By Sister Doreen, SSJD
The February quote of the Anglican Church of Canada Calendar: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end: they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness“ (Lamentations 3:22-23).
This most heartening truth ‘the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases’ comes out of lamentation – out of weeping, crying, grief or suffering. It is a cry of hope when things seem to hit the bottom.
Today is the day that we open the doors of our Guest House – our Home for the Heart – with the celebration of a Blessing of the Home for the Heart and with Thanksgiving for its completion and all those who have enabled this renewal of the Guest House. Now our weeping and wailing has turned into joy and dancing! Now we rejoice with humble thanksgiving for all the tremendous love, friendship and support from so many people who have enabled this walk-through exile and worry into a time of joy and dancing! We could never have done it without you and without the steadfast love of the Lord whose mercies are new every morning and whose faithfulness never ends!
After a long period of worrying, wringing our hands, overcome with exhaustion and disappointment at new discoveries of things that have gone wrong, of postponements of the schedule for the completion of the renovation and renewal of our Guest House – out of the depth of our own lamentation – we come to that wonderful place of actually singing that the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, God’s mercies never come to an end: they are new every morning – and we shout with joy to God “Great is your faithfulness”. It seemed so fitting to use this February scripture quote of the 2026 Anglican Church Calendar as the ‘hands of God’ holding up everything that has gone before and now is! Our home is now complete with a beautiful, renewed guest house – a home for the heart for all people.
In a very real sense, we as a community, have been in exile over these past long years. Hospitality that is at the heart of our community life was in so many ways put on hold. We have come through the guest house being in isolation due to COVID and then closed due to construction and a complete renovation and renewal. People have been welcome to come and go during the day, but it is not the same as having people spending time living with us. As Lamentation begins with the words “Oh, oh, oh, how empty the city, once teeming with people.” So it has been with us.
Now today, also Valentine Day, a perfect weekend day to celebrate love, friendship, and family, we are throwing the doors open and blessing our home – A Home for the Heart – and have invited you to come either in person or in prayerful love to celebrate the steadfast love of God – whose mercies and faithfulness never cease! We are now OPEN and ready in welcome!
We welcome you to this sacred space where you will find gentle hospitality, comfortable accommodation, and food for your soul in an atmosphere of transformative stillness. In an increasingly noisy and hectic world, our Guest House is a quiet place apart, where people from all over Canada and beyond come for rest and refreshment. Many people long for a day (or a few days) away from the stress of life in our over-crowded, over-noisy, and over-busy culture. Come and enjoy some sacred time apart, alone, with a friend, or a group.
Throughout the year, the Sisterhood offers Food for the Soul – a program of retreats and quiet days covering a variety of themes. As its name suggests, it is designed to feed the hungry spirit, while encouraging growth, healing and wholeness. You can visit our website – www.ssjd.ca – for our schedule of upcoming conducted retreats, quiet days, quiet Saturdays, or contact the Guest House for more information.
It seems fitting to close with a hymn from Common Praise #312 Anglican Church of Canada hymn book:
Yahweh’s people dance for joy. O come before the Lord
and play for him on glad tambourines and let your trumpet sound.
Sing a new song unto the Lord; let you song be sung from the mountains high.
Sing a new song unto the Lord, singing alleluia!Rise, O children, from your sleep; your Saviour now has come.
He has turned your sorrow to joy and filled your soul with song.Sing a new song unto the Lord; let you song be sung from the mountains high.
Sing a new song unto the Lord, singing alleluia!Glad my soul, for I have seen the glory of the Lord.
The trumpet sounds, the dead shall be raised. I know my Saviour lives.Sing a new song unto the Lord; let you song be sung from the mountains high.
Sing a new song unto the Lord, singing alleluia!
Yes! Yes! “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you” Isaiah 60:1.