Sister Jean Goulet's remarks: National Housing Day 2018
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Sister Jean Goulet was the keynote speaker at National Housing Day on Sun., Nov. 18, 2018. In response to requests from many attendees that day we have made her remarks available in full below.
"Good afternoon everyone: It is good to be with you today! I appreciate the invitation to look back at our beginnings as an organization and I am extremely grateful to Sue Evans and Gay Richardson for their invaluable assistance in preparing this reflection and especially to Gay’s superb minutes from our early days together! So let me tell you our story … In the beginning, we were a small group at the Catholic Diocese, members of the Social Mission of the Church Commission. In the year 2000 we had been very involved in the debt cancellation campaign for the heavily indebted developing countries. |
So the question was asked: Is there an issue close to home that we should also be addressing? Sue Evans immediately piped up with “affordable housing.” At that time Sue was working as a chaplain at the Ottawa West End Community chaplaincy, and saw the need first hand!
I seconded her motion because I had read that there were 9,000 families on the waiting list for affordable housing. To me that was unconscionable in the “fat cat” city of Ottawa! How could this be?
The others on the Commission agreed and so we set up a housing committee …
A housing committee of two – each of us coming to the issue from different perspectives!
Where do we begin?
By listening – to tenants in the area where Sue worked! We listened to her working partner, Rev. Rob Campbell, and others involved with social housing. During that listening period, we heard from women who said they paid so much in rent that had little left over for other necessities of life, for food, for medicine, etc.. How difficult it was to make ends meet when the rent was so high – or families living in motel units since there was such a lack of affordable housing. And we know that decent affordable housing is a basic right for all! During this time the Rockcliffe airbase was closed, and we were aware of all these empty houses, so we tried to get some of them used for affordable housing. A decision was made that 10 would stay, so we had a great time trying to get furniture for these houses! Des Garvey was a great support in following through on this.
During this time, we rec’d a phone call from Gay Richardson from St. John’s Anglican, saying that they too had a housing committee, but did not know what to do, and asked if they could join us. So we widened our tent to welcome Gay and Rev. Garth Bulmer, along with Brian Kinsley and Liz Tyrwhitt from the United Church, and Rob Campbell and John Lugsdin from the Baptist community.
From a Catholic Housing Committee, we became an Ecumenical housing committee, until at one meeting, Ron Kolbus, a city councilor at the time, suggested that perhaps people from other faith perspectives might be interested – so soon we were joined by Rubin Friedman and Teena Hendelman from the Jewish community, Mukhtar Malik from the Muslim community and we had great support from the Hindu leader Pandit Madhu Sahasrabudhe! Thus we became an interfaith Housing Committee! So you see it was an organic development… we did not start out with this ready-made idea of what it would become. This interfaith collaboration was a gradual evolution!
We were blessed when Bill Teron began coming to our meetings. Bill was a member of the mayor’s task force on Affordable Housing and he challenged us to think big! He thought it would be wonderful if all the churches, synagogues, mosques etc. would apply for funding so as to build new non-profit affordable housing.
So: In 2001 we were an Interfaith Housing Committee. In 2002, we formed an interim executive to form a non-profit charitable organization. Garth Bulmer and I were co-chairs, Gay Richardson was secretary. Once we became incorporated, Garth was the president, Gay secretary, Mukhtar Malik Treasurer, and I was the vice-president. In May of that year, we adopted our new name: Multifaith Housing Initiative.
For the first two years, until 2004, our goal was to assist faith communities to build. But with time, we realized that was not happening!
At one meeting, Sister Betty Ann Kinsella, the founder and director of Youville Centre asked, “Why doesn’t MHI buy a property and get started?” That question led to quite a discussion as to how this would happen! And so with a change in our by-laws, major fund raising, and a very generous loan from Ellie and Clarke Topp, we have Kent House, a five-unit apartment building, our first property!
