New Year’s Message
Submitted by Marjorie Allison-Ross
I found this message on Facebook on January 5. The person who posted it was wishing her friends the blessings of Epiphany. When I read it, I thought of the Congregation de Notre-Dame Orientations and how we can live out interculturality, go to the peripheries, and honour and respect our common home. The message in the quote is really describing for us what Marguerite Bourgeoys did during her lifetime. May we reflect on this message and find ways to continue Marguerite’s work in 2018.
“When the carols have been stilled,
When the star–topped tree is taken down,
When family and friends are gone home,
When we are back to our schedules,
THE WORK OF CHRISTMAS BEGINS
To welcome the refugee,
To heal a broken planet,
To feed the hungry,
To build bridges of trust, not walls of fear,
To share our gifts,
To seek justice and peace for all people,
To bring Christ’s light to the world.”
- Michael Dougherty
For more information, contact the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel.
In the past week, the first week of 2018, two different sources gave us words of wisdom that can challenge all of us to the core of our moral sensibility. The two sources are separated by eighty years: Pope Francis and a three year old boy.
On January 1st, Pope Francis said: “Let us nurture the seeds of peace as they grow and let us transform our cities into workshops of peace.” For so many of us, the measure of progress in our cities is a lower unemployment rate, higher school test scores, fewer high school drop-outs, a decrease in violent crimes, fewer traffic fatalities, safety in public places, adequate public transportation. Each of these measures is a good goal and a real achievement when reached. But Pope Francis is imagining far greater accomplishments. He is encouraging us to make our cities “workshops of peace.” Where would we begin? Schools? Churches? Police Departments? Public Institutions? Families? Housing?