
Christ enters new life; let us live in him!
Christ has come forth from the tomb;
Let us shake off the chains of evil!
The gates of hell are open,
The powers of evil are overcome!
In Christ, a new creation is coming to birth,
Alleluia!
Lord, make us new,
Alleluia! [St. Gregory of Naziansus, 330-389]

Let’s look at those exclamations.
“[Tonight] Today we rejoice in the salvation of the world.” Jesus and all of his first disciples were Jewish. But the Good News has gone out to all the world. In this congregation, there might be several people with Jewish ancestry, but I see faces from every part of the world. St. Anne’s is a cross section of the human race, part of a universal church open to everyone, and the Greek adjective for universal is “catholic.”
“Christ enters new life; let us live in him!” Speaking of new life, tonight [last night] we will baptize a baby [name]. His mother was baptized at the Easter Vigil in the USA a few years ago, and his grandparents are visiting HK now. The Easter Vigil is the best time of year to baptize. In all the Catholic churches in HK, a total of 2550 adults and children will be baptized tonight. “Christ enters new life; let us live in him!” So after I baptize baby N, we will renew our baptismal promises.
This baby is one of the youngest residents of HK, but HK also has the oldest priest in the world. Fr. Nicholas Gao is a monk at the Trappist monastery on Lantau Island. Born on Jan. 15, 1897, he recently turned 110. The oldest citizen of HK has been thin all his life. He says a Rosary every day, and advizes people to “keep moving, keep praying, keep working, and never get angry, never get angry.” He is alert and can still take care of himself. He goes to bed early and rises when they ring the bell at 3:30 AM. He throws on his alb, ties a cincture, that is, a rope belt, and shuffles to the chapel for the first prayers of the day. Actually, he started slowing down at age 104 and now he does not have much energy. So some people are now whispering that Fr. Gao’s best days are behind him. On the contrary, I say that his best days are ahead of him, the endless days of eternal life.
As most of you know, I was seriously interested in astronomy years before I became seriously interested in the Gospel. I read a book review recently. An astronomer [Marcus Chown] wrote a book to explain the frontiers of science and the latest news in astronomy to the general public. He tackled big qns, like the origin of the universe and its long-term fate, in non-technical language and without a lot of math. Next, he needed an attention-grabbing title to entice people to buy his book. So he titled his new book The Never Ending Days of Being Dead. The Never Ending Days of Being Dead? That doesn’t sound like an attractive title to me. I’d rather read about the Never Ending Days of Eternal Life. Because Jesus triumphed over death, because he rose from the dead in a glorified body, the laws of physics will not have the final say over the universe. The Son of God will have the final word. Whatever our problems, there are better days ahead for us, and so we have hope.
Looking at the parents of baby N, they seem fully qualified to give their son an excellent start in life, a nice house, good medical care and first-class education. We all wish that N will grow up wise, loving and strong, and make a contribution to the world. We hope he will be in this world for a long time. When N turns 110 in October of the year 2116, the world will be a different place. On second thought, asking for 110 years on this earth might be overly ambitious. But the hopes of his parents and grandparents for N are not limited to this world only. They are bringing him into the church to ask for faith for him, and faith will give him eternal life, a share in the eternal life which Our Lord won for us by his death and resurrection.
They will be the first teachers of N in the ways of faith. May they also be the best of teachers by what they say and do. Setting a good example is the hard part. But in Christ a new creation is coming to birth, and Christ can make us new, alleluia!
Candles are the most noticeable feature of the Easter Vigil. So what? Today we take bright lights for granted. Everywhere in HK there are lights, too many lights, which are brighter than any candle. The city of Sydney recent turned off its downtown lights for an hour to demonstrate saving energy. However in this church a few years ago, the electricity stopped before the 6 PM Mass. It was late summer, so we still had some daylight. But by the time I got to the altar, it was growing dark, and those candles (plus someone standing next to me with a torch [flashlight]) gave me enough light to read the book. We take light for granted, but it is precious. Not everyone can see the sun at noon, and many people are blind to the light of truth.
I’ll end with an ancient Greek invitation, an invitation for all of us to rejoice at Easter:
Let everyone who loves God rejoice in this festival of light!
Let the faithful servants gladly enter into the joy of their Lord!
Let those who have borne the burden of fasting now come to celebrate the feast!
Let those who were inwardly dead now rise and dance with Christ, the Lord of life! [St. John Chrystostom 347-407]
Happy Easter!

Waiting for Easter

I am writing this on the night of Good Friday. In Toronto, the streets were quieter than usual--even quieter than Sunday's. People have the day off so they can go to church. I took the subway to the downtown cathedral of St. Michael. I was edified at seeing lines of people waiting at each confessional to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. Other folks were devoutly praying the Stations of he Cross on their own. Some people had stopped to pray at the Pieta' statue of the Sorrowful Mother in the entrance way. When the prayer service began, there was standing room only. Since the weather outside was very chilly, it was OK to be squeezed into a pew. I held my coat most of the time, since it is so thick it takes up the space of another person when I rest it on the bench.
Tomorrow, Holy Saturday, is as Henri Nouwen put it a time for "the rest of God." It is a day of silent waiting for Christ's promise to be fulfilled. The Word of God lies silent for a short time--waiting for Sunday morning when the joyful alleluias sing out around the world.
May your Holy Saturday be serene and to the extent possible, a day of silent waiting for the Lord in company with Mary and the disciples.

