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Are We There Yet? Sarapion the Sindonite travelled once on a pilgrimage to Rome. Here he was told of a celebrated recluse, a woman who lived always in one small room, never going out. Skeptical about her way of life – for he himself was a great wanderer—Sarapion called on her and asked, “Why are […]
Join Shannon as she reflects on images of the Holy Spirit from her living room window.
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Join Sr. Constance Joanna, SSJD as she reflects on Paul’s sermon in Athens…and Toronto!
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We invite you to read the latest reflection by our Companion Jasmine as she reflects on her experience of Easter in lock-down at the Convent.
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Join the Rev. Frances Drolet-Smith as she reflects on prayer, the pandemic and Holding Crosses.
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We are very happy to announce that a Mindfulness for Christians Event is being offered online.
WHEN: MAY 21, 2020, 7-9 pm
FACILITATOR: Rev. Sandor Borbely
HOW TO REGISTER: Please write to paul.interimminister@gmail.com
COST: Free of Charge!
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We invite you to read our Companion Kelsea’s reflection on her experience of Easter at the Convent this year.
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We invite you to read a poem by our very own Sr. Sue entitled Love II.
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Easter 2020 may be remembered for a lot of things, one of which may be “the year that people throughout the world became monastics,” albeit the vast majority, unintentionally so.
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Sr. Wendy Grace, n/ssjd For the last three or four months I’ve been repeating a few lines from St. Teresa of Avila as a kind of mantra, “Everything is changing. God alone is changeless”. These two sentences come from a longer poem which I have often used with the Anglican Rosary:Let nothing disturb you, Let […]
By Shannon, Assistant Coordinator of the Companions Program Please note that while the written text can be found below, those who prefer audio recordings are asked to click “play” to listen to Shannon’s recording of the text. Friends, the state of the world is changing. But I don’t have to tell you that! Countless words […]
By Sr. Sue, SSJD. To help celebrate the great St. Catherine of Sienna, whose feast day is today, Sr. Sue has some lovely music to share with you! On the Day of Resurrection Time is turning Catherine wheelson this, the day of His rebirth;Time is somersaulting, leapingto the stars and back to earth;Time is playing […]
by Sr. Doreen, SSJD Propers: Acts 2: 14a, 36-41; Psalm 116: 1-4, 12-19; 1 Peter 1: 17-23; Luke 24: 13-35 Easter 3 – within the Great Fifty Days! Each year as we walk through the scriptures of Lent and Holy Week, and we arrive at Easter, I am always surprised! It is a surprise that […]
By the Rev. Frances Drolet-Smith, Oblate SSJD The hope and joy we always anticipate of the Resurrection has been revealed to us. Depending on where you live, spring may have already made a welcome entrance with its usual gorgeous palette, accompanied by a fanfare of glorious bird song, floating on warmer breezes. Now, these poetic […]
Click the image below to read the Global News article featuring former SSJD Companion Amanda Avery and her work with Bayers Westwood Family Resource Centre. “Halifax Resource Centre Delivering Care Packages as Demand Rises for Food, Hygiene Products. Global News Article written by Aya Al-Hakim. April 15, 2020.
Tell our own story through the Tree of Life—- an experiential reflective exercise. By Jasmine, SSJD Companion. Since the last blog post that I wrote about the tree of life, some readers have asked how the tree of life imagery connects with our own storytelling. In this post, I am hoping to present a […]
by Sr. Constance Joanna, SSJD. Readings: Acts 10.34-43, Psalm 118.14-29, Colossians 3.1-14, Matthew 28.1-10 The following homily was preached on Easter Wednesday when the Convent sisters celebrated the return of three of sisters who have moved back to Toronto from B.C. and were isolated in the Guest House for two weeks of self-isolation. It was […]
Read Srs. Anne, Elizabeth Ann and Sue and Archbishop Fred Hiltz’s homilies as they reflect on the readings for the 2020 Triduum and Easter Sunday. Palm Sunday By Sr. Anne, SSJD. Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; Matthew 21: 1-11 It all started with a plan forming in his mind. It was time to make a statement not […]
By Sr. Constance Joanna, SSJD. Readings: Romans 6:3-11; Psalm 114; Luke 24:1-12 What memories do you associate most with Easter? No doubt some sad, some joyful, some even playful. We had a ritual when I was a teenager that my Mom, Dad, brother and I always watched “Your Hit Parade” on TV on Saturday nights. […]
By Sr. Constance Johanna, SSJD. Readings: Job 14.1-14; Psalm 31.1–4, 15–16; 1 Peter 4.1–8; Matthew 25.57-66 What happened during those hours from Friday afternoon till early Sunday morning, when Jesus was in the tomb? What we know from the Bible is that John took Jesus’ mother Mary to his home, and perhaps that is where […]
By Sr. Constance Joanna, SSJD. Readings: Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12; Psalm 22:22-30; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 19:1-42 One of my favourite musical compositions is Handel’s Messiah – a universally-loved oratorio in the Christian world as well as among people of other faiths and none. It encompasses the whole of the Incarnation – from Advent through […]
by Sr. Constance Joanna, SSJD. Readings: Ex 12:1-4, 11-14; Psalm 116.1, 10-17; 1 Cor 11:23-26; John 13.1-17, 31b-35 I recently read a delightful and deeply moving book by Sarah Miles, called Take this Bread. Sarah is an American journalist who loved cooking for lots of people, worked in restaurants as an assistant cook doing the […]
