By Sister Phyllis Giroux
On June 9, westerners from various parts got together on Zoom to celebrate jubilees, and other honours, with wine in hand. Sister Nancy Brown acted as MC, with Sister Edna Walsh toasting the 60th Jubilee of Sisters Phyllis Giroux and Maureen Wild raising a toast Sister Cecilia Hudec on her 60th. Warm words among friends were accompanied by gifts of flowers and plants. We also toasted Sister Edna on her 35thJubilee. Sister Maureen’s recent award also merited a raised glass, as did the award Sister Kerry Rowland recently received. Behind-the-scenes worker was Sister Elaine Biollo. Sisters Roberta Mullin (just out of hospital) and Donna Geernaert rounded out the group.
Distances being what they are in the west, zoom has provided a reliable way to check in with one another, to celebrate occasions like Jubilees and awards — and the faithfulness of the group members attending witnesses to the importance all feel about the monthly Western Wine and Chat zooms.
Sisters Kerry Rowland, Phyllis Giroux, Elaine Biollo, Donna Geernaert, Maureen Wild, Nancy Brown and Edna Walsh, Cecilia Hudec and Roberta Mullin
More Charity Alive – June 2023
Assembly 2023
In this issue of Charity Alive, we have asked some of our writers to recapture the Assembly experience from their perspectives.
Bridge Group 2023 Assembly
We met as a whole once again on the afternoon of June 1st, taking advantage of the free afternoon before the start of Assembly 2023.
Associate Assembly Meeting 2023
The best way to describe our Associate gathering on June 2nd is to celebrate it as our first Hybrid Associate Gathering: “Zoom and In-person”.
“Western Wine and Chat” Celebrations
Westerners gathered on Zoom to celebrate jubilees, and other honours
Sustainable Eating
What we eat matters. Each persons’ choices makes a difference.
From the Archives — Immaculata Hospital
The Sisters founded Immaculata Hospital in rural Westlock, Alberta at the beginning of what would be a time of expansion in the community under Mother Mary Louise Meahan.
More Charity Alive – March 2023
Women Working Together
As you read the articles in this month’s Charity Alive we hope that these will just be the beginning of sharing your own experiences of this gift of love revealed in community.
The Wellesley Connection — What Potential!
“It is pure potential. Every ball or skein of yarn holds something inside it, and the great mystery of what that might be can be almost spiritual.”
Collaboration is the Answer, Within and Without
Vancouver Collective against Sexual Exploitation is a non-partisan group of diverse individuals and organizations united as a single voice to end all forms of sexual exploitation.
Sustainability
When looked at from a global perspective, remedies seem daunting. Yet, when focused on individual choices, small things do make a difference. Sustainability calls each of us to think globally but act very locally.
From the Archives — Sisters helping Sisters
In sharing the history of the congregation, the ministries in education, orphanages, and social services are often highlighted. In this article, I wanted to share ministries within the congregation – Sisters helping Sisters.
More Charity Alive – December 2022
Bringing light into darkness
The soft darkness of winter night helps us to recall our communal gatherings, our contemplative prayer, our care for each other.
Renewal of Vows and Commitment
On December 7, 2022, the eve of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception we joined together (via zoom) as members and associates in a prayer service to renew our vows and commitment.
Christmas Cards
As the Christmas season approaches, we are filled with gratitude for the many benefactors who have joined us in giving Joyful Witness through gifts in 2022.
From the Archives — Christmas Crèches
Photos and traditions of Christmas crèches, or cribs
Charity Alive – November 2022
What an Accomplishment! St. John’s Bread and Life: 1982 – 2022
Since the early 2000’s, 12 of us have been present at Bread and Life. Its mission and ours resonate.
Centro Corazón de María [Heart of Mary Center] Celebrates 20 Years
A spectacular balloon sculpture, music, two artisanal cakes, but most important of all, about 150 friends old and new marked the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Centro Corazón de María, the ministry to the Latino community in Hampton Bays, New York.
Ebony Etchings
I invite each of you to join me in my exploration of my home space, my heart space, my God space where I live my truth as an African Nova Scotian woman and a member of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent DePaul, Halifax.
Associate Retreat May 2022
A sense of peace and serenity welcomed fellow Long Island/Queens Associates Betty Erdos, Helen Ogden, Mickey Madden, Ann Masters and me when we arrived at the tranquil and cozy house on the eastern bay for the weekend of May 20–22, 2022.
Book Review: White Privilege, Black Struggle in U.S. Religious Congregations
“Subversive Habits” is a clever title, but the subtitle that scholar Shannen Dee Williams chooses for her superb book states her theme much more cogently: ‘Black Catholic Nuns in the Long African American Freedom Struggle.”
From the Archives — What’s in a name?
The inspiration for this article came from a recent delve into the history of one of the most inquired about teachers in the community, Sister Marie Clotilde Douglas.