Palm Sunday

Before I went to Mass this morning, I saw a glimpse of Pope Benedict beginning the Palm Sunday liturgy in Rome. St. Peter's Square seemed overflowing with clergy and lay people packed into the Square.

Yesterday a woman came into our centre asking for The Liturgy of the Hours. "What does liturgy mean anyway?" she asked as I lead her to the area where we have books to assist in praying the Liturgy of the Hours. The Greek origin of liturgy comes from the words "letus ergon" meaning work of the people. The Roman Catholic Church has only two "official" liturgical prayers or forms of worship: the Mass or the "celebration of the Eucharist," and the Liturgy of the Hours. The Liturgy of the Hours is really a way of sanctifying the hours or time of each day. Morning prayer, which is also called Lauds, and Evening Prayer, or Vespers, are the "hinges" or mainstays of the hours. Monks, priests and many nuns (that is vowed religious women) pledge to pray this form of prayer every day. Lay people are strongly encouraged to pray the hours, especially morning, evening and night prayer.

In some communities the prayers are sung. They can be put to music because the prayers are from the Psalms which were written to be sung at temple worship by the Jewish people. Yesterday someone was surprised that we pray with prayers from "the Old Testament," or, as it is often referred to: "the Hebrew Bible." Usually morning prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours is a form of praise and thanksgiving to God expressed in two Psalms and a canticle. By a canticle we mean a prayer taken from another book of the Bible, Isaiah, for example. Then there is a short reading from Scripture followed by a few lines of response. Then an antiphon, a line or two giving a theme, is recited before we pray the "canticle," Zechariah's words praising God from Luke's Gospel. Then the antiphon is repeated, and an intercessory prayer follows which presents needs of the church and the world. All our prayer intentions are gathered up as we pray the Lord's Prayer and a concluding prayer which sums up that "hour" of prayer for the day. Before we leave the place of prayer we end with an invocation: "May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen."

Sometimes the psalms used are those of "lament." In a psalm of lament the writer or original pray-er is complaining to God, at times even asking God to wreak havoc on "my enemies." Yet in the same psalm of complaint, the writer usually never fails to interject praises to God for all the good he has done in the past. The "enemy" in those psalms can be our own unruly inclinations, our stubbornness, our faults and sins, our temptations. Even though the words were written a few thousand years ago, the emotions we feel today can be transferred into the words we pray from those psalms of lament and praise.

When someone prays the Liturgy of the Hours he or she can be confident that he is praying with the whole church. We are praying with the same Word of God that Jesus used. In fact, among the last words Jesus spoke on the cross were, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" from Psalm 22. At first it looks like a terrible lament: God forsaking his loved one. Then the psalm returns to the fact that God does deliver his beloved: "You who fear the Lord, give praise!...For God has not spurned or disdained the misery of the poor." In Jesus' case, God the Father allowed him to suffer for us, but he vindicated him through the power of the resurrection.

There are many translations of the Psalms available. But, for the Liturgy of the Hours, an official translation is chosen so people can pray easily together. To find a copy of he liturgy of the Hours, check out the Daughters of St. Paul website: www.pauline.org.

Best regards for a peace-filled and blessed Holy Week.

Let's pray today too for youth, since Pope Benedict addressed young people today. It's become a tradition initiated by John Paul II that the Pope give a talk to youth every Palm Sunday.

Sister Mary Peter

A Week Called "Holy"

It's already Palm Sunday in lands east of North America. Each year Lent seems to be a long haul of 40 long days. Then it ends up zooming by faster than any "zoom zoom" commercial on TV.

Palm Sunday's liturgy plunges us deep into the heart of the Paschal Mystery--that's the name the Church calls the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paschal relates to "Passover." It is the new and lasting Passover when Christ's blood saved each of us from the effects of sin. Instead of the blood of a lamb being sprinkled on door posts, as happened at the first Passover when the Hebrew people--the Israelites--were preparing to leave the slavery of Egypt for the freedom of the Promised Land, we were and are saved by the blood of Christ shed for us on Calvary. Easter then is our celebration of Christ's saving event.

There are good movies to help us recall these events: Jesus of Nazareth, and Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" are among them.

Then there are other movies that have "Christ Figures" in them. By that I mean characters who give their lives that others may live. "Ladder 49" with Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta as firemen shows how some people do give their lives that others may live. Kevin Costner in "The Guardian" portrays a Coast Guard veteran rescue swimmer who seems extremely tough on new recruits. Yet, he never asked anything from the young men and women he trained which he had never gone through himself. I don't want to give away the end of the movie, so I won't tell you how "The Guardian" ends. Just bring Kleenex when you get the DVD. The Kevin Costner film uses real Coast Guard rescue personnel in addition to real actors. These last two movies are good for any time of year, since being Christ-like is a 24/7 operation, 365 days of the year.

I wish you a good Holy Week: time for inner quiet; outer quiet too; prayer; reading that reminds us of what Christ did for you and me; time for Church; time for reconciliation and confession; time for peace. One gentleman who frequents our book centre told me last week, "What counts is that God loves us, and that we love him in return." That's a great start for a Holy Week reflection.

Let's pray for each other to make this the holiest of Holy Weeks, so our Easter will truly be a Happy Easter.

The crucifix depicted here is in the lower church at the basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii, Italy.