Gathering in St. Margaret’s Chapel and spilling out into the hallway of the guest house, the crowd prayed a rendition of Psalm 23 that included the refrain: “O Good Shepherd, O Good Friend, slow me down, slow me down.”
For Sr. Elizabeth Ann Eckert, the Reverend Mother of the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine, the words had special significance. After two years of renovations, the St. John’s Convent Guest House, an oasis of calm and spiritual nourishment in Toronto, was finally open again.
“Those were perfect words for this place,” she says. “That’s what we want when people come here.”
About 150 people attended the reopening event on Feb. 14. Starting at St. Margaret’s Chapel, the Sisters and their guests processed through the guest house, stopping to pray and reflect at some of the newly refurbished bedrooms, washrooms, pantries and meeting rooms, the entrance and office space, the library and the chapel itself. Between stops, they chanted “love is love is love.”
“It was phenomenal,” says Sr. Elizabeth Ann with a smile.
The event was held to thank everyone who supported the Sisterhood over the past two years and who gave to the financial campaign, which raised $7.8 million, including a $680,000 donation from the Diocese of Toronto. Every diocese in the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario gave to the campaign. Archbishop Fred Hiltz, the former Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, and the Rev. Canon Sr. Constance Joanna Gefvert, SSJD, were co-chairs of the fundraising committee.
“We’re very grateful, and we thank you more than you will know,” says Sr. Elizabeth Ann. “What we’ve done is not for us – it’s for all the people who will come and take advantage of this space and time, to be renewed and refreshed in their own lives and to carry that peacefulness and prayer out with them when they go.”
The two-story guest house, which is connected to St. John’s Convent, can provide overnight accommodation for up to 35 people. It is used for a variety of purposes, including spiritual retreats, programs, meetings or simply as a place for people to rest and reflect in a Christian setting. Guests are welcome to take part in the Sisters’ regular round of prayer and to share meals with them in the convent’s refectory.
Not only has the guest house building been renewed, but so has the activity within it. Staff have started to offer Ignatian-style retreats, and some of the Sisters are training to become spiritual directors to meet a growing need.
The renewal all adds up to fresh energy and a sense of purpose.
“It’s great to be open again and getting back into the swing of things,” says Jeanette Strong, the guest house manager. “It’s lovely to have people who have never been here before reaching out to us and discovering us. We have all these workshops but some are just coming for the silence and to be with God, to unplug from the chaos of the world.”
The guest house doesn’t have a television but it does have WiFi – although many choose not to use it, she says. “A lot of people turn off their phones and just be. The feedback we’ve been getting so far has been really encouraging. People love it here.”
In addition to all the renovated rooms, the guest house has new carpeting, new windows and curtains, new light fixtures and new heating and cooling systems. It has been painted throughout and is fully accessible.
The guest house was built in the 1950s to serve as a residence for the Sisters and some staff who were working at the nearby St. John’s Rehab Hospital. It was lightly refurbished in 2004, around the same time that the new St. John’s Convent was built. The Sisterhood of St. John the Divine was founded in 1884.
I wouldn’t trade where I am for anything else