Latest news with #SistersofCharity
7 hours ago
- Business
Historic Quebec City farmland gets Afro-Caribbean twist
Jorry Doréus walks through rows of young molokhia sprouts. The leafy vegetable is mostly found dried or frozen in Canada, imported mainly from Egypt. But Doréus says there is an appetite for the fresh, spinach-like vegetable. From people who miss the taste from home — but also from Quebecers who are discovering it for the first time. It's to meet that demand that we're offering this product fresh, harvested just a few kilometres from their home, said Doréus. Molokhia is known as lalo in his home country, Haiti, and is also consumed across several African and Middle Eastern countries. The agronomist started planting seeds in 2013 after moving to Quebec City — the harvest destined mainly for friends and family. In 2024, Doréus and three business partners pitched their project to the Quebec government, and obtained a five-year lease for their experimental farm, Ferme des Ambasseurs, located 10 kilometres north of downtown Quebec City. The land, nestled between the Beauport and Charlesbourg neighbourhoods, had been harvested by the congregation of the Sisters of Charity for more than a century. Enlarge image (new window) Exalien Exatul, the vice-president at Ferme des Ambassadeurs, works 35 hours on the farm managing the day-to-day operations, in addition to his nine-to-five job. Photo: CBC / Julia Page In 2014, the nuns sold to a real-estate developer, Groupe Dallaire, that had the ambition of building enough townhouses, condos and housing to fit up to 20,000 people. But opposition to the project was fierce (new window) , notably from local farmers. The Quebec government never authorized the zoning changes needed, and in 2022, it bought the land from the promoter for $28.7 million. (new window) It is slowly opening up calls for tenders, and planting the seeds for an agro-park project on the 203 hectares of land to encourage urban farming and sustainable agriculture on its territory. Last farmer standing (new window) For Exalien Exatul, the vice-president of Ferme des Ambasseurs, taking on that legacy is an important responsibility. We want to diversify Quebec agriculture, said Exatul who, like Doréus, is an agronomist. Quebec welcomes us with everything we have, and we bring everything we can. For us, it's food. Increasing demand for taste of home Just seven kilometres south of the hot field, the Pomme Salade grocery store has just received a delivery of fresh molokhia, harvested that morning. Co-owner Alain Lessard got a call from Doréus last year to distribute the product. Customers have been asking for it ever since. Last summer it was a little bit, and this time! Enlarge image (new window) Alain Lessard, co-owner of the Pomme Salade grocery store in Quebec City, says the store tries its best to answer to the diverse tastes of its customers. Photo: CBC / Julia Page Lessard points to crates of root vegetables, fruit and packages of amaranth — also harvested by La Ferme des Ambassadeurs. He estimates 30 to 40 per cent of his clientele are from African, Latin American or Asian countries, looking for a taste of home, and he does his best to serve them. At the cash register, Roland Samuel has stacks of plantains, hot peppers and okra piled up on a cart. He buys in bulk from Pomme Salade for his own grocery store, Ivoire Epicerie, located in the Charlesbourg neighbourhood, down the road from the Ferme des Ambassadeurs. It's the first time he sees fresh molokhia in Quebec — a staple in recipes from his native Ivory Coast, added to soups or served with plantains. Enlarge image (new window) Roland Samuel hopes to soon offer fresh molokhia at his grocery store Ivoire Epicerie, in Quebec City, which specializes in products from Ivory Coast, where molokhia is a staple. Photo: CBC / Julia Page We eat a lot of it, so we'll be really happy to see it on our dinner plates, said Samuel, who plans on ordering some when the next harvest arrives, if his business partner, his wife, gives the OK. Yes, all the decisions have to be taken together, he laughed. New generations of farmers Across the road from the Ferme des Ambassadeurs, a cul-de-sac in a residential neighbourhood leads to another parcel of farmland that is privately owned. Like the Sisters of Charity's land, the vegetable farms on du Vignoble Street are one of the last remaining relics of what was once the agricultural hub of the region, historically known as Bourg Royal. It's the first year the organization Aliments d'ici & saveurs d'ailleurs is leasing a small plot. The name translates to Produce from here, flavours from there. During her PhD in nutrition at Université Laval, the project's manager, Bénédicte Allam-Ndoul, observed how newly arrived immigrants struggled to navigate Quebec's culinary codes. So what I wanted to do is a workshop to help them learn how to cook local food, with their cultural background. Enlarge image (new window) Bénédicte Allam-Ndoul, the manager of Aliments d'ici & saveurs d'ailleurs, says sorghum is a popular grain ressembling quinoa that is popular as a side dish in African cuisine. Photo: CBC / Julia Page That means introducing some of the basics of Quebec cuisine, like turnip, and adding in a pinch of Afro-Caribbean flavour, she