Blog: Praying Through Lent in a Pandemic Season

This year, as part of my own Lenten Journey, I am following the writings of Dr. Elisabeth R. Jones, the Minister at Cedar Park United Church in Pointe Claire.  For each day of Lent 2021, during the time we were observing stricter Covid-19 rules, Dr. Elisabeth chose a daily reading, followed by a prayerful reflection.

This Lenten Season, 2022, restrictions are easing but reflection continues to be a part of our Lenten devotions.

Each Friday, I will share with you the reading Dr. Elisabeth chose and the prayer she offered for deeper consideration.

I sincerely hope you will enjoy them as much as I am.

Friday, Week One

“Driven in the wilderness…..with the wild beasts…..and the angels serve him.”  (Mark 1: 12-13)

We’re not that used to wilderness these days, not creation’s wilderness at least.

Wilderness these days is more evident in human behaviour.  Raw hatred, envy, greed, sexual predation, racial violence…..all these things are the beasts with which we must contend.  Thank God there are angels here too, often unrecognizable as such, but there, nevertheless, to “attend”, to “serve” us all while we do the wilderness work within ourselves first.  We can’t deal with those worldly beasts, until we deal with the ways they work their harm within us, can we?

Dr. Elisabeth offers the following prayer:

I see now why we are “driven” by the Spirit into the wilderness, Holy One,

where the wild beasts have names like Envy, Greed, Supremacism.

We would not willingly venture into encounter with these inner and outer beasts without your provocation and your protection.

So, we pray for the attendant angels to guard us while we do this wilderness work, for as long as it takes.

Amen

 

As you follow Dr. Elisabeth’s readings with me this year, I would stress that we too are called to dig into the places we would rather not, to see with open eyes the things which cause us pain and disbelief.  This is the journey through the deserts of our own lives.  It is not a journey for the faint of heart. It is a journey which requires faith and the courage to travel with others to a destination of which we are unsure. 

 

On this first Friday of Lent, I leave you with these words: “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”  (Joshua 1: 19)

 

In peace

Pastor Beryl, DLM

A Voice From the Second World War

I had thought to hold this material back until Remembrance Day, but recent events in Ukraine made me decide to share it now.

A few weeks ago, I shared some photos and stories about Harold Morrow, who sang at Verdun United and directed several of the YAG revues in the 50s and 60s. Along with several photos and reminiscences, Eileen - Harold’s daughter - also shared the letter below which predates her birth. It was written by the Rev. J.G. Joyce to Harold when he (Harold) was stationed in Italy during World War II. At my urging, Eileen also shared some photos of her father from that time.

“Like many veterans of that war and others,” Eileen says, “Dad rarely spoke of his time in service. Mom always said that he returned a changed man, suffering from many nightmares and the lasting effects of malaria. But with the loving support of Mom, his close friends, his church, and his love of music, in time he was able to overcome his demons.”

I think you will agree that Rev. Joyce had a way with words. Blending news from the homefront and commentary on world events, the letter is a snapshot of a moment in time: a time of turmoil and insecurity; a time of wins and devastating losses; a time of sacrifice and of hope for a brighter future.

I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did.

Amy

[This is my transcription, with a little help from Eileen. You can see pictures of the original letter below.]

November 23, 1944

Dear Harold,

            Your mother the night before last in the church hall was telling me you keep well and are still in Italy. I hope your attack of malaria did not leave any ill effects. From what we are told conditions in Italy are anything but what we would expect from a country so historic, and the seat of the Catholic church. From reports we learn that conditions there parallel the conditions in Quebec, big religious institutions and churches, and most of the people destitute and subservient. However there seems to be a tremendous political surge there now, and with the Communists strong, and the equally strong socialists working together Italy may not only get away from Fascism but much of her superstition.

This morning we have a little snow on the ground but it is disappearing rapidly under the impact of traffic and mild temperature. Sidney Long and J. Hudson are putting on a choir concert tomorrow night. We have senior, Intermediate and junior choirs taking part, the program has taken much time, and the decorations on the stage are new and bright. Our Senior choir usually on Sundays has one bass and one tenor. Hope you will soon be back to give us the helpfulness of your rich bass voice. Your sister Ann sings in the treble side.

Well, I don’t think Hitler can stand much longer. The Allies are striking hard in the West and the Russians in the East. Ottawa, or the McKenzie King Gov’t is passing through a crisis – whether to introduce conscription and compel the French to go or allow the volunteer system to take care of reinforcements so as to please the French. Much serious trouble can develop, or the whole matter might fizzle out with the French sentiment prevailing.

We surely wish you the best kind of Christmas and a New Year with Victory. Next year we hope you and your dear wife will be with us to enjoy the blessings which come with peace. All the choir and congregation join in these wishes to you.

Cordially yours,

J.G. Joyce


 You can read more about Rev. Joyce in this Blog post.


Banner image: Trooper Harold Morrow’s unit, Three Rivers Regiment - Tank Corps taken in Sicily.

Responding to A Cry For Help

[The following is from Nouvelles Nakonha:ka News of February 23rd, 2022. Go here if you wish to subscribe to this bi-weekly newsletter from our Regional Council.]

