On Monday, February 11, the Sisters of St. Joseph invited the Tyndale community to join them in the chapel at Morrow Park for a symbolic “passing of the keys” service.  Tyndale is set to officially receive the keys to the Morrow Park campus on April 1, but the Sisters wanted to set aside some time for the two communities to worship together, share a bit of the respective histories, and bless one another in future endeavours.

Morrow Park is a really special property, and the chapel is truly stunning.

The service was a great idea, and I think it shows how much the sisters care about Morrow Park – and about its future use.  For them, this beautiful place is not just a building, but a home and a place of spiritual nurture and refreshment.   I really got the sense that, although they are definitely sad to be leaving, the Sisters feel a certain comfort in knowing that their former home is going to continue to be used as a centre for teaching and equipping servants for the church.

After an opening hymn and a  welcome from Sr Thérèse Meunier, Sr Margaret Myatt and Prof Donald Goertz shared a bit about the histories of each community.  The sisters have given themselves over to the service of God and their neighbours in an amazing variety of ways over the decades, and a quick glance at their website today will tell you that they continue to be active in the Toronto area in education, social services, and the arts, among other things.

After intercessory prayer by Sr Sue Mosteller and Regine Leugn, each community presented the other with a gift – a board from the Sisters that recounts some of their history, and an original piece of art from Tyndale.

Then came the most memorable part of the service.  All of the sisters present for the service stood in their places and sang a blessing to the Tyndale community, raising their hands towards us.  The words were:

May the blessing of the Lord be upon you

We bless you in the name of the Lord

May the blessing of the Lord be upon you

We bless you in the name of the Lord

After that, a small group from Tyndale sang this blessing, based on the priestly blessing in Numbers 6. All of us stood in our place and raised our hands towards the Sisters, scattered throughout the chapel.

The Lord bless you and keep you

The Lord make His face shine upon you

And give you peace forever

The Lord be gracious to you

The Lord turn His face towards you

And give you peace forever

I noticed several Sisters wiping tears from their eyes during this song, and in that moment I really felt for them.  It must be rather difficult for them to leave this place behind after 52 years.

Following the service we were all invited to the dining hall for refreshments, and it gave us a chance to talk with some of the Sisters.  They are moving to a new home at Broadview and O’Connor, not too far from where I live now.

At the end of the day, I was struck by the way in which the Sisters are approaching the transition: thoughtfully, reflectively, and prayerfully.  This is clearly more than a real estate transaction for them.  I am thankful for their generous spirit and their willingness to strengthen the connections between their community and ours.

You can see Tyndale’s official write-up about the service here.