said, pointing to the hot peppers and African eggplant growing in the field. More importantly, Allam-Ndoul said, she wants to bring people to the farm to talk about nutrition and about the opportunities of urban farming. It is very easy to get fast food here — it's cheap, more affordable than [imported] vegetables, so people go there and we don't want that. LISTEN | Behind the project for locally grown, harvested produce (new window) Path to food sovereignty Part of the harvest will be donated to local organizations that work with newcomers, like the Centre Multiethnique in downtown Quebec City. La Ferme des Ambassadeurs will also contribute to the project, once their own yield grows. And to bring families to the site itself, food baskets will be sold at the farm. Because children, they are disconnected from the reality, from what the land can give us, said Allam-Ndoul. In the neighbouring field, Bérénice Koné is growing her own vegetables, intent on knowing where they come from and that they are pesticide free. To contribute to Canada's food autonomy, we have to produce ourselves, said Koné, who freezes part of her harvest for the winter, selling some of the surplus to her entourage. Enlarge image (new window) Bérénice Koné says growing her own vegetables allows her to have fresh produce year-round that she was used to eating growing up in Ivory Coast. Photo: CBC / Julia Page Koné has lived in Quebec City since 2012 but it's her first year renting on du Vignoble Street. My parents were farmers [in Ivory Coast], so it's nostalgic for me. The previous day, she sent a video of her garden to her older brother back home. He told me 'it brings me back to when we were 12 or 13 years old,' she said, when her mother cultivated vegetables and sold them locally. When harvest time came, molokhia was the only thing in her garden I liked, said Koné. "I had to get my hands on it, coûte que coûte, whatever the cost," she laughed. Julia Page (new window) · CBC News · Journalist Julia Page is a radio and online journalist with CBC News, based in Quebec City.
New York Post
05-07-2025
- New York Post
Bad habit: Nuns show no mercy for hurt NYC maintenance man: lawsuit
His holiness would not approve. Life was hell for an Irish Catholic maintenance worker for the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul in the Bronx — where his Protestant boss allegedly bashed him as a 'Catholic f–k' and a 'dumb Irish bastard.' And the nuns were mean too – complaining about Michael Carr's limp after he fell from a ladder, he said in court papers. 3 Michael Carr said he loved working for the Sisters of Charity — until no one helped him after his boss allegedly unleashed a torrent of racist abuse at him. Helayne Seidman Carr, 57, treasured his work fixing up the Riverdale property, until director Kevin Van Tassell sent a slew of hate his way — even calling him the N-word, he claimed in a Manhattan Federal Court lawsuit. Van Tassell repeatedly texted him the vile slur, as well as calling him a 'mick,' 'Catholic f–k,' 'Irish f–k' he claimed in court papers. The lifelong Catholic, who grew up attending St. Margaret of Cortona in the Bronx and proudly showed his mother around his new job after he was hired in 2017, said the abuse was intolerable. 3 Carr claims he was wrongly terminated after complaining of discrimination. Helayne Seidman 'It got to the point where I couldn't take it any more,' an emotional Carr told The Post. 'I was putting up with it. . . . He would call nuns old c–ts and I'm like, 'OMG.' He'd say, 'Hey ya big dumb Irish f–k' or 'What's up ya mick.' It could go on and on.' When he complained, Carr said he was ignored for weeks before supervisors scheduled a mediation between him and Van Tassell, who failed to show up at the meeting with human resources, according to the litigation. 'Do you know what it's like when no one will listen to you, no matter what direction you turn?' Carr said. 'Nobody wanted to know. They all knew, but they didn't want to know.' After being lauded on the job for years for his work ethic, Carr claims he was seriously hurt in October 2023 when he fell from a ladder while investigating an awning in need of repair, breaking his tibia and fibula and leaving him in need of several surgeries. 3 Carr said his foot was 'destroyed' after falling off a ladder while on the job — and claims he was told nuns complained about his work after his injury slowed him down. Helayne Seidman When he was finally able to return to work, the reception he got was far less than charitable, claimed Carr, who said he walked with a limp and was slower than in the past. 'The sisters are complaining,' Carr claimed he was told. 'I tried my hardest to make this work. My foot is destroyed. I have to get more surgery. The second day in I was told I was working too slow, and 'You're limping,' 'You're taking too long,'' he said. He was then sent home and weeks later, received a letter firing him, said Carr, who is seeking unspecified damages for wrongful termination. 'Hopefully this organization will take a hard look at itself,' said Carr's attorney, Joseph Jeziorkowski. 'It's the organization's responsibility to take action when an employee is going through something like this.' Van Tassell refused comment. The Sisters of Charity declined comment.
