Meet Sr. Eveline Gagner, Sister of St. Joseph of London
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Sister Eveline Gagner
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Sr. Eveline grew up in the small rural French community of
Paincourt, Ontario and taught for 2 years before entering
the community. Today she lives at Mount St. Joseph Motherhouse
where she helps out some of the Sisters living in our infirmary.
Along with caring for our own, Eveline also volunteers with
"Birthright",
a crisis pregnancy centre. It is here that she keeps in touch
with the struggles of women who do not have the supports of
a strong community. Eveline speaks fondly of the relationships
that develop. The needs are as varied as the number of women
seeking assistance. Sometimes her task is simply to listen,
other times to make referral to agencies or persons who can
help. Sometimes, the surprise grace is a longer journey, supporting
the woman over the first few years of the newborn’s life.
Reaching out to persons in need has always been Sr. Eveline’s
way. Her first years of teaching occurred after the depression,
when parents worked seven days a week, 12 hours a day with
little time for the faith formation of their children. During
these years she found the children ready to learn and open
to a future of possibility. She loved to find new ways of
teaching particularly when resources were so limited. Jokingly
she relates being dissatisfied with the small catechism that
was available, filled with questions and answers. When asking
the local pastor for other resources, he handed her a larger
catechism filled with questions and answers!
It wasn’t until Eveline had the opportunity to study
at Lumen Vitae at Brussels, Belgium that she realized her
quest could be answered. In 1965 Eveline studied with other
students from around that world, listening to the latest understandings
of the Church’s theology. Most of the professors had
been periti at the Second Vatican Council. Dom Nocent and
Balthazar Fischer, theologians and liturgists, particularly
live in her memory almost 40 years later. What a challenge,
to have lived one way of being Church for most of her life
and after such intense study to return to a local Church that
was just beginning to hear the news of the changes!
The strong focus on scripture and ways of gathering as the
People of God gave Eveline new incentive to teach the Good
News. Her own spiritual life deepened with these experiences,
and a thirst to share the richness of our faith, that had
long been present became ever more intense. Returning home
from Belgium, Sr. Eveline taught at Brennan High School in
Windsor under the principalship of Father James Doyle (later
Bishop Doyle of Peterborough), whose support during the theological
shifts was greatly appreciated.
Knowing the heady days following the Council, Eveline often
reflects on the spirit of the time and recognizes that evangelizing,
making Jesus known is what is essential to our life. So for
the next few years that is exactly what Eveline did. From
1979 - 1982 she taught in the Huron/Perth Deanery, the northern
part of the Diocese of London, where she lead faith formation
sessions for deanery leaders. The graduates of this program
entitled "Ministries of the People of God" were
expected to teach in their own parishes. She says that she
felt like a travelling preacher, setting out every evening
to a new place.
With this experience under her belt Sr. Eveline then joined
the staff of St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in London. From
1982 - 1988 she trained parishioners as sponsors, team members,
and catechists for the process of Adult Initiation. Housing
this process in the parish was in itself a new venture since
the early approach was to send candidates and catechumens
to the local Renewal Centre. However, St. Andrew Parish committed
a full year of preparation for their leaders. Only when this
was complete did they welcome catechumens and candidates into
the R.C.I.A. Sr. Eveline remembers fondly the occasions when
the influence of Chistianne Brusselmanns spilled over into
her own teaching and formation of adults. Her eyes light up
as she recalls dramatizing the Exodus story and applying it
to the catechumens personal story of passage into new life.
What sustains her spiritually? Eveline cherishes contemplative
prayer: a prayer of presence. It is not tangible, and beyond
thought. It can happen anytime and anywhere, sometimes simply
looking at the beauty of a tree. When her heart is needing
more, she turns to scripture and is nourished by God’s
Word. Eveline strives to live in the now moment, realizing
that God always draws her into rich experiences of life. Sitting
and chatting with Eveline is like drinking from a well of
cool, refreshing water, where every act of compassion for
persons in need is like a gently rolling ripple into the centre
of the eddy: the heart of God.
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