mattersofthemoment

It’s a beautiful sunny day in Saint Petersburg.‎ We get off the ship at 9h00 and it takes an hour to clear passport control due the large crowd. There are at least 8 cruise shi‎ps in town and it is the first day of World Cup in Russia.

Out tour guide’s name is Marina – the same as our ship. She speaks excellent English and off we go as a group of 16 on a luxury tour bus – day 1 of 3 here.

Saint Petersburg is breathtaking with 400 bridges over the Neva River and canals. The streets are wide, straight and surprisingly uncrowded for a city of 5 million plus. Founded by Peter the Great in 1703, it is Russia’s largest port and known as “The Venice of the North”. The only thing bad here is the weather. If it is nice, here they say wait 10 minutes and it will change. Today is glorious.

We stop for a photo shoot on the Neva. We head for the Peter and Paul Fortress and tour the golden domed cathedral. Inside we see the crypts of Peter the Great, Catherine the Great and many other Tsars.

We drive out into the suburbs and have lunch at a mini-palace facility. Food is somewhat bland like Poland but nourishing. Refueled, we head for the Peterhof Summer Palace.

Peterhof, constructed on the bank of the Baltic, was Peter’s getaway place. Extensive gardens and fountains abound. We tour the palace and marvel at the gold trim everywhere and the beautiful portraits of several Tsar dynasties. The fountains out front are stunning – gold aninals and statues and dozens of smaller fountains surround a 70 ft high fountain. It is all powered by gravity using 300 year old oak pipes designed by Peter himself to the carry water. Stunning!

That night, I head out on a private world cup experience tour with Jack from Virginia. We have our own guide and driver. We take some photos of the new soccer stadium and pick up some souvenirs. We go to a local bar. Everyone is cheering. Russia has just beat Sauida Arabia 5 – 0.

We have some beer and vodka. A fan from Toronto strolls over and explains he has tickets for 5 matches. Two Russians come over and want to have a toast. We drink some vodka and part as friends. We stroll down the Nevsky Prospect. There are hundreds of fans with flags. A large group of Iranians drown out the smaller Moroccan fan contingent. Russians runs by with their flag cheeriing. Everyone smiles and high fives us. Wow, a real international brotherhood experience! We call it a night, a fantastic one.

Our first port is Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Estonia is the smallest of the 3 Baltic States. With a population of only 1.5 million, it is a land of plains, marshes and forests. They speak a Finnish type language and gained their independence from Russia in 1991. Tallinn with a population of 400,000 is the capital and thought to be one of the prettiest cities in the Baltic. It once was one of the largest towns in Europe known as Revel.

We walk into the old town. It’s only 10 minutes away. We enter a maze of cobble stone streets through a massive 14th century stone gate. We find St Olav Lutheran Church. Very sparse inside with upright wooden pews with doors for entry. There is a tower you can climb but we have no Euros so we pass on this.

The town square is a delightful‎, filled with vendors stalls and restaurants and ringed with 3 story colourful buildings and lots of flowers in planters. We wander around and into the shops. Finding a WC is always a challenge. We can’t seem to find any public ones and are refused entry to a restaurant WC because they demand a 1 Euro fee! Finally we stop to have tea at another place and everything works out with a credit card.

We head back to the ship doing a little shopping on the way. Our friends Judy and Bruce have had some sad news. Their nephew was killed in a car accident in Vancouver a few days ago. It’s very tragic. They decide after much thought that they must leave the cruise early in a few days to return for his funeral to be held in St. John’s, Nfld. We really feel their pain and understand their decision. We would do the same thing. So sad, so sudden.

At the captain’s party, we meet the Italian captain and senior officers. After a fun time there, we eat some great sea food in the dining room and call it a night.‎ Tomorrow in St Petersburg will be a big day.

We say goodbye to Stockholm today but not before we find the liquor store! It was about a 10 min walk from our hotel. We stock up on some wine for the cruise. This was after a breakfast of mackerel, carrot juice, whole grain bread and some cheese and nuts – the so called Nordic diet.

We left the hotel at 12h00 and were lunching on mahi mahi‎ at 13h00 on the Marina. One of the smoothest checkins yet! Oceania let’s you bring on as much wine as you want, so we take advantage of that!

Met an American from Virginia on board who said Trump is pummeling Ameri‎cas’ allies such as Canada with the hope Trudeau will cave in!!! It’s all a negotiation and nobody knows what will happen. The art of the negotiation, hmh.

