A call to prayer

A call to service

A call to love

A Narrative Budget for the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine, 2010

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The SisterhoodA Contemporary Monastic Community

“The whole Church rejoices with you as you mark this occasion

[125th Anniversary of SSJD]. For you we are grateful — for your devotion to prayer, for your many ministries, for your quiet confidence in the Lord and the future into which he is calling and leading our beloved Church. With you we pray for new vocations and for an increase in Associates and Oblates for your Order. On September 8, 1884, Hannah took her Life Vows and founded this community - grounded and rooted in obedience to the Two Great Commandments - to love God and to love one’s neighbour. It would be a community given to prayer and good works, to song and service in the community. Your history is one of openness to the Spirit’s leading and gracing a variety of ministries - prayer, hospitality, companionship in the journey of

faith, spiritual counsel, scholarly research and writing, the creation of beautiful music for sacred texts, teaching and nursing. Yours is a history of practical service to those in varying kinds of need. In you they see God’s goodness and grace.”

Archbishop Fred HiltzHomily, Sept. 8, 2009

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Prayer, Worship, Music

“Your prayers shed light!” – A guest

“Thank you for another year of beautiful music and spiritual growth.” – Staff

Resources required to sustain and grow this ministry: $108,000

Silence and stillness. Music which lifts our souls to God. Being a praying presence in

both the Diocese of Toronto and the Diocese of B.C.

Everyone is welcome in our Chapels, the centre of our life, where they may experience the daily round of worship services or sit in silent contemplation.

Our music is eclectic, grounded in both Anglican and monastic traditions. We sing many of our own compositions and are continuing to experiment in liturgy.

Our whole space – gardens, grounds and labyrinth – may be used to still one’s mind, body and spirit.

We are actively working on $liturgical renewal.

We have a monthly Taizé service $with anointing for healing

In September ‘09 we had a $wonderful concert and display, celebrating the creativity of the Sisters over 125 years.

Our prayer goes on: inward, outward, upward, ever expanding, ever deepening.

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Outreach

“Your dedication in prayer and service is such a blessing to me.” – An Associate

Sr. Anne has several violin students $as a way of reaching out to young people through music.

Sr. Constance Joanna is the $honorary assistant at the Church of the Incarnation.

Resources required to sustain and grow this ministry: $146,000

The Sisters in Victoria have a regular ministry to the elderly and shut-ins and do volunteer work in the Diocese, e.g. at Our Place, a street ministry and drop-in centre.

In all that we do, we seek to promote unity, peace and justice, and to bring healing through our prayers and our presence, not just in the church but in the world. We are passionate about helping others deepen their relation-ship with God through Christ.

More than 900 Associates and Oblates both in Canada and abroad live out their baptismal covenant by follow-ing a rule of life in partnership with us and contributing to our mission.

Preaching and teaching – lead-ing retreats, quiet days and workshops – talking about the

Religious Life – meeting with young people – all of these are aspects of our ministry from coast to coast.

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Guest House“I do thank you for sharing your home with us. It is so clean, comfortable and serene in its simplicity. I found the atmosphere, the grounds, the chapel and environment so conducive to meditating with God and one’s own thoughts.”

– A retreatant

Each year our Guest House $programming includes some internationally-known speakers and authors. This year we are looking forward to Phyllis Tickle and next year to John Bell and Kathleen Norris.

Over 1400 guests a year stay in our $Guest House, of whom more than 50 receive financial assistance through our bursary fund.

Resources required to sustain and grow this ministry: $314,000

We love having guests and sharing our life with them.

We provide a quiet oasis for both day visitors and overnight or long-term guests.

All through the year, hundreds of people join our retreats and quiet days. Parishes and other groups say our Guest House is the perfect place for their own programs. It’s a comfortable place with energy-efficient heating and cooling.

We’re easy to get to by public transportation, and all parts of the convent are accessible to those with physical challenges.

We welcome you to our quiet urban setting with its lovely gardens for prayer, meditation, and renewal.

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Pastoral & Spiritual

Resources required to sustain and grow this ministry: $101,000

“It was so special to have someone to just listen so that I could gain some perspective in my life again.” – A patient

In a world beset by pain and anxiety, there are times when all of us need the support of

others — someone to listen to us with an open heart and mind who can enable us to discover God’s presence in our lives.

