ssjd chapel brochure

The chapel of ST. John The Divine:

An icon of christiAn fAith,prAyer, And service.

this chApel is given to the glory of god And in

thAnksgiving for the ministry

of the sisters of st. john the divine

By the rev. mArgAret e. And dr. jAmes d. fleck

Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. (Romans 15:7 )

Welcome to this house of prayer, dedicatedtotheGloryofGodandinthenameofSt.John,the“divine”orthe“theologian.”Whilecontem-poraryBiblicalcriticismsuggeststhattheremayhavebeenseveralJohnsintheNewTestament,the Sisterhood has traditionally looked forinspirationtotheauthoroftheGospelofJohn,theLettersofJohn,andtheBookofRevelation.Youwillseeinthischapelanditssurroundingsevidenceofallthe“Johns.”

Youwillalsoseeworksofartandfurnishingsthatwerecreatedoveraperiodofmanyyears–someold,somenew.Somewerecreatedforthe Sisterhood’s first long-term Convent andChapel,built in1892onMajorStreet indown-townToronto.ManyoftheseworksofChristianart were later moved to our second long-termChapel, on Botham Road, in 1956. Some ofthe items were created for the Botham RoadchapelandmovedtoournewChapellastyear.One item (the font) was a giftfromanotherchurch.Andsomefeatureswerecreatedespeciallyfor thisbeautifulnewChapelofSt.JohntheDivine,designedbythe architectural firm ofMontgomerySisam.

The five angels in front of the lobby win-dows were originally in the Convent chapelon Major Street, were incorporated into theNarthexoftheBothamRoadChapel,andhavebeen installed here in the Lobby of the newConvent–toremindallwhocomeofthepro-tectionofGod’sangels.TheyalsoremindusoftheimportanceofmusicinthelifeandworshipoftheSisterhood. Opposite the angels, you will see a largeIcon of St. John on Patmos, written byFr.Felix,aRomanianOrthodoxpriest,inhonourofBishopHenryHill,wholivedwiththeSistersformanyyearsandwastheAnglicanco-chairofthe Anglican-Orthodox International Dialogue.Like all icons, this one is highly symbolic,depicting on the right the Sisters’ previousConvent on Botham Road, and on the leftsome buildings on Patmos, the island whereaccording to legend St. John was exiled, andwherehereceivedtheRevelationcontainedinthefinalbookoftheBible.

However, you will notice that the scribe iswriting“InthebeginningwastheWord”–theopeningwordsoftheGospelofJohn. Ononeofthescrollsontheright,youwillseethewords“Do whatever he tells you” – the words thatMary spoke to the servants at the Wedding inCana, when Jesus turned the water into wine.Onanotherscrollyouwillseethewords“Loveoneanother,”fromtheFirstLetterofJohn.

the sisterhood ofSt. John the Divine

InthisiconwehaveinonerepresentationthewholeJohanninetradition–fromtheRevelation,theGospel,andtheLetters.ItisaniconoftheSisterhood’s spirituality, which is based on St.John’sinspirationtoustopursuethe“visionofheavenandthelifeoflove.” Andsoasyouenterthischapel,youmaywanttoimagineyourselfincompanywiththesaints,andparticularlywithoneormoreclosefriendsof Jesus – the Johns – whose spirit of prayer,close friendship with Jesus, and celebration oftheloveofGodhasinspiredthelifeandministryoftheSisterhoodofSt.JohntheDivine.

Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God

through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:5)

You will notice three significant limestonepiecesinthenarthexandchapel:Asyouenterthe narthex, you will see on the right thelimestone surround of the fireplace: this wasoriginally the fireplace surround in the Rev.Mother’s office in the Botham Road Convent.It was reconstructed here as a reminder thatbeforeourbaptism,ourChristianjourneybeginsat the hearth – in the homes where we wereborn and nurtured from infancy, and wherewereturnforcomfortandfriendship.Thenewfireplace is gas-burning, so that Sisters andguestsmayeasilyturnitonandoff,toenjoyitslightandwarmthwhilereadingormeditating.

Asyouturntowardthechapelitselfyouwillsee, on the threshold of the narthex and cha-pel,thelimestonebaptismalfont. Itstandsonthe axis between the hearth and the altar,symbolizing the link between the secular andsacred,thetransformationofour livesinJesusChrist,andourcallasChristianstoembraceandprotectallofGod’screation. ThefontwascreatedforSt.George’sUnitedChurch in 1924, became part of the mergedchurch Eglinton-St. George, and then wasdonatedtotheSisterhoodin2004. You will see both stones and water in thefont.Thestonesareareminderthatasbeautifulas a church building may be, it is a “spiritualtemple”wearecalledtobuild–acommunityof“livingstones”whereallarewelcomedasChristhimself. Please choose a Living Stone from thebaptismalfontonyourwayoutofChapel.KeepitasaremindertoprayfortheSistersasweliveintoGod’svisionforusinthisnewChapelandconvent.Keepitasareminderthatwealsoprayforyou—ourfriends,familyandvisitors.