Time of India
21-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
From sending money to posting Vatican stamps for kids, Goa's Sr Lucy remembers her last boss
Panaji: Sister Lucy Britto , a Goan nun who worked for 16 years in the Vatican and served three Popes, told TOI that she would remember Pope Francis as a humble pope with simple yet deep thoughts; one who was interested in building relationships and reaching out to the poorest of the poor. Sister Lucy, who is now retired in Candolim, worked in the archives section of the Vatican secretariat. There, she sifted through a sea of mail for the Pope. This ranged from greetings to letters of appreciation, requests for prayers, requests for help to sort out family disputes, and even drawings from little children. The Sisters of Charity nun, born and raised in Cuncolim, recalls the time a child wrote in, sending a few coins in Euros, asking Pope Francis to send an equivalent amount back in Vatican currency. 'I remember Pope Francis sending double the amount in Vatican currency back to the child,' she said. 'If a child asked for a favour, he would never disappoint them,' she said, adding that he would also often oblige children who asked for stamps of the Vatican and post them to the sender. Besides being proficient in French, Sister Lucy also picked up Polish and German on the job. Hindi and Marathi come naturally to her, and she also has a good command of Portuguese and Spanish. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like AI guru Andrew Ng recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around in 2025 Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo When Pope Francis met the staff at the secretariat, it was always an occasion to look forward to, she said. 'After Pope Francis became Pope in 2013, all the staff queued up to meet him. I did a 'namaste', told him my name, and that I was Indian,' she said. 'He was like a father figure to us. He wouldn't ask us about work but how we were. It was more about the person than the work,' she said, adding that his sense of humour would catch them off-guard. At the first meeting with the staff, he noticed each staff member taking out their phones to photograph him, and told them not to publish his photos. At the next meeting, in jest, he asked them where their phones were and why they hadn't taken them out of their pockets. Sr Lucy's last meeting with him was on her last day in office in 2019. 'He asked me where I was going, and I told him I was returning to my country, India. He smiled, said 'very good', and gifted me a big rosary, which is very precious to me,' she told TOI . Sr Lucy also witnessed from close quarters two Papal conclaves — which elected Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. She was a close witness, eagerly watching from her window as white smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel after the cardinals voted via secret ballot. 'I didn't have to go anywhere to find out the outcome of the voting. I watched from my own window and saw with my own eyes the smoke rising.' 'I can tell you Pope Francis was interested in families and in political affairs for the sake of maintaining peace and unity in the world. He cared for the poor, the prisoners, and nature too,' she said.
Telegraph
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Doubt: A wintry Maxine Peake compels in this twisting parable about unsubstantiated accusations
'Doubt' and 'Maxine Peake' are not words I'd normally put together – the actress is such a strict socialist she once described Labour voters who couldn't bring themselves to vote for Jeremy Corbyn as 'Tory as far as I'm concerned'. But perhaps there's something self-reflective at play in her choice of project at Bath. John Patrick Shanley's oft-revived Tony-winning 2004 play proffers neat testament to the perils of self-certainty. Drawing on the author's own experience, it's set in 1964 in a Catholic church school in the Bronx, a fortress against the era's liberation presided over by nuns whose vigilance about sinfulness is a repressive constant. In Lindsay Posner's compact, deft revival, Peake takes the leading role (played in the 2008 film by Meryl Streep) of Sister Aloysius, the principal whose beady eye misses nothing but whose focus is so exacting it permits no grey areas, and thus is apt to overlook the messy complexity of human behaviour. The actress is well-suited to the icy rigour of the character, her face glaring out from under a mourning-black bonnet, every inch of her at once burning with zeal and shiver-making winter made flesh. Her office almost an interrogation cell, she quizzes first a recent addition to the 'Sisters of Charity' order, an altogether too sunnily disposed teacher called Sister James (a sweetly demure Holly Godliman), taking her to task for her lapses of forgiving liberalism. The main object of her sedentary admonishments and gradually declared suspicions, though, is lonely Father Flynn whose sermon on the value of doubt amid the flux of faith we've heard at the start. What we haven't been shown, though, are the interactions between Flynn and a troubled black altar boy that have had Aloysius quivering with alarm. The piece is composed with a twisting mixture of tightening noose and saving slack – just who are we really to believe? Ben Daniels' vigorously animated Flynn is rattled by insinuations that turn into accusations; is he affirming his innocence or confirming his guilt? For all her hermetic nature might his tormentor have the measure of a predator, even if only a potential one? We're in a world rather reminiscent of The Crucible – in which moral hysteria collides with personal failings, everything also bound up with severe social constraints. The neatness, though, is as much a curse as a blessing; we mainly wait, like meek pupils, for the next partial revelation. Though matters boil bitterly to a head, our emotional investment remains quite limited; who to root for, who to feel moved by? Yes, the play catches the crushing prejudices of the era, and speaks, too, to the cancel-culture of today. Yet it doesn't feel wholly like a modern classic. The plot, as such, thickens with the arrival of the boy's mother (Rachel John, a picture of dignity and contained hurt) – ushering in a valuable note of reproving compromise and compassion. But at the abrupt end of 90 minutes, there's a faint tang of thin gruel.