We cruise out through the beautiful Stockholm Archipelago – thousands of rocky treed islands dotted with cabins and houses. It takes us over 3 hours to reach the Baltic. We wonder how sailors ever found their way to and from Stockholm in ancient times.

We enjoy a surf and turf dinner with our friends followed by a little dancing. My pulled hamstring (from too much golf) is slowly healing. We notice the sunset glow is still on the horizon at midnight, Back to our cabin late we drop off after another great day. We give thanks to God that everything is going so smoothly. Ciau!

We made it to Stockholm safely. It was a long day yesterday flying via Montreal and Munich. Everything went very well. Managed to stay up until 9 PM last night after a great feed of muscles and beer with our friends Judy and Bruce from Barrie, ON. Then we crashed!!

Today we spent exploring ‎the old town on Gama Stan Island. We spent hours touring the Royal Palace including the Royal Apartments, The Treasury, the Tre Konor and the Antiquities Museums. I really liked the Louis XVI tapestries, the military orders jewellry and the Roman and Greek busts and statues.

Saw the changing of the guard and enjoyed a fine marching band concert. After a little shopping we wandered over to the City Hall with spectacular views of the water.‎ On to the church where Sweden’s monarchs are buried.

After a short rest we headed out for a superb meal of Swedish meat balls and ‎arctic char with some great craft beer. Completely exhausted we went home very satisfied.

Stockholm is a very beautiful city spread out on dozens of islands. No wine though! We walked and walked and asked and asked and no one could tell us where the liquor store was. Seems they drink only beer here and quite a lot!

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I purchased this book in 1981 and finally got around to reading it.  Marie read it first and that motivated me. It is a great story of an amazing man and ruler.

Peter the Great was born in Moscow in 1672 and died in St. Petersburg in 1725.  He was almost 7 feet tall and had the life long curiosity of a young boy about all things, particularly boats and the sea.  He reigned for 42 years, first as Tsar and then as Emperor of All Russia.  Brutal in repressing dissent and with a temper, he was respected by his enemies and much-loved by his subjects.  He is seen today as being an enlightened despot – a precursor of rulers who came later such as Napoleon Bonaparte, Frederick the Great of Prussia and his own descendant, Catherine the Great.

Known as the Great Reformer, he modernized Russian society where all the land had been owned by the nobility and worked by serfs (unfree peasants) for centuries.  He did this by studying first hand (often incognito) in Holland, Germany and France, the technologies and techniques used to advance these nations e.g., boat design and building.  Then he would personally introduce these new ideas into Russia.  For example he:

• adopted western dress in court society and required long beards to be shaven
• modernized the army into a well-trained, lead and equipped fighting machine initially with imported foreign commanders
• initiated Russian boat building, established the Russian Navy and opened up the Baltic and Black seas to maritime trade
• defeating the mighty Sweden at Poltava in the Ukraine and delicately held the Ottoman empire at bay
• built the magnificent city of Saint Petersburg – the Venice of the North on what had been vacant swamp land
• modernized banking, currency, the justice system, foreign affairs, education and church administration

Peter rallying Russia to victory over Sweden at the Battle of Poltava, 1709

This book reads like a novel and is a real page burner.  I particularly like how Robert Massie writes with complete command of the subject matter – his research is amazing.  He often branches down interesting side paths into the character and life of other key figures such as Charles XII of Sweden and George I of England.  There are a lot of details about the Great Northern War against Sweden but also much interesting  information about Peter’s relationship with his wife Catherine, his personality and the type of food and drink he liked (he was a prodigious drinker and eater).  The book is long at 850 pages and well illustrated with images and maps.

Russia in Peter’s Time

Prior to Peter’s time Russia was seen as a landlocked backwater and military laughing-stock of no import.  Thanks to Peter, Russia became a great power indeed as it is today.  However then as now, not many in the West fully understand Russia perhaps partially because of its geographic immenseness and location. Whenever Russia makes a move to protect her own interests, it is seen by many in the West as sinister and threatening to world peace.  I have more sympathy and respect for Russia and their history as a result of reading this fantastic biography.  I give it a 5 out of 5 rating.  It was a great way to prepare for an upcoming Baltic cruise!  Your comments are always welcome.

I am a lay Associate of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), Lacombe Province Canada.  I was called to this through Marie’s contact with the Galilee Centre in Arnprior where I met my first Oblate priests – Fr. Jack Lau and Fr. Roy Boucher, some 8 years ago.

I recently took a course about the life of St. Eugene de Mazenod, the founder of the Oblates.  I wish to discuss a few ideas here so that I don’t forget what I learned!

