Julius Kujur SJ, Director of Jesu Ashram, stands outside the main building of the healthcare facility. Photo: Fr Vincent Lazrus.

There is a special relationship between Jesu Ashram, a healthcare facility in Matigara, Darjeeling, India and communities of students and parishioners in Duncan, British Columbia and Zurich, Ontario. CJI brought these communities in Canada and India together online to celebrate and nurture these relationships.

Last February 23, students at Queen of Angels School in Duncan, BC and at St Boniface Catholic School in Zurich, Ontario met Fr Julius Kujur SJ, Director of Jesu Ashram, via Zoom. Fr Julius gave an overview of the history and the work of Jesu Ashram and conducted a virtual tour of the facilities. He and the students engaged in conversation. Fr Julius thanked the students for their support and encouragement.

Fr Julius also met online with parishioners from St Edward’s Parish in Duncan, BC, the Lake Huron Catholic Family of Parishes in Ontario and other Jesu Ashram supporters on March 10. He spoke of the work of Jesu Ashram, offered a Lenten reflection and reiterated the importance of their solidarity, friendship and support. It was a moving meeting of longstanding friends from across the globe.

CJI would like to thank the people who made these events possible: in Ontario, Fr Matthew George, Associate Pastor of the Lake Huron Catholic Family of Parishes, Lori Lynn Stapleton, Principal of St Boniface Catholic School and Candace Becker Soudant, grade 7/8 teacher, for helping organize the event; and in Duncan, BC, Ro De Bree for getting community members involved. Lastly, CJI is deeply grateful to Pat Carter, a grade 3 teacher at Queen of Angels School and a parishioner at St Edward’s, who has supported CJI and Jesu Ashram for several years and was instrumental in organizing these events.