News from Visitation Province
Retreat Weekend
On the weekend of June 3rd - 5th, Sister Alma MacLellan and Sister Florence MacKenzie of Port Felix, put on their annual retreat at St. Joseph’s Retreat Centre in Mabou, NS, for the ladies of Guysborough County and their friends. Although the group was small this year, because of various circumstances, it was very powerful and productive. Each year this Spiritual Retreat has a theme and this year’s theme was “Opening Doors.” Individuals have lots of quiet time by themselves to reflect in silence and later come back to the group to share their experience if they feel comfortable to do so. The group shares lots of tears, laughs and lots of reminiscing from the past. This retreat has been happening for 16 years so the ladies have become part of a Very Special Family and look forward to spending the weekend together. The home cooked meals are provided by the ladies at the centre and are very delicious. It is a great weekend enjoyed by all and we look forward to next year’s event!
Pearl Whitaker
Peace & Justice News
June Is Torture Awareness Month
Guantanamo Bay Detention Center has sadly emerged as our national symbol of torture. Although President Obama has declared his desire to close the center, opposition from Congress has thwarted him. The National Religious Coalition Against Torture has also identified the overuse of solitary confinement within our jails and prisons as an example of torture.
Associate Birdella Stevenson and Husband Conserve: A Pesticide Free Farm
Larry and Birdella Stevenson of Chebanse, IL (near Kankakee) currently have placed fifty-six acres of their small farm in the "Pollinator Habitat Initiative," a part of the National Resource Conservation Service. This commitment is for ten years. The initiative calls for them to plant nectar rich wild plants, prairie grasses, milkweeds, and wildflowers. The plants increase agricultural production, support honey bees and birds, provide habitat for ground living birds and mammals, and back the migratory zone of monarch butterflies. No fertilizers, insecticides, or pesticides are used in this process, preventing runoff in waterways and groundwater. The Stevensons are so pleased to be a part of this conservation program. Congratulations!
