 |
|||||
| Today is | |||||
|
|
My name is Joan ( Marshall ) Gunville, and I am CSJ Associate with The Sisters of St. Joseph of Sault Ste. Marie, associated with the Sudbury group. In sharing my journey I hope to connect with all who share this same journey, who share this call and enjoy the part we play as associates of this beloved Congregation and help others to know the gift of this call. My vocation as an Associate impacts on my day to day life, as a wife to my dear Yvan, a mother to our four grown children, a grandmother, a sister to my five treasured sisters, a friend to people that I have held close to my heart for many years, a member of St. Kevin's Parish in the Valley and as secretary to the L'Arche community in Sudbury. I have just returned from our monthly Associates' meeting which is held at the St. Joseph 's Residence. Sister. Jeanne Fortin spoke to us about the "Eucharistic Letter," written in 1658 by our founder, Father Jean Pierre Medaille. Sister Jeanne's message was as old as the document that she presented, but I heard it this evening with new ears. Father Medaille said the community is modeled in the Eucharist. As Sisters and Associates we are to strive to be empty of self, to live humbly and detached from all the things that we have been given for our use. We are called to be content with what we have and to live with pure hearts. Through the Eucharist we are united to God and to each other. I think this is a simply profound call! This call to "unity" that we learn more about at each meeting is really about the relationships that we live in all the areas of our lives. It reminds me of one of my friends in L'Arche. Her name is Paulette, and she and I have been in L'Arche for almost the same number of years. I remember when she came from an institution in Northern Ontario to live at Bethany House. At that time, I shared a little office with Peggy Keaney in the basement of that home, and I worked every second week in the evening, so that Yvan could be at home with the children after his day shift at Inco. I particularly liked going in to work in the evening because everyone was home at that time. After supper Paulette would come down to say hello and just check up on what I was doing. Now, twenty years later, Paulette calls me every morning at the L'Arche Office where I work, from Bethany House where she still lives. Together we sing: "Good morning to you," to the tune of "Happy Birthday," after which she says: "Ahhh, now I can start my day!" Together, Paulette and I have grown up in L'Arche. We have learned lots about ourselves and about each other. I know I can count on her friendship (and her hugs and kisses) and she on mine. What we live is a little bit like what Sister Jean called the Christian mystery - we can be united, even with our differences. I hope one day to meet many more Associates from our Federation, and together we can celebrate the privilege we have of sharing in the spirituality of the Sisters of St. Joseph. |
||||
|
|||||
|
Federation Home | What Gathers Us Together | Our Federation Story | Our Ministries | Meet a Sister | Becoming a Sister | Meet an Associate | Member Congregations | Federation Structure | Federation Committees | Office for Systemic Justice | What's New? | Contact Us |
|||||