By this time we had significant participation from a variety of faith groups. I saw this as a great way to get more people involved in supporting more affordable housing. Sue saw the importance of the faith dimension, and so a Faith Community Advisory Committee, chaired by Sue, was started. These people from different faith perspectives met regularly and their task, as indicated in the 2003 First Annual report, “was to assist MHI in meeting its goal to help faith communities to develop, with those being housed, intentional, empowering and sustaining relationships that are faith-based, at the same time respecting diversity" (p. 4). The members thus began “a process of faith-sharing and reflection in order to experience and model the kind of faith-based community in action which the MHI would like to promote.” We even participated in a full-day retreat in which we shared our own faith with each other.
From these early days the Interfaith aspect would undergird MHI. Our hope too, was that the patrons would be able to help in this regard. Before leaving our committee, Bill Teron drafted a consultation paper to be used in discussion with patrons, and every person asked to be a patron, accepted! A meeting of the patrons, faith leaders who were supportive of MHI, was held in the Parliament Hill office of then-MP David Kilgour, on Dec. 12, 2002. Over time, we realized that it was important to involve the patrons in the organization. So why not ask them to become involved in something that is in their “toolkit,” so to speak, to participate in an interfaith prayer service on National Housing Day. The first event was held in St. Basil’s Parish – a very simple prayer service but it was a beginning. Subsequent services have been held yearly at City Hall – once at Centrepointe.
What are the advantages of being Multifaith?
Many of us at the time were already involved in various dialogues – Muslim/ Christian; Jewish/Christian – and Religions for Peace, Women for Peace – but this was a different kind of dialogue – here we were not discussing doctrine or beliefs but a shared call to care for our sisters and brothers in need. We began each board meeting with a reflection from a faith tradition, and over time, we grew in greater understanding of each other, and a strong realization that there is more that unites us rather than divides us. We have much in common with each other. The faith tradition of each major religion calls its members to love their neighbours, perhaps the wording is different, but the meaning is the same. As Christians we hear the words of Jesus who said, “Love one another as I have loved you!” Each faith group challenges its followers to care for each other!
At MHI - What have we learned from each other?
The call to compassion is the same!
The call to care for those in need, is the same!
The call to service, is the same!
This call, that is similar to all, unites us in the common desire to create a better society!
We believe in our common humanity!
We learn from our environment that all is interconnected- one with the other!
Getting to know each other through our board and committee meetings, our walks together in the Tulipathon, helps us create bonds of understanding and empathy! After the terrible killings in Pittsburgh, some of us attended a prayer service at Kehillat Beth Israel Synagogue where Rabbi Kenter welcomed everyone and in particular the other clergy whom he knows because of MHI! From the back row in the synagogue, I almost jumped for joy.
Because there is so much sadness and misery in the world caused by distrust and hatred of the other, our multifaith model can help, I believe, to create a more caring and more accepting society. To create a compassionate society, it seems to me that we need to do more that “tolerate” the other – the one who is different – the one who prays differently – the one who dresses differently – we need to learn to accept the other, to welcome the other, to embrace the other!
A couple of years ago I was asked to show a Bishop from Africa around Ottawa. So I took him to the Haven and then to our office downtown. He was impressed! Although he has a good relationship with the imam in his local community in Burkina Faso, they had never done anything together – our model gave him a great incentive to return home and see what they might do collaboratively!
Our journey down memory lane, shows that, at the beginning, we did not have a vivid idea of what we were going to do. The questions people asked us helped us to go from step to step – and now when I look back, I am so amazed at how MHI has developed. It is testimony to the faith of endless number of volunteers who give of their time, their energy, their vision, their creativity and their hard earned financial contributions, to make MHI a reality.
In the beginning, we said we were Multifaith yet respecting diversity! Do people who say they have no faith feel welcome in MHI? What about those who say, “I am spiritual, not religious”? Can all these people find a place in MHI... a home in MHI?
I hope so … our goal is to respect diversity – all are welcome!
In our founding document of Feb.7, 2001 we state:
“Faith communities have an important and unique role to play among those who seek solutions to the crisis in affordable housing in Canada. We, as people of faith, from a variety of traditions: “Share spiritual values that motivate us to promote inclusive and healthy communities with the key element being the provision of adequate housing for all.”
