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On November 25th, the United Nations marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The resource below, prepared by our JPIC committee members and Loretto Associates, Veronica Ward and Gracie Nepomuceno, will help you learn about the crime of violence against women and the actions you can take to help end it. What you can do believe survivors teach the next generation about this issue call for responses and services fit for the purpose learn the sign of abuse and how you can help start a conversation be patient and open-minded hold each other accountable stand again against rape culture fund women’s organizations know the data and demand more accountability call for responses and services fit for the purpose

On November 20th each year, the United Nations marks Universal Children's Day to commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of Children in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. In Canada, since 1991, November 20th is our National Child Day. Follow along to help commemorate and celebrate this day: You are encouraged to take some time on November 20th to pray for all children around the world. Please see the prayer service to mark the day (below in pdf format). We have taken the theme of indigenous children for this resource. With great thanks to the Mary Ward Centre for providing these resources.

The On Pilgrimage with Mary Ward App has been updated and is now available on both Android and Apple phones. Those who already have the App on Android will need to install the new version to enjoy the new features. Go to the Playstore and follow the prompts. Those with iOS update the App in the Appstore. The exciting new features are translations into German and Spanish. Your phone will recognize the set language and use that version. If you would like the English version go to Settings on the index page and make the change. All texts have been translated but the Audio recordings remain in English. Also in the Settings you might like to provide feedback. Our grateful thanks to Sr Gabriele Martin CJ and Sr Isabel Gortazar IBVM for their dedicated work of translation. The On Pilgrimage with Mary Ward App guides you on a journey following Mary Ward's footsteps. In our present time of instant communication and ease of travel, the story of Mary Ward and her life-long desire to seek and know God’s will, can seem like a struggle way beyond human resilience. That an English woman, in Post-Reformation England, could believe the Catholic Church would approve a plan for religious women to be free from the jurisdiction of the Diocesan Bishop but governed by one of their own, free from the obligations of the cloister, focused on the mission of educating girls in a similar way to boys, and flexible enough to respond to the needs identified around them, seems outrageous, shocking and misguided. This is what Mary Ward came to understand as God’s will for her. With the young women inspired to join her, she crossed the English Channel many times, traversed the Alps of Europe on foot three times to seek approval for her congregation and all along the way, she established houses and schools where she was welcomed and supported. And while she died under the shadow of the Inquisition ... her congregation can be found today in over 40 countries, with more than 200 Mary Ward schools, colleges and informal education facilities and thousands of women and men proudly associated with her charism and spirituality. She truly believed that there is no such difference between men and women that women may not do great things, as we have seen by the example of many saints who have done great things. On Pilgrimage with Mary Ward will spark memories if you have visited these places, tempt you to make a pilgrimage, or add some ideas for the next time you are near York and Yorkshire, London and Saint-Omer, Liège, Munich or Rome. Enjoy the journey ...

Prayers and intentions for November/December 2021

Action Pledge to End Child Labour Did you know that roughly 160 million children were subjected to child labour at the beginning of 2020, with 9 million additional children at risk due to the impact of COVID-19? Many children make clothes Children work at all stages of the supply chain in the fashion industry: from the production of cotton seeds in Benin, harvesting in Uzbekistan, yarn spinning in India, right through to the different phase of putting garments together in factories across Bangladesh. And many of these children are forced to work 14 to 16 hours a day. Impact of fast fashion Fast fashion effects our planet massively, with the amount of waste produced each year. Did you know that more than 500 million kilos of unwanted clothing end up in landfills every year. Every minute, half a tonne of clothes is dumped into landfill in Ireland. This amounts to 12 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions - this is equivalent to driving 65,000 km in a car. Buying second-hand or upcycling clothes helps keep our landfills clear and our planet healthy. What we can do Buy good quality clothes that last Re-wear (don't just wear once and throw away) Care for our clothes Repair and mend Share and swap our clothes Organize a fashion show using items from a charity 2021 is the United Nations designated Year for the Elimination of Child Labour. Any work that deprives children of their childhood is defined as child labour. A child who is forced to work instead of play loses her easy laughter and her chance to learn in curious and creative ways. But for some children and families, they have to work because their survival depends on it. There are currently 40 million people in modern slavery and 160 million children in child labour. Sadly, child labour has increased from 152 million, the first time in two decades according to the joint Report released by UNICEF and the International Labor Organization (ILO) in June 2021. Furthermore, there are now 79 million children aged 5 to 17 years in hazardous work. More than one in four children in the world’s poorest countries are engaged in work that is potentially harmful to their health. In line with our commitment to the elimination of human trafficking and the care of women and children, we joined the global alliance and pledged to act to Eliminate to Child Labour by raising awareness and inspiring local actions among our global network of over 50,000 students, staff and members. And members of our Mary Ward network are already supporting and advocating for children working in the brickfields, in hidden domestic labour situations and other agricultural contexts.