Join Sr. Constance Joanna, SSJD as she reflects on the events of Holy Week through Art! Beginning Maundy Thursday through to Easter Sunday, Sr. Constance Joanna’s Homilies will be posted on the Homilies Blog of the SSJD website. Please see below for the posting schedule: Maundy Thursday Homily will be posted April 9, 2020 at […]
By Kelsea, SSJD Companion I have three plants in my room. All of them I have rescued from somewhere. One is a poinsettia from this last December that I couldn’t bear to watch disappear (probably, and it is shocking, into the garbage). The first I rescued from the chapel at the hospital next door (there […]
by Sr. Constance Joanna, SSJD. Readings: Zechariah 9.9-10; Psalm 24; Philippians 2.5-11; Luke 10.28-40. Rejoice, rejoice, rejo-o-o-o-oice greatly! That’s a theme from Handel’s Messiah that we tend to associate with Christmas but of course Messiah is also a beloved oratorio in Holy Week. We tend to talk about the “Christmas portion” and the “Holy Week […]
By Jasmine, SSJD Companion Music tradition in the SSJD community is heavily involved in our worship, especially in the Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and Compline. The use of worship music is diverse which includes monastic traditional chant, Anglican chant and hymns, compositions written by contemporary composers including our sisters, and other contemporary worship praise songs. […]
Homilies for the 2020 Lenten Season by Sr. Constance Joanna, SSJD Most of us have traveled through Lent this year becoming increasingly burdened by the darkness of the world around us – politically, economically, and personally – as the COVID-19 virus has exploded. During some of that time I have been preaching on Sundays either […]
***It is with heavy hearts that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have had to cancel this year’s Women at a Crossroads Program. *** We thank all those who have applied. We hope to hear from you next year!
By Florence, SSJD Companion. Ash Wednesday was a snowy day. I was listening to the snow. Silence ushered the listening to my deepest self. “The highest form of prayer is to stand silently in awe of God” (Saint Isaac the Syrian) Holding its breath and standing on tiptoe, the creation is eager to hear from […]
Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion be brought to the glory of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, […]
Dear Associates, Oblates, Friends and Visitors to St. John’s Convent, With heavy hearts we have closed our Guest House as of today and until further notice. We have also closed the Convent to all non-necessary visitors, which means our worship services, in response to directives from the Bishops of Toronto, will not be open […]
By Shannon, Assistant Coordinator of the Companions Program These are familiar peopleWhose names I rememberAnd sometimes forget. We have been through life TogetherApartTogether Again Once strangers, we are now familyIn a mysterious sort of way Water and WineBread and VoiceThe Spirit makes it so Trying to follow the One who loves us and binds us […]
Dear Associate, Oblates and friends of the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine, At a meeting on February 26, 2020, Bishop Logan McMenamie informed Sr. Elizabeth Rolfe-Thomas that, due to budget constraints, the diocese would have to radically reduce its financial support to the Sisterhood of St John the Divine going forward. At that meeting, […]
By Kelsea, SSJD Companion Mea culpa. Mea culpa. Mea culpa. Through my own fault. I have done wrong. Christe Eleison. We are going to say the wrong thing. I am going to say the wrong thing. It is immeasurably difficult to bare ourselves to one another wholly. It is just as difficult, to handle with […]
By Shannon, Assistant Coordinator of the Companions Program It’s Wednesday and the Companions and I have just finished our weekly discussion group. As I gather my tea and rise from my chair, I marvel for the hundredth time at how fortunate I am to journey with these fine women. We’re almost seven months in. During […]
By Kelsea, SSJD Companion I am not sure how I wake up to my alarm. It gives off one little pulse on the sixth hour of the day. It is imperceptible, though it does the job of waking me up for the day; mostly. Morning. There is a little less darkness outside today. Through the […]
by Jasmine, SSJD Companion Dietrich Bonhoeffer once described life to his friends as a polyphonic composition, with God’s love as the cantus firmus and our life stories as the counter-melody. All together they make up harmonies and the beauty of a musical piece. The concept of cantus firmus or fixed song is a pre-existing […]
The latest issue of the SSJD Newsletter is now online – view here »
GOOD NEWS: John Bell’s retreat “The Spirituality of the Psalms,” has been rescheduled for the weekend of March 5-7, 2021. Those who were originally registered for this retreat will have the first choice to register for this one. Others will be put on a waiting list until those have all been contacted.
We want to welcome you to the Sisters’ new website. We hope you enjoy the new look, and find what you’re looking for easily. If you have any comments or suggestions about the site, please email Sr. Constance Joanna at cj@ssjd.ca. We would also like to acknowledge our web designer, Chris Steingart of QT Web […]
By Stuart Mann – posted January 27 to toronto.anglican.ca One is a music therapist, recently graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont. The second is a spiritual director from Hong Kong. And the third, from Lethbridge, Alberta, is discerning a call to the religious life. Three women from different backgrounds, but with one thing […]
The Sisterhood of St. John the Divine, Toronto, is delighted to announce the re-election of Sr. Elizabeth Rolfe-Thomas as the Reverend Mother. The voting took place on January 4, 2020 and Sr. Elizabeth was elected on the first ballot. Her term of office runs from May 2020 – May 2025. We would appreciate prayers for […]
For the Sisterhood of Saint John the Divine, a vow of poverty is about ‘more than dollars and cents.’ Read the full article by clicking the photo or download the PDF
Daily Advent Reflections written by the Oblates and Sisters of SSJD. Read online here or sign up to recieve the reflections via Email