Rapport RSCJ (Canada) - November 2009

Patrick Power Learning Centre

On October 28, 2009, there was a dedication ceremony for the Patrick Power Learning Centre in the Fountain Academy of the Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart School of Halifax. Present were Edmund Boyd, Sheila Donahoe, Ellen Donahoe Feehan and Arthur Donahoe. Edmund is a direct descendent of Patrick Power and uncle of the three Donahoe siblings.

Three Cups of Tea

Greg Mortenson and David O. Relin,
(N.Y.: Penguin Books, 2006), 349 p.
The book is basically the story of Greg Mortenson’s life. It is amazing in several respects:

An American mountain climber from Montana came to dedicate his life serving the children in poor villages on the roof of the world;
A failure in conquering the summit K2, the second highest peak in the world, led to the encounter between the climber and people in a remote village. In time, when Mortenson realized how the village people looked at the mountains, he himself lost all desire of conquests. Two cultures met and transformation happened on both sides.
The finding of wisdom in the illiterate and wisdom led to success. Mortenson, almost penniless, eventually built fifty-five elementary schools in the poorest regions of northern Pakistan and northeastern Afghanistan.

Greg Mortenson is a man of passion. The story shows clearly that the source of his passion lay in his ‘compassion.’ He confessed to be drawn by ‘underdogs,’ but his respect towards them showed that he saw dazzling, primeval goodness underneath unkempt, unwashed children and adults. He was driven, non-conformist, and difficult to live / work with. Fortunately his family, especially his wife, understood and supported him and were willing to pay the price for it. The love between them is a story in itself.
In a way, this book is a mosaic of fascinating short stories woven into a harmonious whole. The connecting thread was the personal integrity of Greg Mortenson. If one has the courage to wade through unfamiliar names of places and people, one is finally rewarded with a feeling of being at-home in the midst of it all. Moreover, the fact that these names appear frequently in the news these days is another bonus for the struggle of going through these names.

Apart from very interesting stories, the reader also gets solid information about different sectors of Islam, the difference between fundamentalist Islam and the majority of Islamic people who are peace- loving. One learns that the Taliban is only a small sector disowned by other Islamic people.
An interesting fact observed at first hand by Mortenson is the Saudi Arabian money being poured into new fundamentalist schools destined for the recruitment of Taliban fighters. These schools mushroomed in remote, hardly accessible areas and were a great attraction to the poor parents who wished to provide their children with an education. This observation confirmed Mortenson in his belief that a balanced education provided to the people in those areas is the soundest way to eradicate terrorism.
The title of the book indicates the process of friendship building. In Pakistan and Afghanistan the people when doing business drink three cups of tea. In the first cup, you are a stranger, in the second you become a friend and in the third you become a member of the family.

Peace, eradication of poverty and friendship go hand in hand. In the face of terrorism the best thing to do is not to try to conquer, but to help the poor and the ignorant people find their dignity. No one is born to be a terrorist. The majority can be won over by respect and friendship, not by paid soldiers or weapons.

Theresa Chu, rscj

What Was There for Me A Memoir by

Margaret Brennan, IHM

This book is meant for all religious especially those who shared life with Margaret over the years. Margaret played a critical, prophetic role in renewal of women’s religious life in the United States and in Canada, after the Second Vatican Council. In her memoirs Margaret speaks of three distinct periods in this process of renewal: from 1946 – 1966: 1966- 1976; and 1976 until today. In the middle period Margaret was involved in the Leadership of her own community and that of Women Religious in the U.S. The third period was the beginning of Margaret’s 25 years in Canada where some of us had the privilege of her guidance and wisdom at Regis College in Toronto. In her final chapter Margaret reflects on what Religious Life has for her now.
Sister Mary Daniel Turner, SNDdeN says: “In this book we meet a woman whose quest for God and learning has distinguished her leadership. Margaret’s stories reveal that a search for integrity compels solidarity with others. This story opens up the mystery of call and response as a journey into the depths of God and the ever emerging cosmic community.”
This book is available from Novalis.

Sally Mahar, rscj

Watercolour by Email

Recently I began a course of watercolour instruction by email.

