Habemus papem-we have a Pope!

My dear Friends

There was a cartoon in the paper last week. Coming out of the Papal chimney was smoke-not white or black, but pink! The caption read-'It's a girl!'

Well, the church has not yet become that revolutionary but we do have a slightly unusual man at the top. Pope Francis I seems a holy, good and above all, humble man, who chose the name of Francis after St Francis of Assisi. A Saint devoted to joyful poverty he is beloved round the world and crosses the divide of all religions and cultures. He is the attributed author of Make me a channel of your peace, a poem and song dedicated to bringing love out of hatred, joy out of sorrow, healing and reconciling misunderstandings and anger-so very close to my own heart and mission.

Apparently the new Pope, on his first day at the Vatican, asked the chauffeur to drive him into town. He stopped at the hotel he had stayed in before the Conclave (election of the Pope), paid his bill and carried his own bags out. He paused to talk to passers by, on their way to work or school.

No-one is underestimating the huge task which lies ahead, not only to reform the governing body of cardinals in the Vatican itself, but to heal the wounds of abuse and hopefully address the question of human sexuality in a deeper way, while not compromising the central tenets of the faith. Apparently he has declared that we must respect everyone.

My own deepest wish is that he moves on the process of Jewish Christian reconciliation, begun in earnest in the last fifty years, and that he reaches out to other faiths and to those who have none.He is praying for everyone in his heart.As a Jesuit he has the intellectual capacity, as well his obvious prayerfulness to make inroads into the enormous task he faces. His sense of humour will serve him well.

Shalom from Gila

Benigna

My dear Friends

Since I last posted a text, there has been some sad news. My landlady of sixteen years and my dear friend, Benigna, has passed away.At times she was as close to me as my own mother.

I lived with Benigna for sixteen years, from 1987 until 2003, when i moved over the river from her house in the South of Cambridge to the North and my present flat. The years with her in the big house were important and formative. People from all the world used to stay there and feel welcome.

Born into an upper middle class English family, who could boast Rab Butler amongst its members, Benigna went to the Royal College of Music in her early twenties to study piano. She distinguished herself and became a valued accompanist to many musicians, including myself-I used to sing with her and we gave small concerts together, initially for Peace and Reconciliation.It was in her house the I made the official foundation of The Little Sisters of Joy with the help of a French friend on 7th March 1999.

Benigna was an avid supporter of the Liberal Democrats and the orange flag which used to fly outside our house at election time stood out in what was mainly a Tory neighbourhood.She was a regular attender at Trumpington parish Church and I went to the Midnight Service with her in the Christmas of 1999. When I became a Catholic she was very supportive, being naturally deeply ecumenical.

I have many happy memories of sitting on the lawn in her extensive garden with a variety of friends. Benigna also hosted many of the musical events in the Jewish community, as she had married a German Jew, the distinguished professor Herman Lehmann, during the war. She had four children, three of whom survive-her daughter Fardijah, lives in Cambridge and there is also a granddaughter with several children.

Benigna's passing really marks the end of an era-she shaped and changed many peoples' lives. Her name means kindness and no better person could embody this. She will be truly missed.

Shalom from Gila

Newsletter no 18-Friends of The Little Sisters of Joy

My dear Friends

A very happy and healthy New Year to you all! May it be a peaceful one for us and for the whole world. I have some interesting news of what has passed and of what is to come. I commemorated the eleventh anniversary of 9/11 by giving a concert that day. Our theme of Peace and Reconciliation played itself out reflectively in the music performed and which you are now familiar with.  After Reverend Schilson-Thomas drew us into silence in the beautiful chancel in the Michaelhouse Centre in Cambridge, I started singing ' Last night I had the strangest dream.' This was composed by Ed McCurdy, the father of folk singers such as Dylan, Paxton and Baez. 'I dreamed the world had all agreed to put an end to war.' Psalm 23 in Hebrew continued the theme of good coming out of evil and 'Eli, Eli' spoke of the transcendent God, a song written by Hannah Senesh by the Sea of Galilee. She perished in the Second World War but wrote these lines during her life in Palestine.

'The souls who have gone before us light up the way for the rest of mankind.'

I was blessed at the concert with a full house and with many resonant voices joining in the songs of the sixties.

You may know that I was born in London and raised in Glasgow. I had my schooling there from age 11 and in my formative years had my wild youth(while I was at Glasgow university.) I did a lot of singing, in the style that I do now, in those days, in cafes and once at the Edinburgh Festival. So I jumped at the chance to visit my Glaswegian family and friends, especially as my cousin had been unwell in the summer.

They say that Glasgow has changed.  I stayed in the West end, near the University, and I still recognised some pubs from the old days.  I remembered too the cloisters and the sweeping boulevard leading up to the University being a fine match for Cambridge. I went to Glasgow Cathedral, picking up the echoes of its once Catholic heritage and relishing the beauty and peace. Relishing too the Glaswegians and the immediacy of the way they respond to you.  Observing the chiselled faces in the University Cafe, still run by the same Italian family who founded it around 1917.