The limestone altar was given in 1956 as a memorial to Sister Katherine (d. 1953). It wasdesigned by the Toronto artist Jacobine Jones, and its three carved panels depict threefeminineimagesofGod:

Thealtar istheclimaxofourjourneyfromthehearth,throughthewatersofbaptism,tothealtarwhichrepresentsbothsacrifice(aswearecalledtotakeupourcrossandfollowChrist)andthenourishmentthatChristgivesinthebreadandwineoftheEucharist.AswegathertogetheraroundthealtaratthetimeofCommunion,weunderstandthemeaningof“livingstones,beingbuiltintoaspiritualhouse.”

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let everyone who hears say, “Come.” And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:17, 20)

The Phoenix, a symbol of the Resurrection, as the Phoenix sacrifices herself and is reborn out of the ashes.

The Pelican, a symbol of the Atonement, as a mother Pelican is said to feed her babies from the blood of her own breast when food is scarce.

The Eagle, a symbol of the Ascension: here you see a mother Eagle teaching her babies to fly toward the sun.


These windows were originally designed for the Chapel of the Holy Spirit in our previous

Convent on Botham Road by the architects – Brown, Brisley, & Brown – and execut-ed by Excelsior Glass Company. Inset as they are in this chapel, with the white surround, they display the beau-ty and colour of God’s world reflected in this house of prayer.

In the Book of Revelation, John the Divinepresents a picture of the newly-born Christianchurch – a vision which challenges Christiansto live the values of the Gospel, and draws usdeeplyintothemysteryofunionwithGod. The book ends with this invitation of Jesusto us, “Come!” and is answered by that mostprimitivecryofthehumanhearttoGod–“Amen.Come, Lord Jesus!” Comeintoourlives,ourhearts,ourcommunities; and bring usintoyourpresence. The Sisters’ dedicationto contemplative prayer aswell as to public worshipis reflected in this chapelwhich is full of the light ofGod. The overall asymmetri-calshapeofthechapelwasdesigned by the architectto reflect the hands of Godenclosingthespaceinapro-tectiveintimacythatcreatesa sense of safety and secu-rity. As you stand in the centre of the choir andlooktowardthenorthwallofthechapel,youwillsee twelve windows of abstract design. Goldtowardthebottom,blendingintogreeninthemiddle,andblueat thetop, theyremindusofthe golden brown earth on which we live, thegreenplantswhichsustainourlife,andtheblueskywhichraisesoureyestoheaven.

As you raise your eyes to look through thehigh north window, you can see the sky withclouds and sunshine in the daytime and thesofterlightofmoonandstarsatnight.

If you look toward the opposite (south) sideof the choir, you will see the light from thesewindows reflected off the basket-weave pat-tern of the acoustically designed beech ceil-

ing, reminding us of theway light and shadowinterweaveinourlives,andthewaytheloveofGodsustainsusonourlife’sjourney.

The tracker-action (fully mechanical) organwasmadepossiblebyagenerousanonymousdonor,whoaskedonlythataplaquebeplacedontheorgansaying“GiventotheGloryofGod.”

The organ was built by HalGober Organs of Elora,Ontario. Archictecturally itwasdesignedtocomplementthebeautyandintimacyofthechapelandechoestheasym-metrical shape of the chapel.Acoustically it was designedtoprovidebothquietaccom-panimentforchant,andafullrange of tonal colours bothforaccompanyinghymnsandfor playing classic organ lit-erature.

Creativeengineeringwasrequiredtoplacetheorganhighonthewalloppositethealtar,wherethesoundwouldprojectthebest,whilefinding

awaytoconnectthemechani-caltrackerswiththekeyboard(which normally would bedirectly under the pipes on atracker organ) which can beseenbehindtheglass-frontedmusicrack.

Musically, the organ containssetsofpipesfromeverycolourgroup in the organ’s palette.It iscapableofgreatdynamicvariationwhile respectingthesilenceofitssetting.ThepipesthemselvesareametaphorofthepeopleofGod.

Abovethealtar,youwillseeacrucifix(acrosswith the body of Jesus hanging upon it), thefiguresof JohnandMary–whoaccording toscripture remained at the foot of the crossuntil Jesus died – and two protecting angels.All the figuresexcept theangelswerecarvedinOberammergau,Germany.Theangelswerecarvedtomatch,inExeter,England,byHerbertRead.Thefigureswereoriginallyontheroodscreen in theMajorStreetChapel (thescreen

which separated the nave from the choir),andlaterwereinstalledontheeastwalloftheBotham Road Chapel much as you see themhereinthenewchapel. The Sanctuary Lamp hanging from theceiling is a sign of the sacramental presenceof Christ in the Chapel and signifies that theTabernacle on the wall behind it containsthe consecrated bread of the Eucharist. TheLampwasoriginallydesignedandexecutedbyHarold Stacey for the Botham Road Chapel,and given by Associate Isabel Lawson inmemory of her husband Wendell Lawson. In2002, the artist’s daughter, Callie Stacey, hadthe lamp regilded as a gift to the Sisterhood,anditwasrededicatedatthattime.


