Saskatchewan anglican
The newspaper of the Dioceses of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon and Qu’Appelle • A Section of the Anglican Journal • October 2013
Sister Constance remembered
By Penny Malone
Living off the land
The Diocese of Saskatoon’s Rev. Shawn Sanford Beck and his family have moved to a small off-thegrid farm north of the Battlefords, in search of a simpler and more environmentally sustainable lifestyle. For story see Page 5. Photo – Rev. Shawn Sanford Beck
Diocese of Saskatoon prepares for Mexico 2014 Contributed SASKATOON – Great news, we are in the final stages of planning the Mission to Mexico trip in 2014. We are finalizing the Mission to Mexico dates for 2014. We are anticipating the Mission being from June 21-30, 2014. Our goal is to have a team of 30 people representing as many of the parishes in our diocese as possible. Our hope is to build three houses in a poor community in the Baja and to make a connection through faith in action.
Please consider sponsoring someone from your parish to be a part of the Mission Team so your fundraising can begin. The initial deposit of $500, for each representative, is required by Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. The deposit will hold a spot on the Mission 2014 Team. It is hoped the names will be finalized as soon as possible. Please forward names and deposits to the Anglican Synod Office. Cheques should be made payable to the Diocese of Saskatoon.
If you are unable to send a representative from your parish, please consider supporting the mission through donations that will be used directly for the build. A member of the Mission Planning Committee will be visiting your area this fall to present details and to answer questions. In the meantime, questions can be directed to Joan or Cheryl, at Mission 2014, at anglicansynod@sasktel. net. Please keep the diocese’s 2014 Mission to Mexico in your prayers.
TORONTO – August 10 was a glorious summer morning. The Sisters of St. John the Divine, in their bright blue habits, lined the sidewalk from St. James Cathedral and waved their white handkerchiefs as the hearse slowly eased its way into the Toronto traffic. It was a final farewell to one who has been part of their community for nearly 77 years. Sister Constance Murphy, SSJD, died peacefully in Toronto on Aug. 2, at the age of 109. In his opening remarks at the funeral, Archbishop Colin Johnson confided that in conversation with him, “ ... Sister Constance had wondered, ‘Has God forgotten me?’, but I think God needed the time to get ready.” Even for a complete stranger, to read Sr. Constance’s obituary, listing her many achievements in a variety of fields, the many honours bestowed upon her, there would be no doubt she was an amazing and accomplished woman who lived a long and fruitful life with great purpose and energy. Constance Murphy was born in 1904 in Baltimore, Md., to a prominent Afro-American family. Her father was principal of the largest black elementary school in Baltimore and education was very important to the whole family. After teaching school in Baltimore, she moved to Toronto in 1933 to enter the Sisters of St. John the Divine and made her profession as a Sister in 1936. Two years later she was sent to Regina to teach at the Qu’Appelle Diocesan School, the Anglican girls boarding school. She later became head mistress. When she returned to the convent in 1955, she became administrator of the Church Home for the Aged in Toronto, and served in that role until 1972. She earned a master’s degree in adult education and certificate in gerontology in 1976. But for those of her students whom she knew and taught at
Sister Constance Murphy Qu’Appelle Diocesan School, these facts do not totally capture the essence or spirit of the woman we knew, admired and loved. Sister Constance left QDS in December 1955 where she had taught for 17 years and had been head mistress for the last seven of those years. She was only 50 years of age! She had more than half of her life ahead of her. But the influence she had on her students for perhaps four years, or even less, in the classroom and in the daily life of a boarding school, stayed with many of them throughout the next 50, 60 or 70 years. For many, she was teacher and model, guide and mentor and finally, a cherished friend. As Sister Constance became more immersed in caring for the elderly, she never forgot her “old girls.” She encouraged alumnae to always “remember your School ... its ideals, ethos, spirit, teachings, beliefs and helps.” She followed them into adulthood, ever the teacher and mentor, urging them to “take some definite responsibility for your own aging: spiritual wellbeing; physical well-being; mental well-being. “Have a concern for the aging of others.” And she was followed into her growing interest in gerontology by her students, many of whom were now grandmothers and caregivers themselves. Each “old girl” has favourite memories. These are some of (Continued on Page 5)