Prayers and intentions for November and December 2022

In his remarks at the end of the Eucharistic Congress recently, Pope Francis reminded us that “Only the Lord is God and everything else is a gift of love.” Eucharist in Greek, we know, means “thanksgiving” and surely our celebration of Thanksgiving is an occasion to recall those “gifts of love’ and give thanks for them. Sr Doryne Kirby's mantra was “we live in blessedness” and this slight adaptation of a prayer she composed seems like a lovely way to “give thanks”: Gracious God, We live in the Blessedness of your presence, your love, that surrounds and inundates us. Your Blessedness permeates, envelops, encompasses us, resides in every aspect of our being forever gifting each and every moment of our life. We honour and reverence your Blessedness found in the diversity of cultures and religious tradition, and in the incredible beauty of your creation. Loving God, We ask that we may ever see clearly, hear plainly, smell sweetly, touch tenderly, taste gracefully the gift of Blessedness you abundantly bestow on us. Finally, we ask that we may ever grow in the awareness of our Blessedness, In the amazement of our interconnectedness with all of creation and with each and every person. Bountiful God, In awe and gratitude, we give thanks for the mystery, of presence, of love, that utterly enfolds and embraces us, for all the ways we live in Blessedness. WE LIVE IN BLESSEDNESS

September 30 is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This day honours the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Wear orange Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led commemorative day to raise awareness of the individual, family and community impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters”. The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations. Wear orange on September 30 to honour  Survivors of residential school and those who never returned home.

Prayers and intentions for September and October 2022

75 years: Mary Van H 70 years: Judy 65 years: Helen, Angela, Sheila 60 years: Mary Di, Mary M, Anne 50 years: Norma 40 years: Gill We express our gratitude to God for the presence of these women in our Institute and for their many years of faithful dedicated service as vowed religious women. We also remember today with special love and gratitude, the life and ministries of our recently departed sister, Caroline D, a faithful IBVM sister for 65 years. Thank you for your many years of loving service. God's richest blessings be yours.

This July 31 marks the close of the year celebrated by the Society of Jesus to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the conversion of Ignatius Loyola from courtier and soldier to founder and saint. During this time we have been treated to a surfeit of riches as the Jesuits, here and abroad have generously shared with us, laity and religious, their heritage and spirituality. The companions that Ignatius gathered around him were dedicated to “the greater glory of God and the aid of souls.” To facilitate this they were to be free from enclosure, from office in choir, from a distinctive religious habit and from local episcopal authority. With their own centralized form of government they were free to be sent as missionaries to the ends of the earth wherever the needs were greatest and finding God in all things. A century later and in another country Mary Ward a woman who had unsuccessfully tried another form of religious life was discerning with her companions how they might best serve God when she was gifted with an experience: “I heard distinctly, not by sound of voice, these words: ‘Take the same as the Society,’ so understood that we were to take the same both in matter and in manner. . . . These are the words that cannot be valued. They made known what God would have done.” And more centuries later and in yet another country, here we are! St. Ignatius Loyola and Venerable Mary Ward pray for us! Many thanks to Sr Angela for preparing this message

July 30 is World Day Against Human Trafficking. This year focuses on the role of technology as a tool that can both enable and impede human trafficking. Learn more https://youtu.be/k2asBvW8REU https://youtu.be/noOkZOmPGaM United Nations

Pope Francis' prayer intention for July 2022 - For the Elderly.

Prayers and intentions for July and August 2022

Get back to nature and give back to the earth Loretto Maryholme welcomes volunteers each Tuesday from 10:00am - 12:00pm (noon) May 10 - September 27 2022 to help out with the gardens. Learn more About Loretto Maryholme

The action of IBVM Canada is an answer to the call to respond to "the cry of our many brothers and sisters who yearn to be freed from the yoke of poverty, violence and injustice …" Pope Francis, 2019 The commitment to justice is a commitment of love and respect for all those who suffer the tragedy of persecution and exclusion. All people are called to become aware, and to respond from love, with compassion, devotion and a commitment to justice. Eva Rodriguez-Diaz, Mary Ward Centre. Toronto, June 20, 2022 World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to celebrate the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. Refugee - An expression of human tragedy A refugee is a person, family or group of people who leave their country of origin as an alternative or the only possibility to protect their life. Violence, political, religious and ideological persecution are the most frequent causes by which people are forced to leave their countries, placing them in refugee status. During the last decade humanity observes how sexual orientation has become a vector of persecution and threat, causing people with diverse sexual identities to become refugees. Learn more about refugees in Canada Download the Mary Ward Centre statement