Eugene de Mazenod was born into a noble family in Aix-en-Provence, France in 1782.  His family had to flee to Italy during the French Revolution, 1789 to 1799.  Returning home, he had a conversion experience in church on Good Friday in 1807.  It led him to become a priest, found the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and become Bishop of Marseilles.  He died in 1861 with his last words practice charity, charity, charity. He was canonized in 1995 by Pope John Paul II.  You can read his full biography here.

The charism of the Oblates is a love of Church and desire to evangelize the poor about the immense love Jesus Christ has for each and everyone of us.  In the process we are evangelized ourselves: Evangelizare pauperibus misit me

St. Eugene taught us “We must strive first of all to lead people to act like human beings, and then like Christians, and finally, we must help them to become saints.”  Oblates live in community where they strengthen each other in faith, in charity, enriching each other from discovery of God and of Christ who lives and works in us and in the world.  As a lay associate I get to know many Oblates, learn from them and strive to live my life in a way that is in harmony with this charism.

It is indeed a privilege, honour and blessing.  What attracted me to the Oblates is their accessibility – as missionaries, they are among the people.  In an Oblate gathering you would not automatically know who are the priests and who are not!  Secondly, they are Christ focused.  My personal relationship with Jesus Christ is extremely important to me.  Thirdly, there is an emphasis on life long formation (learning) and conversion (perfecting my relationship with God and Jesus Christ).

Mary Immaculate is our patron saint and model.  Lastly there is hospitality, something magical that happens at every Oblate gathering. I wish to borrow a few words from Fr. James Behrens a Trappist monk as they gave me insight to write this posting about the Oblates.  He says:

“God reveals himself through the communal ritual of eating and drinking. Through the Eucharist, we believe God remembers himself for us.  He is brought to our midst and once again nourishes us with his very flesh and blood. We consume his life and he becomes, very intimately, a living part of us. When we leave the sacred table and reimmerse ourselves in the mundane routines of life, we bear God within us.  The body and blood of Jesus is indeed food for our journey through life.” (Living Faith, June 3, 2018)

Thank you St. Eugene for your apostolic zeal and the gift of the Oblate charism – love, patience, acceptance of differences and a focus on the poor which the world needs now more than ever.  And, most importantly, being nourished ourselves on the journey to sainthood.

Many of us continue to receive requests for funding of aging bricks and mortar upkeep expenses.  We usually respond with a donation.  Is this the right thing to do?  What are the alternatives?

Of course it is the right thing to do is the simple answer.  If we want to continue to have places to to worship in, to go on retreat or pilgrimage to or to live in, it takes money today to keep the doors open, comfortable and safe tomorrow.  But how does one decide when the time comes to close those doors and seek an alternative?

Usually this relates to the increasing cost of renovations and maintenance of a facility beyond which it is simply not economic to maintain.  We saw this recently in Ottawa where a large number of 60 year old rental town homes are to be demolished and newer structures built as decided by the corporate owner/developer.

For aging churches and religious retreat houses and shrines, the long standing tradition of their presence in the community can be hard to end.  Generations of patrons have supported the facility with funds and participation and would be most upset if they were to suddenly to close.

However, owners of these religious facilities, dioceses and religious orders cannot be expected to underwrite the ever increasing cost of maintaining aging infrastructure beyond the point they believe is economically feasible.  Closure is not only influenced by the available level of financial support from the communtiy but as well by the availability of pastors and lay volunteers to operate and animate the structure.  

So when your local church suddenly closes it’s doors, what will be  the alternatives?  I went to a conference a few years back all about repurposing of religious facilities such as creation of multi-congregation shared worship facilities.  Many churches, retreat centres, convents and monasteries have closed and resurfaced as community centres, concert halls or museums (e.g., in Europe).  Many sites too have been sold to the highest bidder however a portion of the facility is often preserved for heritage purposes.  In the end, it is often a sad day, signalling a change in the local communities support. But what can we do as parishioners now before our beloved church or retreat centre is closed?  I posed this question to an Oblate priest recently and here is his response:

Talk to your local pastor and bishop about your willingness to establish a lay led prayer group that would continue to meet in people’s homes and be supported with visits by ordained priests or ministers. This is the way the church started pre-bricks and mortar. Is this the way of the future?

I spent two-thirds of my 25 year government career working for Measurement Canada (MC).  These are the people who certify the accuracy of gas pumps, weigh scales, electricity and gas meters, either directly or through partners.  It was a great experience working as an engineer, a laboratory manager and program officer.  I got to work with dozens of wonderful people all across Canada as well as travel to the U.S and Europe.