At times like this, prayers for healing and comfort or simply a listening ear can help in profound ways. We offer this both through our pastoral care at St. John’s Rehab Hospital and through our ministry of spiritual direction.

We not only visit every patient at the Hospital, but also hold regular services for healing in all our chapels. Patients tell us that our visits and pastoral conversations not only encourage a deeper relationship with God but almost make a difference in their rehabilitation.

The ministry of spiritual direction provided by some of our Sisters and associates continues to increase every year.

“I felt God’s presence in a special way…”

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Education

Resources required to sustain and grow this ministry: $110,000

“My understanding of vocation in general has changed during the program from doing to being.”

- A woman at Crossroads

Education is very important to us. Sr. Sue mentors our Education for Ministry (EFM)

program which includes studies in scripture, church history, spirituality and theological reflection.

Each summer we have a program led by the Sisters called “Women at a Crossroads” for those who are discerning possible changes in their future and seeking guidance in how to serve God in our world.

$ One of the women who attended the Women at a Crossroads Program in 2009 entered the Community in April, 2010.

Two Sisters led a 6-week course on $Passionate Spirituality for a Toronto parish.

Sr. Constance Joanna regularly teaches courses on prayer and on the Benedictine tradition at Wycliffe College.

We have a library of spiritual and theological books for the use of Sisters, guests and students.

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Community Life

“I am very appreciative of all the care and attention. It is a real blessing to

come and share the Offices and your community life, and I feel enriched when I leave.” – A priest staying at B.C. House

Prayer, mutual love and concern, respect and forgiveness are at the heart

of our community life. We try to live our lives quietly, peacefully, and in union with God’s desire for us.

Our community life helps us to satisfy the spiritual hunger in the hearts, minds and spirits of others.

We are committed to caring for each other for the whole of our lives, from the moment we join the Sisterhood to the time of our deaths.

Our future depends upon making our Community better known so that those whom God is calling to the Religious Life may learn about SSJD. You can help us by telling others about us and about our ministry.

Sr. Constance was visited by the new American Ambassador to Canada and presented with a letter from President Obama for her 105th birthday.

Resources required to sustain and grow this ministry: $669,000

9Resources required to sustain and grow this ministry: $239,000

Resources

We have two houses: St. John’s House in BC with a very active ministry to

the Diocese and beyond, and the Mother House in Toronto which supports our work throughout Canada.

Our expenses are kept to a minimum because we have no private property and pool our resources. Most of our work is unpaid although we do receive some honoraria.

We are fortunate to have over 75 dedicated volunteers who work at the convent or St. John’s House presiding at the Eucharist, giving spiritual direction, receiving guests, and helping us in many other ways. They give us more than 3500 hours annually for which we are profoundly grateful.

Nevertheless, wise stewardship requires us to hire well-qualified people to manage our finances,

“You all continue to bless my life and I am grateful. . . Thank you for your faithful example of single-heartedness for God.” – An Associate

work in our infirmary, kitchen, housekeeping, grounds and maintenance as well as helping us with administration.

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Investment in ministriesThe cost

As you will see from the previous pages, our annual expense budget

is allocated to seven ministry areas. It includes all operating expenses as well as salaries for a number of paid employees in the infirmary, kitchen, housekeeping, maintenance, grounds, accounting and administration.

Join us in love and service

“Giving regularly to the Sisterhood is important to me because this is one way I can help support a monastic Community that is a visible praying presence in our Church today; I appreciate their generous, open hospitality which sustains and guides the spiritual journey of so many.”

- An Oblate

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A call to support...The need

Help us answer the call

To meet our budget in recent years, we have had to use investment income to

support operations. As you will see in the diagram, our 2010 budget includes 19% revenue from the investments in our Endowment Fund and 33% from gifts made by our very generous donors.

For a sustainable future, we need to keep our donations healthy and reduce our dependence on investment revenue. Our goal in 2010 is to raise $562,600 in donations which will help preserve the principal of the fund for the future.This is where we need your help.

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The Sisterhood of St. John the Divine

Please fill in the enclosed pledge form and help us to help others in

2010.

We feel God calling us to do more in

our dedication to peace, healing, and wholeness. We’re answering the call with all our strength. But we need your continued

partnership.

Director of DevelopmentThe Sisterhood of

St. John the Divine233 Cummer Avenue

Toronto, ON M2M 2E8416-226-2201, ext. 340

Fax: 416-222-4442development@ssjd.ca