In response to a recent open letter (A Cry for Help) written by Nakuset and Mary Martin-Goodleaf, the Living in Right Relations Circle (LIRR) submitted a grant request to Conseil régional Nakonha:ka Regional Council (CrNRC) for $60,000, to be given to Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal in aid of our neighbours in crisis, supporting Résilience and the Raphaël André Memorial Tent in Cabot Square. The Granting & Enabling Leadership Team (GELT) was able to grant the request, with $30,000 from the Erskine & AmericanMountainside Trust Fund, $15,000 from the Bhal-Jun 발전 Fund and $15,000 from the Good Samaritan Fund. On February 10, 2022, a cheque for $45,000 was presented in person to Nakuset and the Resilience team by Lisa Byer-de Wever, Jan Jorgensen, and Read Sherman representing LIRR, and Marc Grenon, representing CrNRC in a simple gesture of solidarity. Moving words by Elder Robert Patton were written in a card to accompany the cheque. (The remaining $15,000 from the Good Samaritan Fund will be directly transferred by the General Council Office Team to the Native Women’s Shelter of Montréal.) LIRR wishes to express its deep gratitude to the Granting and Enabling Leadership Team and the Conseil régional Nakonha:ka Regional Council for its generosity in response to this call for help!

Blog: 2021, Year in Review

Pastor Beryl is on a study week. The service on Sunday (Feb. 27) will be lay-led.

Every year at this time I find myself looking through old newsletters and pondering the previous year as I compile the SouthWest Annual Report. Although it sometimes feels as if time has stood still since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic almost two years ago, in fact there have been many ups and downs.

2021 was the first full calendar year of pandemic, and for us it began similarly to 2022: with churches closed and services pre-recorded and shared online. On January 6th we watched an attempted insurrection play out in Washington DC and tut-tutted about our neighbours to the south. Little did we imagine the scenes we would witness in Ottawa barely a year later. We lost our beloved Ethel Jenkins on the 20thof January.

The hoped-for reopening date of February 8th came and went and we remained shut down. Pastor Beryl shared special readings for Lent, and even a fool-proof pancake recipe for Fat Tuesday. By the end of February the first vaccines became available and people over 80 were prioritized. SouthWest people gladly rolled up their sleeves for the jab, and helped each other make, and get to, appointments.

In March Keith Wood had surgery which thankfully went well, but our dear Beverly Ross passed away. Churches were finally allowed to open for a maximum of 25 people at the end of the month, just in time for Palm Sunday. Strict measures were in place including masks and distancing.

In April we celebrated Easter; Centenary United moved from Fortune Street to St. Columba House; We sent greeting cards to MUHC nurses to thank them for their dedication throughout the pandemic; Joelle Leduc gave birth to baby Jacqueline, and after two false starts, Dennis Brown finally got his heart operation.

In May, Pastor Beryl baptized baby Zoey, although it was done on a Saturday rather than during a Sunday service because of attendance restrictions. Aline Sorel read a poem in memory of Steve during the service one year after his passing; she also got the knee replacement she had been waiting for so long. Former choir member Brian Carleton passed away. At the end of May came the announcement that unmarked graves had been found at the site of a former “Indian” residential school in B.C. They have proved to be just the tip of the iceberg as this tragic story unfolds across the country.

In June people started to get their second doses of Covid vaccine, and by the end of the month Quebec had become a “yellow zone” with restrictions easing somewhat. We were able to have outdoor cookies and lemonade following the service on the 27th – quite a treat! May Cook moved into the Real Morel residence. Four members of a Muslim family were killed and a 9-year-old child badly wounded in a hate-fueled attack in London, Ontario.

Pastor Beryl took a needed vacation in July. The newsletter went out every second week, and we tried to get people interested in an informal online Bible study. Patricia Rickert, sister of Denis Pantridge and a former member of SouthWest, passed away in Grimsby, Ontario.

In August, with the restriction on congregational singing more-or-less lifted, we resumed live services. Church Council met that month for the first time since January 2020. There were two baptisms, and an earthquake in Haiti. Denis Pantridge passed away on the 14th and the family was able to celebrate his life in church two weeks later.

In September, Pastor Beryl and team were able to return to the Floralies Lasalle for an Outreach service. We collected school supplies for Verdun Elementary School, and wore orange shirts in solidarity with survivors of residential schools. There was a Federal election that left things pretty unchanged with the Liberals continuing to lead the country. Jan Barr passed away in New Brunswick; We lost Norman Butt on the 21st at age 97.

In October, we resumed our once-a-month food collection for the Dawson Food Bank (Manna Verdun). We celebrated Thanksgiving in the church, had a visit from Sheila Morrison to update us on the Breakfast Club at VES, and held our All Saints Memorial on October 31st.

November brought a Municipal election, a time change, and the start of Advent on the 28th. Our beloved Shirley McGowan passed away on the 19th.

December started off strong with Advent services, a small Christmas market and bake sale on the 12th, and even a Candlelight service on the 19th. A planned Christmas Eve service had to be pre-recorded in the end as the province shut down again due to the Omicron variant.

So you see it was an eventful year. We laughed, cried and prayed together, even when far apart.

Amy

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