What do they do in the Standards Building you might wonder?  They test and approve new meters and weigh scales before they can be used in trade.  They also calibrate measurement standards used for certifying in-situ measuring devices e.g., test weights.  Hum drum work you may think – but getting what you pay for in trade measurement is a fundamental marketplace right of buyers and sellers that has existed since iniquity.  Weights and Measures was the no. 17 responsibility of the federal government in the Constitution Act of 1867.

Well the other day, I went back for a visit.  The occasion was the retirement of boss and colleague Alan who was MC’s President since it’s inception in the mid 90’s.  Alan is a very affable leader who gained the respect of every one he came in contact with. He is a very gifted speaker, able to toss out one liners and get a laugh on any occasion.  For e.g., Industry Canada the home department of MC, has now been renamed from ‘IC’ (I see) to ‘ISED’ (I said) (Industry, Science and Economic Development), Alan explained with glee.

I had not been in the Standards Building since 2002 so it was a wonderful experience to go back and see colleagues and friends.  Sadly, several people have passed away and some others are not so well.  Some look exactly the same as they did 16+ years ago and there were a lot of new young faces.  There were speeches, lots if memories and we were almost in tears as we reminisced about the good old days.  Alan had us in stitches as he recalled some humerous experiences he had over the years.  He started his government career in 1972 (when he was 3 years old ha!)  He was President of the International Organization of Legal Metrology in Paris for 6 years and well known for his volunteer corporate work in classification and the United Way.

Colleagues

VP Sonia

Retired VP René

Retired VP Gilles

Alan has the last word, IC is now ISED

This was a two stage retirement party.  Two weeks later there was a second get together at ISED at 235 Queen St.  This too was special as I worked there for 8 years in corporate HR after my MC days.  It was great to meet up with my old team members Sawsan, Bernard and Abu and catch up.  The memories are great.  I really miss you guys but not necessarily the commute, endless meetings, etc.

Thank you MC and ISED for the great career experiences, the friendships and all those wonderful memories.  Hope to see you all again soon.  Stay well and have a happy retirement Alan.

Dave Morgan

As we said goodbye to Florida we enjoyed some last get-togethers with our American friends.  It was the last social party night of the season at the pool.  But before that we enjoyed a few other special activities.

Larry, Cindy, Kevin

Cousin Larry from Ottawa, Cindy from Ohio and Kevin from Michigan (brother of Cindy) and I enjoyed a great round of golf at Myerlee. It was a perfect afternoon of fun and not about the score.  It was a great way to end the golf season down here after playing 11 times including a round with son Kyle when he visited this year.   Larry and I made plans to play the Oaks of Cobden later this summer.  Thanks you guys for the great day!

Yoga in the park was another favorite activity for us again this year.  Anna and her husband Chip run the Yoga Bird studio in FM.  They provide an hour of (free will donation) yoga in Alliance for the Arts Park every Saturday.  I find yoga quite grounding, especially when outside, and look forward to continuing under Marie’s expert guidance.

There were some other last call activities.

Deb and the Dynamics at the Tiki Hut, Cape Coral

Last walk on Bunche Beach

The final pool social is organized expertly by Sam each year.  Everyone is starting to think about heading home but needs one more blast before doing so.  This year was no exception and it was another great success.

Sam from the New Jersey shore, knows how to organize a great party

Sam’s wife Susan dancing with John

There is plenty of tasty food – BBQ sausage, burgers, salads, rich desserts and hot dowgs!  There is a DJ that plays music that gets us all up dancing.  There is lots of laughter and gaiety as we reflect on another warm winter down here.  I took a few pics of our American friends for posterity purposes.

Chuck hams it up with the DJs

Janice and Murray, Branson, MO with friend

Dee and Ron, Atlanta, GA

Carol and Bernie, Mentor, OH

Jimmy and Margaret, Boston, MA

Pat and Marty, Boston, MA

Elizabeth and John, Ottawa, ON

Cindy and Chuck, Ohio

‘Sisters’ Marie and Cindy

It’s hard to find something not to like at our condo complex and we made so many great friends.  Nevertheless we have decided to go to Mexico next year to seek a new adventure.  So for now, this was our last get together with our winter family in FM.  We asked Tricia our condo owner not to forget about us as we could be back the following year, God willing.  Going to miss you guys, but never say never!  Until we meet again in FM or elsewhere…thanks for all these memories.  Ain’t that America, eh?

Luv to y’all!

Marie and Dave

Beautiful jacaranda in full bloom