Qu’Appelle House of Prayer – September 3, 1995 - 2020
“These I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer …… For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” [Isaiah 56:7] Photo taken by Nancy Trapp This vision of Isaiah has been lived here in the Qu’Appelle Valley, as many places elsewhere, for 25 years today. What follows are some of the times being gratefully remembered today. Although the account is lengthy, many more significant dates have been left out. It is a day to be thankful for so very many hundreds and thousands of people, beginning with the Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. We are most thankful for the many who have come here, for the untold number of generous benefactors, for so many volunteers and for the people of this part of the Qu’Appelle Valley and elsewhere who have consistently, faithfully supported the life and ministry of this place. Glenn Zimmer, OMI and Chantelle ...
Beautiful altar in its simplicity. There are no words.
ReplyDeleteWith both of you, Glenn and Chantelle.🙏
I was lying on my bed this Good Friday afternoon, reflecting on many things, when suddenly out of nowhere came a remembrance.
ReplyDeleteI remembered the last time I was at the House of Prayer. It was Ash Wednesday and I had driven out for eucharist. It was the beginning of Lent - the lentiest lent ever as someone has said. And here we are, the last day of Lent. And I found myself wondering .........
When will the QHP be able to open again, to welcome visitors who come from many different places, for many different reasons. Will it be open by Pentecost? Or will we have to wait until the autumn solstice? Perhaps Christmas! Surely not until the beginning of the next Lent!
And then my musings took another turn. When all this is over, will the air we breathe stay fresh and clean? Will they stop burning the forests that provide our oxygen and many of our medicines? Will the wild ones be free to run, to fly, to swim in safety as God intended? Will we see all humanity as equals, and rejoice and honor the immense variety of faiths and cultures, of races and sexual orientation, of male and female? Will the waters run clear and will there be enough for all? Will our world be changed because we have been changed?
Only time will tell. But please, dear God, grace us to get it right this time.