Voices November 02, 2023
Letters: daughter’s devotion inspired Little Flower statue
By Letters to the Editor
The Oct. 23 B.C. Catholic carried the story of the new statue of St. Therese of Lisieux at Gardens of Gethsemani Cemetery and how it came about as a tribute to my daughter Maria Ellen Waslen. I would like to take a moment to provide a fuller portrait of the remarkable woman she was and her devotion to St. Therese, and to clear up some inaccuracies in the original story.
In 2019, at the age of 67, Maria Ellen passed away suddenly from a massive heart attack on the first of October 2019, which is the feast day of St. Therese. Maria Ellen was not a cancer battler, as the story said, and before her sudden death she had spent summers travelling on pilgrimages to the Holy Land. She was living a healthy and vibrant life until one day she passed away in her home.
One of the passions in Maria Ellen’s life was her dedication to St. Therese of Lisieux, whom she admired greatly. Such was her great devotion to the Little Flower that she was a member of the St. Therese Society in Niagara Falls, Ont.
Her dream, one she shared with me, was to create a sanctuary where individuals could find solace, reflect, and pray for their loved ones. This vision materialized in the form of the magnificent St. Therese statue that now stands at Gardens of Gethsemani.
I initiated the process of bringing St. Therese to the cemetery, working closely with Father Stanley Galvon and the board of directors to fund the installation of the statue as a tribute to Maria Ellen’s devotion. The statue was approved and cemetery director Peter Nobes coordinated with my son Mark to have the memorial placed beside Maria Ellen’s final resting place, where I will one day join her.
Maria Ellen’s impact extended beyond her personal life. Even in retirement, she continued to shine brightly, earning a distinguished 35-year service award from the Ontario Dental Association in recognition of her commitment to excellence and the lasting impression she made on her profession.
Maria Ellen was a testament to the beauty of a life lived fully, and her passing left an indelible mark on all who knew her. The profound connection she had with St. Therese inspired the creation of the shrine, not just as a tribute, but as a legacy of faith and love that continues to inspire those who knew her.
Mary Ann Waslen
Vancouver
Father Deacon Andrew Bennett’s Oct. 2 column, “Charity demands shaking hands at Mass,” brought a smile to my face.
An old Greek friend told me that when he was young, men in his Orthodox Church, especially during Easter Mass, tried to position themselves right next to attractive young women because kissing the person next to you as a sign of peace was part of the liturgy. Even years afterward, he still recalled these services with glee.
But do I want to shake hands with the people next to me in church? No. Am I lacking love? Absolutely not! It’s common practice to shake hands with a lawyer or a businessperson after an agreement, but is there any love involved? No. Neither handshakes nor kisses are needed in our churches.
Many things can indicate love, including offering a smile or food to someone begging outside the church, giving someone a ride to church, introducing oneself to a new parishioner or someone at church you don’t know, or bringing treats for a community meal at the church. Most of all, greet others with a smile – even the bus driver or store clerk.
Are these expressions of love? Yes.
Marianne Werner
Vancouver
All Soul’s Day Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ
We pray today on all
Souls day and
We remember our loved ones
Who have sadly passed away and there
Beating inside our hearts every day
There smiling away and
With the Lord’s presence and
His love deep inside our heart’s and
Our Lord’s strength to heal
Our broken hearts
And to have our Lord’s perfect trust
And his everlasting love is
Forever inside our healing hearts
Amen Lord Jesus Christ.
David P. Carroll
Vancouver
As I struggle with all the publicity about truth and reconciliation, let me get something off my chest. I attended a Catholic convent run by the Order of Grey Nuns from 1951 to 1962 and received the best education possible at that time from very good and personable nuns and priests.
I question why coverage of the residential schools story does not give credit to priests, nuns, or anyone else who taught and administered the schools at that time. It was horribly wrong that children were forced out of their homes to attend residential schools, and this should never have happened. I have no doubt that the accounts of abuse and hardship are true.
However, I have not seen any positive stories reported anywhere. Were all these nuns, priests, and administrators abusers and monsters? A very harsh picture has been painted of this part of our history that leaves me very sad for everyone involved.
Monique Shoblom
Richmond
Amanda Achtman presents a one-sided view of the terrible situation in Gaza. By now, many people have come to be aware of the history of activities in Gaza that consist of major efforts, carried out over many decades, to isolate, constrict, and eliminate the Palestinians living there.
Jewish organizations, such as Independent Jewish Voices, have published statements condemning not only the actions of Hamas but, more importantly, the ongoing repression of the inhabitants of Gaza. It is impossible to conceive of a people being so badly treated and just accepting it.
The very best we here in far-away Canada can do is educate ourselves about the WHOLE picture and history of the Middle East.
Penny Oyama
Burnaby
I was disheartened to read the recent letter dismissing the scientific consensus regarding climate change. In his apostolic exhortation “Laudate Deum,” Pope Francis writes that “the signs of climate change are here and increasingly evident” and “[i]t is no longer possible to doubt the human – ‘anthropic’ – origin of climate change.”
The U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in its latest comprehensive report, states that “[h]uman activities, principally through emissions of greenhouse gases, have unequivocally caused global warming.” The science does not have to be “settled” to be unmistakable in its basic meaning, and every day it is more rigorously and thoroughly established.
It is true that Pope Francis is not a climatologist, but he is nevertheless an informed and discerning commentator speaking with authority and the support of expert scientific advice. As I understand, the purpose of Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical and his recent exhortation is not “to include climate change inside Catholic doctrine” but rather to draw attention to climate change as an imperative ethical, spiritual, and social challenge of stewardship not only for the beauty and diversity of Creation but also for common human well-being and the lives of unborn generations.
What reasons do we have for stopping our ears instead of responding to this charitable – although difficult – message?
Connor Page
Surrey
Re the Oct. 30 story “Canadian Armed Forces ban God from Remembrance Day services”:
What is happening with this country? I cannot believe the disrespect being unleashed on Remembrance Day services by not having prayers. How shameful.
Leta Gagliardi
Edmonton