The fact that we are multi faith both models for our tenants the nature of Canada (many have come from places of conflict that were based on religion) and gives us the capacity to provide faith based volunteer support from their own tradition.
As the Charter of Compassion states: “The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves.”
A few weeks ago I attended an interfaith musical celebration at St. Martin de Porres Church in Bells Corners. It was beautiful and concluded with the song “We are all the leaves of one tree” – the title is a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh. Are we not leaves from the same tree. Waves from the same ocean? So why should we not work together to create beautiful home space for all?"
I seconded her motion because I had read that there were 9,000 families on the waiting list for affordable housing. To me that was unconscionable in the “fat cat” city of Ottawa! How could this be?
The others on the Commission agreed and so we set up a housing committee …
A housing committee of two – each of us coming to the issue from different perspectives!
Where do we begin?
By listening – to tenants in the area where Sue worked! We listened to her working partner, Rev. Rob Campbell, and others involved with social housing. During that listening period, we heard from women who said they paid so much in rent that had little left over for other necessities of life, for food, for medicine, etc.. How difficult it was to make ends meet when the rent was so high – or families living in motel units since there was such a lack of affordable housing. And we know that decent affordable housing is a basic right for all! During this time the Rockcliffe airbase was closed, and we were aware of all these empty houses, so we tried to get some of them used for affordable housing. A decision was made that 10 would stay, so we had a great time trying to get furniture for these houses! Des Garvey was a great support in following through on this.
During this time, we rec’d a phone call from Gay Richardson from St. John’s Anglican, saying that they too had a housing committee, but did not know what to do, and asked if they could join us. So we widened our tent to welcome Gay and Rev. Garth Bulmer, along with Brian Kinsley and Liz Tyrwhitt from the United Church, and Rob Campbell and John Lugsdin from the Baptist community.
From a Catholic Housing Committee, we became an Ecumenical housing committee, until at one meeting, Ron Kolbus, a city councilor at the time, suggested that perhaps people from other faith perspectives might be interested – so soon we were joined by Rubin Friedman and Teena Hendelman from the Jewish community, Mukhtar Malik from the Muslim community and we had great support from the Hindu leader Pandit Madhu Sahasrabudhe! Thus we became an interfaith Housing Committee! So you see it was an organic development… we did not start out with this ready-made idea of what it would become. This interfaith collaboration was a gradual evolution!
We were blessed when Bill Teron began coming to our meetings. Bill was a member of the mayor’s task force on Affordable Housing and he challenged us to think big! He thought it would be wonderful if all the churches, synagogues, mosques etc. would apply for funding so as to build new non-profit affordable housing.
So: In 2001 we were an Interfaith Housing Committee. In 2002, we formed an interim executive to form a non-profit charitable organization. Garth Bulmer and I were co-chairs, Gay Richardson was secretary. Once we became incorporated, Garth was the president, Gay secretary, Mukhtar Malik Treasurer, and I was the vice-president. In May of that year, we adopted our new name: Multifaith Housing Initiative.
For the first two years, until 2004, our goal was to assist faith communities to build. But with time, we realized that was not happening!
At one meeting, Sister Betty Ann Kinsella, the founder and director of Youville Centre asked, “Why doesn’t MHI buy a property and get started?” That question led to quite a discussion as to how this would happen! And so with a change in our by-laws, major fund raising, and a very generous loan from Ellie and Clarke Topp, we have Kent House, a five-unit apartment building, our first property!
By this time we had significant participation from a variety of faith groups. I saw this as a great way to get more people involved in supporting more affordable housing. Sue saw the importance of the faith dimension, and so a Faith Community Advisory Committee, chaired by Sue, was started. These people from different faith perspectives met regularly and their task, as indicated in the 2003 First Annual report, “was to assist MHI in meeting its goal to help faith communities to develop, with those being housed, intentional, empowering and sustaining relationships that are faith-based, at the same time respecting diversity" (p. 4). The members thus began “a process of faith-sharing and reflection in order to experience and model the kind of faith-based community in action which the MHI would like to promote.” We even participated in a full-day retreat in which we shared our own faith with each other.
