Sukyi's Pilgrimage: In the Steps of Mother Clare
Early on Monday July 5, Sisters Joan Ward, CSJP, Sukyi Hur, CSJP and Alexine Anderson, CSJP left Walm Lane, London and headed up the M1 motorway. The morning was bright and clear with little traffic on the road at this early morning hour! We were on our own pilgrimage to the tomb of Mother Clare Cusack, the Founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, to follow, in some way, a few of the inspirational steps taken by her and our pioneer Sisters as they nurtured the seeds of our new Congregation in 1884. As part of Sukyi's three months Formation experience as a second year Novice here in the UK, Sister Joan Ward has been preparing her for this sacred journey by highlighting many of the important documents in our Congregational History since its Foundation in 1884.
Our first stop on the journey was at Leamington, the house where Clare was welcomed by friends in 1896 and where she died. We managed to step inside the door, as it was open when we arrived. A workman was renovating the kitchen, and he gave us the "go ahead" to stand in this wonderful space inside the large hallway. Just imagine, standing there within the walls where Margaret Anna had lived for a short time and where she died. Indeed an awesome 
moment for us!
From 21 Lansdowne Crescent, we made our way to Leamington public cemetery, a short drive from Lansdowne Crescent. Finding the grave is no longer a problem, as many times Sisters have been taken there since the 1970 Chapter during which it was decided by the Chapter members to reclaim Mother Clare as our Founder. On the way to the cemetery, we bought a beautiful plant to place on her grave and we prayed the prayer Joan had ready for this special moment.
We reflected on the following:
"Over the years our Charism has blossomed, it began with Mother Clare, Mother Evangelista and Bishop Bagshawe and grew through the lives of all those who followed them, each one adding a new dimension through her unique experience and giftedness. We are brought to this day and called to continue with the assurance of God's love and inspiration - is "anything too marvelous for God". Genesis 18
Together we can meet this challenge.
As part of our prayer and reflection we remembered in prayer all of those who have gone before us. We prayed too, for those Sisters and Associates who are now on the journey, those who are beginning their journey with us and those who will come in the future. We prayed especially for our Leadership Team during this time of "re-founding" of our Congregation - a Congregation without provinces - that they would be guided by the same spirit who guided Mother Clare during our foundation of the Congregation.
Our pilgrimage detoured a little as we were so near to Stratford upon Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. We spent a short time here visiting the cottage/gardens of Anne Hathaway and the gift shop before taking up our journey again.
As we continued on our way to Rearsby, we visited Coventry, one of the many cities destroyed in 1940 during the Second World War. We visited first the ruins of the old Cathedral which was destroyed in the blitz. The ruins stand tall and certainly have their own very special message of war, devastation and destruction caused by self-centeredness. These ruins are connected to the new Cathedral, a statement of reconciliation, hope, Resurrection and New life. To walk from the ruins of the old Cathedral into the splendour of the new one is to be reminded of God's desire to bring new life to all.
The following day, Tuesday 6 July, we set out for Grimsby, where the first Mission of our new Congregation was founded.
Mother Clare, Mother Evangelista, Bishop Bagshawe and the 
other Sisters set out from Nottingham in January 1884 to establish our first Mission as Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace in Grimsby. We made our way to St. Mary’s Church on the Sea. It was here that Sister Mary Joseph and Sister Mary Austin made their First Profession, January 30 1884. It was here too that Bishop Bagshawe later established St. Joseph's Confraternity of Peace - a Confraternity begun in Knock. Bishop Bagshawe, writing to Mother Clare on February 3 1884 said, "I have now erected St. Joseph Confraternity of Peace and I hope it will prove a most useful auxiliary to your new Order of Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace of the Immaculate Conception. Your Sisters, working with the aid of the Confraternity, will do very much, I hope, to spread far and wide the love of Christian Peace, and of the beautiful virtues by which it is attained.”
In the Church, we had a short prayer/reflection supported with some readings taken from the send off presentation to Sr. Columba made by the Parish priest, Fr. Hawkins on the occasion of her departure to Nottingham in 1909.
We were able to locate the place, where our first Sisters lived. Then we visited a new building on Victor Street, once the place of the former St. Anthony's orphanage. It is now a lively, thriving Government sponsored project - A Sure Start Children's Centre. This project continues the ministry started by those early Sisters back in the first beginnings of our Congregation in Grimsby.
We drove around the area and noticed just how dilapidated the houses and shops have become during these times of hardship and unemployment. A similar picture to what it may have been like during those early days when the Sisters set about helping the poor and needy with nursing, education and charitable works.
Later we visited Harbour Place, a Day Care Project for the Homeless in Grimsby. This project was initiated by Sister Hilda Baxter to support the many vulnerable and needy in the area, and it has grown from strength to strength since its conception back in 1996. There was such a warm welcome there for us, and especially from some of the Homeless men and women who knew Sr. Hilda. The staff, too, were most generous with their time and wanted to share as much as they could with us and how the project is still holding onto the CSJP vision which Hilda had from the beginning. They told us stories of how Hilda would be so careful in not wasting any food that was edible and how when they were in need of food she would pray and trust God to send it. Today when they are in need of food or money and it arrives, it is said "Sr. Hilda must be praying for them!!
It did our hearts good to know and experience how the sense of commitment and spirit of the CSJPs is still living on within the hearts and people who manage and support this project.
After our visit to Harbour Place, we called to the Parish of Corpus Christi where both Sisters Margaret Redmond, CSJP and Breege Leddy, CSJP minister to many people in the surrounding areas. Margaret was away but Breege was able to paint a very full, challenging and colourful picture of their ministries.
Time was getting on and Breege had planned a nice place for us to have lunch, and what better meal could we in have in Grimsby/Cleethorpes other than a good plate of fish and chips?
Throughout our journeying we were quite conscious that the Spirit and Charism of our founding Sisters is still very much alive, and as Mother Clare predicted:
“I believe, however that it (the Mission) will be yet an immense success for I leave it in the hands of Sisters who are capable of making it such.”
Text and photos: Alexine Anderson, csjp