We are one family!

With my husband and my grand-daughter, I moved to St. Catharines, Ontario in 2015. The only people that I knew there were my daughter, her husband and their 5 year old son. It was like a new beginning because I grew up in Toronto and knew a lot of people there. I had to find a church and learn where everything was. The first thing I did was introduce myself to the parish priest, a few people at church and my next-door neighbour.

Day by day I was getting to know more people at church and more people in my neighbourhood. I always made a point to greet each of them by name and always included them in my prayers each day.

Since it was a new development, they were still building houses and I got to know some of the builders and the staff who wondered where I went every day. I told them that I go to Mass. With surprise they said “There is a Mass every day?” I said ”Yes and that’s how I start my day.” I got to know most of my neighbours and would always stop to greet them. The first Christmas in my new neighbourhood I gave out apple pies to my neighbours to wish them Merry Christmas. Now it is a tradition in St. Catharines, one that I started in my old neighbourhood in Toronto. Our neighbours have become a big family to us so when someone in the neighbourhood is celebrating a birthday or an anniversary we make it a point to send greetings to that person. My next-door neighbour sold his house and moved away, but we still keep in touch, we’re still very close. The people that bought his house are just as close to me as the old neighbour.

Some of the parishioners learned about the Focolare through me and wanted to know more, so I started a word of life group. We became very close and everyone felt comfortable sharing their lives. At one point they wanted to do a bible study with the group, and I was happy to participate. We met weekly for 24 weeks, and took turns providing the lunch. It was like hanging out with family. We got to know each other very well.

When I hear that someone is looking for a job, I make a point to keep my eyes and ears open and if I hear of anything, I let them know. Also, if a homeless person asks me for help, I always offer them something, most of the time it is monetary. I always say “God bless you” and when I am driving away I say a prayer asking God to help that person improve their situation. I feel that it is a way for me to love Jesus in that person. I never miss an opportunity to say good morning, or hello when I pass someone during my walks, because they are also someone for me to love. Because I’m very consistent with that and walk the same route every day a lot of those people that I say good morning to are now greeting me. Before the pandemic several of us parishioners worked together to raise enough money to sponsor a refugee family.

In my neighbourhood there are different cultures and I respect them all. We are all children of the same father and everyone deserves to be respected. I try to welcome and treat everyone as though they are part of my family.

I know we have a long way to go to build a united world, but if we all just do a little bit in our neighbourhoods, just imagine how beautiful this world would be!

Darlene, St-Catharines, August 2021