My religious journey (Part 3)

In August 1999 I went to see my Bishop Peter Smith to tell him of my calling, of founding a religious community. He was very sympathetic and asked me to write a Rule of Life. I woke up the next day on the Feast of the Assumption and wrote 6 pages under the guidance of the Holy spirit. Constitutions followed over the next few years. David and I were divorced and annulled in the year 2000. But although I recruited as best i could, no-one has come to join me. I started an Association of Friends, sending them a Newsletter twice a year and now The Little Sisters of Joy is turning into a foundation for Peace and a registered charity.

This has come about in a rather unusual way. IN July 2004 I went to see my present Bishop, Michael Evans, about The LIttle Sisters of Joy.It was not altogether a fruitful meeting, but it was still something of a shock when he rejected the whole thing in a letter in November of that year. Carry on with the peace and reconciliation, he said but you have not suffered enough to found a religious community and yor gifts can be better used elsewhere. 4 days later, in the middle of the night, I felt moved to look for at a book of music. I went into my living room and my hand fell on the Canadian Book of Catholic Worship. All the hymns that I loved from all over the world were contained in that little book and I spent most of the night weeping. I felt that all the seminal moments in my life were coming together and fusing into one question from God: 'Will you go back to Toronto?' I slept again for a little while and at 8am went into my living romm where from the window I could see the first frost.

Later that day and all through the coming week, I felt that god was asking me to set up a Foundation for Peace and Reconciliation, based on the Friends I had gthered. I felt the presence of mary very strongly, while I was 'giving birth' to this Foundation.

At the turn of the year I decided to look into emigration to Canada. I decided I might as well go the whole way. At the same time I decided to make a trip to toronto. I stayed with the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blodd on Madison Avenue, a central location near the University, which I also explored. The Sisters' house was very nurturing and I made my daily excursions from there quite happily, enjoying the delights of this lovely city. I went to the local Churches and the Cathedral for Mass.

I made 2 subsequent visits to Toronto and on one occasion met the new Archbishop. tom Collins, who issued a welcome for me to bring a community over there. He listened to the last page of my Constitutions and said: 'They are beautiful, Gila, especially the part about hospitality.' I even found a building which I thought would be suitablee for a Motherhouse for The Little Sisters of Joy-the location was near to the place I was staying in, with Gary, a Jewish man and his wife EMiko.

On my 3rd visit I went to stay with my cousins near Calgary but on my return my illness reared its ugly head again and I landed in the psychiatric hospital, where I decided I could no longer emigrate after all. Sinsce then things have gone quiet and I patiently await God's will for the next step.

Shalom from
Sister Gila