Highlight of the trip ( as well as a drive through the Campsie Hills) was a visit to Garnethill Synagogue.  Founded in 1879, it is possible that my great-grandfather had a hand in its foundation. Certainly my maternal grandparents, Samuel Solomon Samuel, the first Jewish magistrate in Glasgow and his Swedish wife Anna (Bergson) were regular attenders there. My cousin and I delighted in a stained glass window in their memory. My cousin had a sudden inspiration and pointed to the place where her father, Henry, would have sat, near the Ark with the Torah scrolls. Beside him would have been my father, Joseph, up on a business trip from London. Legend has it that my father, contrary to tradition, raised his eyes to the ladies' gallery opposite and had his first glimpse of my mother. And the rest, as they say, is history...

 This summer, if all goes well, I will be in Toronto for the first time in five years. It is one of my favourite cities in the world and in one sense my spiritual home. You may recall that I was thinking of emigrating there. That didn't quite work out, but I felt it was time to revisit friends and places still dear to me. Bishop Lacey, now in his nineties and fondly known as Father Pearce has issued a welcome, as has my friend John in Cambridge, Ontario. That was the first place I visited in Eastern Canada way back in 1988; it was a result of that visit that I decided to come into the Church.

Tell you all about it in the next newsletter. I hope to have fun and lots of relaxation over there.

I wish you all good things.
Shalom and be well.
Your sister Gila

Dancing in the snow

My dear Friends

The rainbow bridge between Cambridge and Toronto seems even closer now because of the cold weather.Cambridge has been suffering bouts of snow over the last few days and today is the coldest its ever been. I am reminded of all those happy times I visited Toronto in the cold and snow, taking refuge in those marvellous shopping malls in the city where people go to shop, or just hang out and talk to their friends. It's lovely to see the old people sitting on benches and making new friends.

Here the malls are much smaller and not so friendly.Thinking again of Toronto, I paid a visit to the Eaton shopping in the downtown area on one occasion. Beside the fountain, I chatted to a guy of about forty years old who told me he was born and bred in Toronto and how much it had changed. He struck me as a kinda easy going guy, who liked to hang out in the mall in the hope of making new friends.

I want to prepare for this trip well. Going back to this city is like going back to an old friend. They say old friends are like old wine-they mature until they taste better.This time I will be visiting in the summer, where I hope my old friend is waiting for me -to give me an embrace.

Shalom from
Gila

Up, up and away

My dear Friends

Last week I saw a fascinating programme about a balloon journey over Africa. That's what I want to be when I go to Canada this summer-up, up and away.

Travelling gives us a new perspective on life, especailly when you cross the Atlantic.I have done it before at important crossroads in my life and I feel this year is a year of new beginnings. I am going to friends and a place where I was touched by the Divine in a new way: as someone said Canada is my spiritual home.

We all have places which touch us deeply and usually they are connected to the people who live or come from there. I am going to reconnect with a Canadian friend I first met in England almost twenty five years ago. Had it not been for him opening his home in Canada as a place where I could reflect on all the momentous things that happened to me, I might not have come into the Church. His home and its surroundings were the jumping off point for an experience which will remain with me for the rest of my life. And beyond.

There are new friends out there too. And a lovely cousin who plays the harp. I look forward to all the coffee shops we will haunt together. I will raise my glass to all of you.

Shalom from
Gila

Joyous Christmas and peaceful New Year

My dear Friends

Advent comes to a close and Christmas approaches. The waiting is ended and the birth of Our Lord is near.It is a time of great JOY. But the birth of Jesus is not confined to December 25th; it can happen any time, any place, anywhere.

Incarnation of the Holy in our lives is a very precious thing.New birth is astounding. How often have we experienced cycles of Death and Resurrection in our own lives and it applies to all human beings, including those who claim to have no faith.

The Little Sisters of Joy as a Foundation for Prayer, Peace and Reconciliation was conceived in prayer in Provence exactly fourteen years ago. Over the years it has evolved and changed. One of the most important things to happen was the creation of an Association of Friends, now about 650 in 23 countries.

What gives me the most pleasure is that these Friends are from all religions and cultures and are simply united in their desire for peace. While the birth of The Little Sisters of Joy springs from the very heart of the Church, it is international-it welcomes everyone. And indeed the word 'catholic' means universal.

I wish you all a fruitful, happy Christmas and a peaceful new year.

With love and shalom
Gila

My birthday

My dear Friends

Today is the eve of my 61st birthday.I always like birthdays with a one in them, as you feel you are starting something new.It has been a glorious year, with none of the dark shadows that plagued me towards the end of the year before. Hard to believe on the one hand that i have reached this great age; on the other hand I have, by the grace of God had an interesting and full life, so in one way I feel the time has gone quite slowly.

I am lucky to be surrounded by good friends; Ania, Marisa, Jenny, Francoise, to name but a few. And of cours my dear 90 plus year old who is still going strong and takes me out to dinner in the University Centre from time to time. We are able to express things to each other(we have been friends for over 25 years) at quite a deep level and on many subjects-he is an academic of the very best kind. And religious, so we have that in common as well.

When I was approaching 50, I knew an old lady who had turned blind-she said that was the best thing that ever happened to her, because it brought her in touch with so many new people. She was becoming 90, so I asked her how I should live my life from 50 on. She paused for a moment and then said: 'Just as you have always done.'

And so I have. I am looking forward this year to visiting Toronto again, after a five years absence. My only real desire is to go to New York and see the Metropolitan Opera, but I have Renee Fleming on CD and that is the next best thing.

Here's to you, all my dear Friends
Love and shalom
Gila