October 11, 2021 is International Day of the Girl (IDG). The IBVM/CJ UN Office, UN Province Reps, and IBVM/CJ schools around the world are participating in a number of initiatives in the lead up to October 11th. Here are the ways you can be involved: 1. Girls Speak Out: Closing the Digital Divide to Accelerate Opportunity This year’s celebration of the IDG demands a continued innovative approach to building connection through digital spaces while emphasizing inclusion of voices often left out of these digital spaces. As a proud member of The Working Group on Girls (WGG), the IBVM/CJ UN Office seeks to put girls at the forefront to share their experiences, to listen to a diversity of girls to hear what they need, and to partner with them and key stakeholders in highlighting sustainable and innovative solutions to issues that they face. In conjunction with UNICEF’s IDG 2021 theme “Digital Generation, Our Generation,” the WGG’s theme for the Girls Speak Out is: “Closing the Digital Divide to Accelerate Opportunity.” Girls have prepared videos, poetry, and artwork that reflect this theme. You can check out the Girls Speak Out submissions from CJ/IBVM schools featured on the UN Office YouTube page. Watch the event in which a Loreto India student, Prateeksha, was a moderator. Watch the event in which a Loreto India student, Prateeksha, was a moderator . 2. Check out the 11 Days of Action: 1 – 11 October 2021 Follow the IBVM/CJ UN Office social media campaign to elevate girl activist voices and critical issues of concern for girls’ rights around digital inclusion and digital participation. We are sponsoring Day 10 of Action on October 10 – “Girls are changing the narrative on climate change and are pushing for urgent action.” We will talk about girl activists using the digital space to make a change for our climate. Children and youth need to be at the center of climate change strategies and response plans. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Join our Twitter chat at 11am (EDT). 3. Girls Speak Out Event: 11 October 2021 Girl activists and girl advocates will participate in a virtual roundtable dialogue with partners, state and other decision makers involved in addressing the digital divide. The event is hosted by The Working Group on Girls, UN Women, UNICEF and UNFPA. Sponsored by the Government of Canada. You are invited to join this online discussion featuring girl speakers from around the world, including a young woman from an IBVM school in India. This event will take place on Monday, October 11th at 10am ET. You can view it on the WGG YouTube page.

Follow Sister Sarah's personal journey through formation.

On September 30th, we observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which provides an opportunity for all Canadians to recognize and commemorate the legacy of residential schools. IBVM Canada supports and participates in the process for truth and reconciliation with all indigenous peoples of this land. The Native Peoples' Mission commemorated the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation within the 12:30 pm Native Mass at St. Ann's Parish, Toronto on September 26. Elder John Robinson (Ojibway) conducted the purification ceremony. The day was dedicated to prayer and reflection on the pains and sufferings caused by the Indian Residential Schools. Since this year is also the commemoration of the 500th year of Christianity in the Philippines, Sr. Petite Lao, RNDM, a Native Peoples Mission volunteer and Filipina researcher shared her reflection on the topic, "The Filipino Catholics and the Challenges of the Truth and Reconciliation Process." She encouraged the Filipino Catholics, a visible face of the Catholic Church in Canada, to reflect on their participation in relationship-building with the Indigenous Peoples of this land and to engage in education on Indigenous justice as they live out their faith in the context of the truth and reconciliation process. The Eucharist was celebrated by Fr. Wilson Andrade, CSC, Pastor of St. Ann's Parish and Native Peoples Mission, and other co-celebrants. There were representatives of various religious congregations present, including Sr. Mary Mallany, ibvm and Sr. Sarah Rudolph, ibvm. The event was well-attended. On September 30, in response to the invitation of Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc [See: https://tkemlups.ca/drum/] to drum for the children, the Loretto House Community will drum and sing on the front lawn at 5:15 pm EST, which is 2:15 pm PST. Photo of orange t-shirt by Aedrian Photo of Petite Lao, RNDM by Lea Laureano

This year is the 200th anniversary of Teresa Ball founding the Institute and it is under her leadership that the Loretto Sisters came to Toronto, landing at the harbour on September 16 1847. And so, today we joyfully celebrate our 174th year in Canada. “O Holy Wisdom, Soaring Power, encompass us with wings unfurled, and carry us, encircling all, above, below, and through the world.” Hildegard of Bingen Circle the Cities With Love ©Mary Southard, CSJ www.ministryofthearts.org. Used with permission.

75 years: Josepha, Norah, Cabrini and Marion 70 years: Maria H and Christine 60 years: Mary Kay, Mary Teresa, Edna and Mary Joan We express our gratitude to God for the presence of these 10 women in our Institute and for their many years of faithful dedicated service as vowed religious women. We also remember today with special love and gratitude, the lives and ministries of our recently departed sisters, Mary Anthony, a faithful IBVM sister for 80 years and JoAnn, a faithful IBVM sister for 60 years. Thank you for your many years of loving service. God's richest blessings be yours.

Prayers and intentions for September/October 2021

In August of 1821, M.M. Frances Teresa Ball returned to Ireland to found the Irish Branch of the Institute. M.M. Teresa Ball, having spent 5 years in training at the York Convent, was now prepared to make her return and serve the Irish community in providing education for girls following in Mary Ward's footsteps. Last year, the Generalate Archives invited each Region to participate in a joint publication (to be released at a future date) to celebrate the momentous anniversary. Each Regional Archives was asked to mark the event in some way locally. The Canadian Region archives is pleased to launch an online exhibit that allows viewers to learn more about M.M. Teresa Ball’s life through digitised archival materials and online resources. You can view the new exhibit at the following link: https://www.ibvm.ca/teresa-ball-200th-anniversary You can also view the IBVM Bicentenary Jubilee Launch presentation below. View the Launch presentation on YouTube. Michelle Anitra Pariag & Robert Little Loretto Archives, Canadian Region