From these early days the Interfaith aspect would undergird MHI. Our hope too, was that the patrons would be able to help in this regard. Before leaving our committee, Bill Teron drafted a consultation paper to be used in discussion with patrons, and every person asked to be a patron, accepted! A meeting of the patrons, faith leaders who were supportive of MHI, was held in the Parliament Hill office of then-MP David Kilgour, on Dec. 12, 2002. Over time, we realized that it was important to involve the patrons in the organization. So why not ask them to become involved in something that is in their “toolkit,” so to speak, to participate in an interfaith prayer service on National Housing Day. The first event was held in St. Basil’s Parish – a very simple prayer service but it was a beginning. Subsequent services have been held yearly at City Hall – once at Centrepointe.
What are the advantages of being Multifaith?
Many of us at the time were already involved in various dialogues – Muslim/ Christian; Jewish/Christian – and Religions for Peace, Women for Peace – but this was a different kind of dialogue – here we were not discussing doctrine or beliefs but a shared call to care for our sisters and brothers in need. We began each board meeting with a reflection from a faith tradition, and over time, we grew in greater understanding of each other, and a strong realization that there is more that unites us rather than divides us. We have much in common with each other. The faith tradition of each major religion calls its members to love their neighbours, perhaps the wording is different, but the meaning is the same. As Christians we hear the words of Jesus who said, “Love one another as I have loved you!” Each faith group challenges its followers to care for each other!
At MHI - What have we learned from each other?
The call to compassion is the same!
The call to care for those in need, is the same!
The call to service, is the same!
This call, that is similar to all, unites us in the common desire to create a better society!
We believe in our common humanity!
We learn from our environment that all is interconnected- one with the other!
Getting to know each other through our board and committee meetings, our walks together in the Tulipathon, helps us create bonds of understanding and empathy! After the terrible killings in Pittsburgh, some of us attended a prayer service at Kehillat Beth Israel Synagogue where Rabbi Kenter welcomed everyone and in particular the other clergy whom he knows because of MHI! From the back row in the synagogue, I almost jumped for joy.
Because there is so much sadness and misery in the world caused by distrust and hatred of the other, our multifaith model can help, I believe, to create a more caring and more accepting society. To create a compassionate society, it seems to me that we need to do more that “tolerate” the other – the one who is different – the one who prays differently – the one who dresses differently – we need to learn to accept the other, to welcome the other, to embrace the other!
A couple of years ago I was asked to show a Bishop from Africa around Ottawa. So I took him to the Haven and then to our office downtown. He was impressed! Although he has a good relationship with the imam in his local community in Burkina Faso, they had never done anything together – our model gave him a great incentive to return home and see what they might do collaboratively!
Our journey down memory lane, shows that, at the beginning, we did not have a vivid idea of what we were going to do. The questions people asked us helped us to go from step to step – and now when I look back, I am so amazed at how MHI has developed. It is testimony to the faith of endless number of volunteers who give of their time, their energy, their vision, their creativity and their hard earned financial contributions, to make MHI a reality.
In the beginning, we said we were Multifaith yet respecting diversity! Do people who say they have no faith feel welcome in MHI? What about those who say, “I am spiritual, not religious”? Can all these people find a place in MHI... a home in MHI?
I hope so … our goal is to respect diversity – all are welcome!
In our founding document of Feb.7, 2001 we state:
“Faith communities have an important and unique role to play among those who seek solutions to the crisis in affordable housing in Canada. We, as people of faith, from a variety of traditions: “Share spiritual values that motivate us to promote inclusive and healthy communities with the key element being the provision of adequate housing for all.”
The fact that we are multi faith both models for our tenants the nature of Canada (many have come from places of conflict that were based on religion) and gives us the capacity to provide faith based volunteer support from their own tradition.
As the Charter of Compassion states: “The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves.”
A few weeks ago I attended an interfaith musical celebration at St. Martin de Porres Church in Bells Corners. It was beautiful and concluded with the song “We are all the leaves of one tree” – the title is a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh. Are we not leaves from the same tree. Waves from the same ocean? So why should we not work together to create beautiful home space for all?"