The artist, who lives in Nova Scotia, emails a project for me to consider. If it is one that appeals, he emails the details and I work on it. It is a wonderful way to develop and improve some skills, yet work at my own pace, when I have the time for art.
Upon completion of a project I take a picture of it and then email it for a critique. The artist, who has years of teaching experience, tailors his instruction to my level of skill and experience. The critiques are detailed and helpful.

All my errors are pointed out in a supportive way and I can see that errors are often invitations to improve. So I try the painting again and listen to music as I paint. Painting has become an integral and enjoyable part of my life in Prince George.

My sister, Susan, takes classes from the same Lunenburg artist whenever she can and has produced some odd but interesting pieces. We enjoy exchanging tips for crisp shapes and soft contours as well as ideas for good composition.
To tap into the wonders of watercolour you need two things: an understanding of some basic techniques and the willingness to keep painting.
Try it. Lose yourself in the joy of it and watch your art grow in exciting and new ways!

Donna Dolan, rscj

Unveiling a Cosmology among the Redwoods

This semester Val and I have spent time walking, studying and being in the Redwood grove near the University. These trees are teaching me about the majesty,
mystery and beauty of plant life and my life. The way they reach upwards without diversion speaks

to me of the need to find a path with all of my new knowledge and to move along that path without wavering. They teach me of the life cycles of birth, growth, life, nurturing and death. Without death, new life has no room to emerge: the organic process of life, “dying so others may have life”. The Redwoods draw me into

their silence and stillness and show me the necessity for these in my life as I search for this path or as the universe opens the path before me and shows me the way. This is a deep challenge to trust.
None of these trees stand alone; they live in family groups and grow in community groves. They gather together in circles, interdependent. They host within them whole eco-systems. They have the ability to draw moisture from both the air and the earth and then to store in vast internal systems. These towering giants spread their arms and shade the soil around them to protect themselves from being crowded out. The have an economy in their environment in which they control their numbers and their surroundings. As these giants fall from old age or changing environmental conditions, they foster and nurture new life. From their dying trunks, hundreds of new sprouts appear with only the hardiest of these surviving. In turn these dying trunks are filled with fecundity and produce rich food for this new life; death births creativity and new life. This is an economy from which we can learn for the future, as these red giants die they produce new life from their very center. Conversely, we humans often leave behind a trail of rotting and rusting buildings, and polluted land which is so toxic that it needs to be cleaned before it can be used again.
And what of the rest of life nourished by these giants? To walk among them nourishes my soul. Birds are cradled in their branches, cob-webs suspended among their branches, thousands of insects shelter in their branches and their eyes follow us as we walk. We are not alone. As I reach out to touch their bark I am amazed at the gentleness to the touch and the pungent smell which assails my nostrils. Bridges are being built between these trees and my soul. Something of the deep loneliness which has so often penetrated my very being is being broken open.

P1010027 Once I stood at their base looking up, up, it seemed, almost as far as I could see. From this place at the base, in the center of a grove they painted a dancing spiral in the sky opening to new life, reaching for the life-giving rays of the sun, opening to one another, inviting all to embrace life. How many of us ever take the time to look up and seek all of their majesty and mystery? From so far below I heard the contented sigh as these giants gently swayed in the breeze. These trees told many stories if only I could hear them.
One day we hiked up to the ridge and there was a whole new experience. I was looking at the Redwoods from the side. Instead of two little hominids craning upwards, I felt like we were one among them; another dimension. Even though they still towered above us, it was very different to stand looking sideways at their branches. As we climbed a very steep path I became aware that the carbon dioxide I was panting out was their food and the oxygen I was gasping for and which was nourishing my body was their gift to me. It was life begetting life. This was a mutually enhancing moment, one of interdependence and filled with relationship. In a momentary flash, I recognized this goes on every minute of every day, millions of times per year. I had entered a partnership with the Redwoods, and we were interacting as one Sacred Family.

These gentle giants, so filled with life and energy, urge me to seek the depth of their knowledge. Their very rootedness is in the moment, the history of fires, earthquakes, animals, birds, and insects that have sheltered in their arms, humans who have destroyed their habitat, all speak of a deep desire to nurture life, and the long suffering and endurance in the midst of whatever life has to offer. They have much to share and I have much to learn from them. From them pulses much energy. Within their all embracing mystique I feel a deep and humbling intimacy growing and I am grateful for the energy which pulses within me from them because of our relationship.

Anne Marie Conn, rscj