SSJD: the Gathering pt. 2

The Gathering was a time of celebration and fun. Even the guest speaker was not too serious - she used lots of stories in her talks.

I am friendly with a number of the sisters. It was good to talk with some of them - even if for a short time.

The group discussions were good and everyone got a chance to talk. Our group was quite a mixture of people - including a long time friend from Ottawa. There were two priests in our group - one of them being Sister Constance Joanna - CJ - as she likes to be called.

We learned something about Oblates which are fairly new to the SSJD family.

The convent was noisier than usual although there was quiet in the guest wing at night - you could do your socializing somewhere else. It was good to share at meals with others and learn something about their connections with the convent and share your own.

The services were very familiar - morning and evening prayer and the Eucharist. The flow of the music and the format of the services was very refreshing as usual. The music on the organ and the piano and even a guitar was celebratory in mood.

By the time of the evening entertainment on Friday I was getting tired but I did enjoy all the presentations. The sisters started by reading some of Mother Hannah’s diaries. She showed quite a sense of humour in her writings.

The music by Tim Elliott on the piano was excellent. We sang some old favourites - such as Simple Gifts and My Favourite Things. Then at the end of the evening we sang some children’s hymns. They were all very familiar to me from my Sunday School days.

Margaret’s presentation was Stanley Holloway’s Albert and the Lion. I grew up listening to a record of his funny songs and stories. He was from England and we had a record of his. Is this maybe now in Vancouver with Kathi?