TheTabernacletotheleftofthealtarholdstheBlessedSacrament.SomeoftheconsecratedbreadfromtheEucharistisreservedhereforusewhenneededforministrytothesick.

Ifyouproceedtowardtheright,throughtheglass door behind the altar, you will discover abeautiful“LadyChapel”–achapeldedicatedtoMary,themotherofJesus. The altar was originally the high altar in theMajorStreetChapel.ItiscraftedofsolidoakandwasgivenasamemorialtoSisterAda(d.1906).

In frontof the largewindow,youwill seeanunusualstainedglasswindow,dedicatedtothememoryoftheSisterhood’sfirstwarden,theRev.OgdenP.Ford.ThetoppaneldepictsJohntak-ingMarytohishomeafterthecrucifixion. Thisis a rare subject in stained glass, and is a kindof icon of the Sisterhood’s ministry of hospital-ity.Theinscriptionunderthetoppanelsays“InPious Memory of the Priest O. P. Ford, BelovedWardenofthisSociety,September8,1884”(ourFoundationday). The five panels below depict five scenes inthe life of Mary and Jesus: the Annunciation,the Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth,the Nativity, the Presentation of Jesus in theTemplebySimeon,andthePurificationofMary,who is seen bringing the doves of offering atthetimeofthePresentation.UndertheNativitywindowisaninscriptionwhichsays“HegatherstheLambsinhisarms”–areferencetotheprophecy(Isaiah40.11)thattheChildinMary’sarmswould become a shepherd to hispeople.

I f

you walk behind the Mary window and lookat the outside wall of the chapel, you will seea statue of St. John, carved by Jacobine Jonesin1956fortheBothamRoadChapel. Boththestatue and the window create a much moreintimate perspective than they did in theBotham Road Chapel, where they were placedhigh up on the wall. They remind us of thatcontinual “Come,” that Jesus speaks to us andthatwespeaktoGod,asweseekarelationshipofintimacywiththeDivine. TheLadyChapel,likethenarthex,isopentoall for prayer and meditation. The lobby is aplaceofwelcomeandgathering.Thesoftseat-

inginthelobbyandnarthexhasbeen donatedby the DeBoerfamily. Thechapel seatswere designedand built byValley City. Theprayer deskswere designedbyDonaldAllen

Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me

according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

Thebelltower,whichcallsustoworshipthreetimesdaily,wasgivenbyMr.T.RichardandMrs.ThelmaDavies,anddedicatedtothememoryofRev.Dr.ThomasR.Davies,M.C.,D.D.,B.A.1905-1987.Thebellitselfwasgivenin1911,inmemoryofAlanMacLeanHoward,byhisdaughter.ItwaslatermovedtotheBothamRoadChapelbeforebeinginstalledhereinthenewbelltower.SomeotherfeaturesoftheChapelthatyouwillnoticeonyourtour:

The Vestry, Sacristy, and Chapel Office arealloff thepassagewaybehindtheChapel,andhavebeencarefullydesignedtomaketheworkofplanningandexecutingliturgy,andcaringforthevesselsofthealtar,asbeautifulandefficientaspossible.

IfyoutourtheVestry,youwilldiscoversomebeautiful traditional vestments made by SisterJoanna in the1950’sand1960’s. Youwillalsofindsomebeautifulvestmentsofcontemporarydesign, including a chasuble made of Cloth ofGold brought back from Damascus by BishopHill as a gift to the Sisters, and one of KoreansilkgiventotheSistersbytheOrderoftheHolyCrossinSeoul,Korea.

The aumbry in thepassageway was amemorial to SisterEva(d.1935),andwasdesignedfortheMajorStreet Chapel whereit was used for thereserved sacrament.In this new Chapel,it holds the holy oilsused for healing andfor baptism (as it didonBothamRoad).

Also in the passageway is an interestingcollection of icons, which are displayed in thechapel at different times of the year. One oftheoldest,oftheVirginandChild,wasgiventotheSistersbytheRomanianOrthodoxPatriarchin the late 1970s. The newest was written byBrother James Koester, SSJE, and presented tothe Sisterhood by the Society of St. John theEvangelistinCambridge,Massachusetts.

The chimes at the entrance to the Chapelwere originally in the Chapel on Major StreetandlateratBothamRoad.

The worship that takes place in this beauti-fulchapelisonlyasvalidasthelovingministry

that flows out of it.TheSisters’missionintheGuestHouseandat St. John’s RehabHospital next door isaministryofwelcomeand hospitality. Wepray that all we domay be for the GloryofGod.

I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to

drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. (Matthew 25:35-37)

THE SISTERHOOD OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE

ST. JOHN’S CONVENT233CUMMERAVENUE,TORONTO,

ONM2N2E8

Phone416-226-2201,[email protected]

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