“A Home for Peoples’ Souls: A Service of Retreat”: Words for a New Day

This blog was originally posted on the CSJ Canada Website

Have you ever experienced hearing a phrase that seemed to claim you in a special way, has stayed with you over years and that continues to inform and guide your thoughts and actions today? I first heard “my” phrase during novitiate (the time of early formation for new sisters in religious communities) some 18 years ago. When being introduced to the history of the Sisters of St. Joseph in France, where our Congregation was founded, we were told that just prior to and during the French Revolution (1780s) the Sisters became a “home for people’s souls – a service of retreat”. These words somehow lit a spark in me, and I’ve since pondered deeply their possible relevance for today.

The French Revolution took place within a context not unlike our own. Many people lived in deep poverty, disease was rife, there was societal violence and corruption in both church and state. Many lived in fear. Inequalities in society were marked. People were dejected, sick and hope was waning. Above all, people needed a place to feel valued, loved, cared about and safe, a place of momentary respite, a small glimpse of beauty, a moment of promise for a new day. And so, today as we face similar struggles, I think those same yearnings are present in the world and in our local communities, yearnings that Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI, calls a “holy longing”, especially a longing for meaning and belonging in a time of uncertainty and chaos.

“people needed a place to feel valued, loved, cared about and safe, a place of momentary respite, a small glimpse of beauty, a moment of promise for a new day

As I reflect on these times in which we are living, the words that I heard and loved so long ago seem to have taken on a fresh urgency and relevance: Be, “a home for peoples’ souls, a service of retreat”. By this I don’t mean some superficial, pious interaction or a running away from reality but a being there for one another, being a listening, loving presence, recognizing the needs and vulnerabilities we all have at some time and receiving them with grace. We can all make a difference, however simple, in our own and other’s lives through encountering one another in respect, compassion and care with a deep understanding and non-judgmental approach to the stresses, suffering and anxieties of this time, our time.

In the words of some beautiful prayers of intercession that I encountered this morning: May we be:

home for the broken-hearted;
peace for the war-torn;
hope for the powerless;
wine for those who thirst for justice;
a voice for the oppressed, and
a comfort for the sorrowing.

In these ways may we become for a new day “a home for peoples’ souls, a service of retreat” - witnesses to a oneness of being and fundamental human experience, the reality of belonging, a hidden joy, and an unfolding hope.

Sister Mary Rowell, csj

image: unsplash/Luís Feliciano

Earth Poem by David Kjollesdal

Public Statement World Day for Migrants and Refugees - Sept. 29

Federation of Sisters of St. Joseph of Canada Mark World Day for Migrants and Refugees

 Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada and around the world have spent many years working and forming relationships with migrants, refugees, and trafficked persons.  In that time, we’ve learned much about the gift of each person’s life, the hardships they’ve endured, the exploitation they’ve encountered, and the strength with which they begin to make a new life for themselves. 

 According to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, one person is forcibly displaced every two seconds.  An estimated 70.8 million people are now forcibly displaced from their home by conflict, persecution, natural disasters (some of which are linked to the climate emergency) and severe economic exclusion.  Their journeys are filled with risks, threats, exploitation and violence. And, as a small percentage make their way to Canada, they open our eyes to what’s happening beyond our borders.

 As a nation, we’ve had a complex, shifting relationship with these global struggles and the people impacted by them.  At times we’re disengaged as we watch tragedies unfold on the television; other times we hear personal stories of survival and find our compassion.  At times we’re smug in the realization that we don’t have to deal with the same level of violence in our land; other times we’re horrified with local eruptions of racism, xenophobia and hate crimes.  At times we’re generous in reaching out to newly-arrived refugee families; other times we become hardened when it seems we might need to change.  At times we celebrate our national diversity; other times we worry newcomers aren’t integrating well enough into the mainstream.  It’s a struggle of conscience, a struggle for our collective soul, and we’d do well to pay attention to our shifting responses.

 In his 2019 letter marking the September 29th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Pope Francis laments the “globalization of indifference” and highlights migrants, refugees, displaced and trafficked persons as “emblems of exclusion.”  His call urges us to reflect critically on our response to people in precarious situations and puts the spotlight on the harmful social, political and economic structures which result from collective indifference.

 We have too easily ignored our complicity in creating the factors which lead to forced displacement, be it natural disasters related to the climate emergency (to which, per capita, we are some of the highest contributors), the sale of armoured vehicles to oppressive countries, or a refusal to meet our agreed-upon financial responsibilities for international development.  We have overlooked the way temporary work permits for migrant workers makes them more vulnerable to exploitation, unsafe working conditions, inadequate housing, sexual abuse and unfair pay.  We have created structural discrimination through policies which reduce migrant access to health care, legal services, and educational opportunities.  

 To move beyond this indifference as a nation, we call on the Government of Canada to:

•  Sign the UN Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, a critical tool in the protection of the rights of all migrant workers. 

• Stop all subsidies to the fossil fuel industry and increase support for alternative energy development in order to respond more urgently to the climate emergency which is already contributing to the devastation of communities and forced displacement people. 

• End the immigration detention of children.   

• Enable faster family reunification for refugees and live-in caregivers

• Create a clear path to permanent residency for migrant workers and work with the provinces to strengthen labour protections for all.

 Migration issues are complex and multifaceted but the need to respond with policies of compassion and justice is clear.  Global solidarity deepens our humanity and helps to create a world in which everyone has an opportunity to flourish.

 A letter  and message from Pope Francis with a link to background materials for the day. (9 pages)