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THE UNVEILING OF "MAKING
PEACE"
When I was invited to speak on behalf
of the Sisters of St. Martha I was asked to reflect on
our motivation for suggesting peace as the theme for this work of art,
and the decision to place it within the Coady .... and anything else I
wanted to touch on.
From the perspective of the Sisters of
St. Martha, it was very natural for us to want to celebrate St. F.X. on the
150th anniversary of its founding.
Natural because of our long-standing relationship.
A relationship that began with our founding in 1900 for the service
of household management at what was then known as
The College. From the
very beginning, our Sisters regarded the work for which they were founded as
cooperating with the College in the
development of people. I
believe we could say that community,
working together, having nutritious meals, an inviting living environment,
experiencing welcome, care and a spirit of faith were then, and still
are, vital elements in the development
of people. For 111 years the
Marthas and St. F.X. have journeyed together in a mutually helpful and
sometimes challenging relationship to be faithful, in changing times, to
Whatsoever things are true.
It was natural for us too, to want to
celebrate the 50th Anniversary of
The Coady.
First of all, Dr. Moses Coady was a dear friend and mentor of the Sisters of
St. Martha....one who never ran out of ideas of how the Marthas could be
involved. The Marthas were an
integral part of the development of the Antigonish Movement, both here on
the campus and throughout Eastern Nova Scotia.
From its beginning, to this very day, we have participated in the
development of the Coady International Institute and continue to support and
encourage it in whatever way we can.
I want to say here that we are deeply grateful and very pleased that
the original Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Martha has been integrated
into the new Coady Complex.
When gifting the University with a
monetary donation in 2003, we suggested that
an artistic creation, speaking to the universal value of Peace be placed
within St. F.X. Campus. We
chose the value of peace because of the global situation at the time.
The world was recovering from the tragic 9-11 experience, shortly
after which the War on Terrorism was announced and in 2003 the invasion of
Iraq was declared. We were very
conscious of the need to pray for peace throughout the world and for members
of humanity to become peacemakers.
We wanted an artistic creation that the University Community could
contemplate and that would speak of peace to the human heart.
The following year, dialogue with Coady Administration led to the
decision to focus the project within
the plan for the new Coady Complex.
Later still, in 2009, the 50th Anniversary of the
Coady, further dialogue took place and
we supported the decision to commission the creation of a ceramic frieze
by local artist, Mr. Fenn Martin.
The frieze would be a visual,
narrative expression of Making Peace.
We agreed that a fitting space for the creation would be the Gogan
Family Gathering Hall.
The unveiling that just took place
reveals and welcomes into this space the ceramic frieze,
Making Peace. The
amazing and very meaningful creation of Mr. Martin, expressed in this work,
integrates many themes that are core to
Peace Making.
His work tells a story of how the activity of
Making Peace can become a way of
life foundational to the development
of people.
My sense is that this artistic
interpretation by Mr. Martin will not only raise the consciousness of all
who encounter it, it has, as well, the potential to challenge, enrich and
transform our understanding of Peace
Making. It is our hope that
we who contemplate it will be inspired to reflect, discuss and act for peace
in our relationships here at home as well as throughout the global
community.
Making Peace
speaks of a
movement, of an energy that supports the development of relationships.
It invites one to live in
harmony, unity, communion and celebration.
Here on St. FX Campus, particularly
within the walls of The Coady, there is an extraordinary opportunity to
model the kind of story of which this work speaks as you welcome students
from around the world.
This is the first time I have seen the
entire work. It speaks to me of
gospel hospitality, of
Eucharist , of
community and communion ,
of interconnectedness.
I see peoples from diverse
cultures gathering and partaking of
the abundance that is brought
to the common table. The
narrative leads me to believe that it is in the sharing of food, in the
exchange of thoughts and ideas that change occurs, that development happens
and peace prevails. The
story speaks to me of opposites living in harmony, of differences dwelling
together. I invite you to
contemplate this artistic creation, to look, to question, perhaps even to
identify oneself in the scene that lies before us.
On behalf of the Sisters of St. Martha,
I congratulate you, Fenn, on this extraordinary creation.
You possess an exceptional gift.
Thank you for the time, creativity, energy and effort you have given
to Making Peace.
May Peace
Making stand as a motif for your
life.
In closing, I invite us to be about
Peace Making.
On behalf of the Sisters of St. Martha I wish you
Peace.
Sister Mary MacFarlane
Congregation Leader
March 15, 2011
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