Members of Corpus-NCR have been involved in many activities in recent months. Monthly liturgies and potluck suppers have continued, but with a significant change from the past. Because of the large attendance at our meetings, many members feel that we need a space larger than a home to host the gatherings. Much discussion and searching have gone on to decide on larger spaces to accommodate the group. As a result of this the last three gatherings have taken place in two different places.

The first of two potlucks was held in the Women’s Centre of St. Joseph’s Church in Ottawa on February 16. This event was hosted jointly by Ban and Des Hanlon, and Madeleine and Cliff Power. The experiment was a great success, and everyone pitched in to set up tables and chairs for the meal after the liturgy and business discussion. The evening was highlighted by a visit from Pat Jamieson, who spoke briefly and made copies available of his recent book In the Avant Garde: The Prophetic Catholicism of Remi de Roo. 

Since many members wanted to hear more of Pat’s book, Diane and Rick Haughian hosted a meeting with him at their house a week later. At this session members were able to ask more questions and discuss the book at greater length. We all congratulate Pat on this painstaking work, and wish him a large readership. 

The second gathering at the Women’s Centre was held on March 23, and was hosted by Diane and Rick, Jennie and Greg Humbert, and Loyola and Des Peplinski. Since this meeting took place only a week after St. Patrick’s Day, the hosts presented us with a Celtic liturgy which emphasized the oneness of humankind with the beauties of all creation.

Our most recent get-together took place in the beautiful Pine Hill Estate Community Centre in the west of Ottawa, which Mary and Jim Humphrey, who reside in that community, were able to provide for us. The other hosts were Marie and John Crowe, Peg O’Connor, and Lisette Vaillancourt. Besides the liturgy, business session, and potluck, we bid farewell to Loyola and Des Peplinski, who are moving to Calgary where three of their children and seven of their grandchildren live. We wish them well in their new life in the West, and hope they will be in touch with Corpus members there, some of whom they billeted during the Corpus Coordinating Team meeting in Ottawa two years ago. Our loss is Calgary’s gain. 

Other events included activities with the group Concerned Catholics of Ottawa, with which Corpus has always had close associations. Indeed, the three members of Concerned Catholics’ steering committee are all Corpus members: Ban Hanlon, Virginia Lafond, and Cliff Power. They sponsored the viewing and discussion of tapes of Joan Chittister, John Wyngaards, and Mairead Corrigan Maguire from the Women’s Ordination Worldwide Conference in Dublin held in July, 2001.

In March this steering committee organized a meeting with Abdul Rashid, a member of the Ottawa Muslim community. This was an opportunity for Corpus members and other Christians to listen and learn and ask questions about the nature of Islam.

Two Corpus-NCR members conducted workshops on April 13 at “A Day of Reflection on the Sacredness of the Ordinary” sponsored by the Catholic Network for Women’s Equality, another group with which Corpus-NCR is closely associated. Raymond Lafond’s workshop was entitled “Creative Coping after Disaster”, while Virginia Lafond led one on “Prayer Survival Strategies (when the language of the liturgy remains non-inclusive)”.

On Saturday, May 25 at St. Paul University in Ottawa Corpus-NCR, CCO, and CNWE combine to sponsor a talk by theologian Mary Malone, the author of the three-volume Women and Christianity. Her topic is “To Laugh and Leap in Ordered Dance”.

And looking ahead to the summer, several of our members plan to attend a conference conducted by Irish theologian Diarmuid O’Murchu on the future of the Catholic Church. This will be held at Providence Villa in Kingston, Ontario from July 4-6.