Community Views

Corpus-NCR: The Experiment Continues

   After a summer hiatus, Corpus-NCR resumed its experiment of gathering in a community centre in Ottawa. On September 14 the locale, as it was last April, was the Pine Hill Estate Community Centre where Jim and Mary Humphrey live. The co-hosts were Bob Part and Sharon Gravelle. Sharon prepared a beautiful liturgy on the theme of the "River of Life," which she introduced with the following words: "We gather again after the summer, to share what we have done, where we  have travelled, and what were the joys and sorrows since we last saw each other. As we begin our Corpus gatherings for our 13th year, we light our candle and pause to look at our journey." That journey was seen as a "river of life," which like water itself takes many different forms. These forms - from calm waters to whirlpools and sandbars to storms to the covenant that follows the storms  - were the basis for prayers, scripture readings, hymns, and individual and shared reflections on each of these facets of life. Several members brought non-perishable goods to give to the needy.
October 19-20 was the time of our annual retreat with Concerned Catholics of Ottawa and the Catholic Network for Women's Equality at the Galilee Centre in Arnprior, Ontario. The focus of the retreat, organised and directed by members of these groups themselves, was the Gospel of Mark and its relevance to our lives today. Each of the thirty or so people who attended brought with them a copy of the gospel, which was studied and discussed in the large group and in small groups, and celebrated in prayer and a closing liturgy. One of the highlights of the retreat was the showing of the film Jesus of Montreal on Saturday night, and the lively exchange on it the following morning. On Saturday afternoon several retreatants attended Mass in the local church St. John Chrysostom. We were blessed with wonderful fall weather and an abundance of red leaves on the Galilee property, as well as the usual fine fare served at the Centre.
Our next gathering, on November 23, saw us in another community centre, this one part of the community where Gerry Mulvilhill and Germaine Stanley live. The event was co-hosted by Jack Shea and Jean James, and Joe and Maureen McIntyre, with Jack Shea presiding over the liturgy.  
Once again the community centre with its ample space for kitchen facilities, dining room for our potluck supper, and another area for liturgy and socializing was ideal for our needs. In such a facility several couples and individuals are able to share the work of hosting the event. While we do not have a permanent centre in which to hold our gatherings, we are grateful to those who have shared their community centres with us so far. And so, the experiment continues...

Earth Credo, taken from a longer "Earth Credo" by Elizabeth A. Tapia of Asia, was recited at a Corpus-NCR, CCO, CNWE liturgy on June 2, 2002, on the grounds of the home of Paul and Saundra Glynn.

I believe in the sacredness of the earth,
The integrity of the whole creation,
The dignity of all peoples and creatures.
I believe in a gracious God who created humankind
Male and female in God's image
And gave them the gift of responsibility
To take care of the earth.
We need to care.
I believe in the interwovenness of life:
Creator and creatures...breath and prayer
Cosmic and individual...food and freedom
West, North, East, South...
Sexuality and spirituality...ecology and theology.
I therefore commit myself,
Together with concerned people everywhere,
To take care of Mother Earth,
To advocate for peace and justice,
To choose and celebrate life.

Paul Howard