Ordinary Time – As Never Before

It is Day 76 since Qu’Appelle House of Prayer closed not only to guests, but also to a way of life which had been lived for most of the past 25 years.  And another way of life has come about.  Our way of life is perhaps just as full as ever, but differently.  Only a few people come by from time to time – 2 or maybe 3 at daily Eucharist, people like Ken and Mark who help with yard work, the occasional safe distancing visit from people in a car:  “We are just wanting to know how you are doing!”  Contact by electronic means is far more common now than ever.

Not surprisingly, our way of life (not so much forced on us as freely chosen) is marked by increased solitude, silence, personal sharing in the absence of others, and deepened appreciation for the space in which we live, move and have our being.  How often – sometimes daily!! – have we said what more perfect place could one be during enhanced physical distancing!!  In a word, our “new” way of life is quite monastic.  And we continue to give an account of our hope as we look to welcoming more people in the months to come.

We so appreciate the several of you who stay in touch with this blog -  and extra thanks for those who also post a comment.  By the way, it is easy to do.  If you do not have an account, it is simple to open an account:  click on Account, give your email address and private password.  When you then write a comment, simply click:  publish.  Voila!  You do not have to sign out from the account after each use.

We celebrate the Eucharist six days of the week as we have been since closing;  given some openings throughout the Catholic diocese, from time to time two or three others join us. We hope to be able to offer more people an opportunity to be with us as time goes on.  Given the limited space in our Chapel, we are somewhat restricted as long as the 2 meter separation is needed.  Only the two of us continue to be residents. Through weekly Zoom gatherings, we stay in touch with our four Associates who in normal times were also are frequent residents:  Kathy and Tim from Winnipeg, and Susan and Boyd from Alymer.  If things continue to stabilize in our Province (Phase 3 next week, Phase 5 perhaps only in June, 2021) we hope that some can be with us more frequently (perhaps at the cost of self-isolating for 14 days returning home).  We are beginning to foresee a time when we might have 2 or 3 guests here, given all the possibilities for safe distancing that exist.

We continue to mourn the death of George Floyd not yet two weeks ago, and thank Pat Lyster for recently forwarding the daily reflection of Benedictine Father Don who reminds us of the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. – shared in another blog posting today.

    - Chantelle and Glenn -