An Interview with Lay Spiritans John and Katie Flaherty

This article, reprinted with permission, first appeared in the May 2004 edition of Spiritan, the quarterly of the TransCanada Province of the Spiritans, the Congregation of the Holy Ghost, www.spiritans.com

Lay Spiritans John and Katie Flaherty were interviewed in their modest East End Toronto home. At one stage the proceedings were interrupted by a period of chaos as their children Annie, Gabriel and Locky came home from playing in the park.

Was it your common interest in Christian living, or Catholic Action as it is also called, which brought you together?

Katie: Yes, it certainly was a shared interest when we were both attending St Michael’s College in the University of Toronto. We had some classes in common as we both followed general courses, including English and Theology. We lived the typical life of undergraduates, meeting in groups in pubs and at dances and also being part of the very active Christian life which identifies St Mike’s to this day. In fact John served as Convener of Religious Affairs for a period.

John: In University each of us recognized that the other was a person of faith. Our preparations for our marriage were mainly spiritual ones. Thanks to the input and participation of our two families and our friends from University, the ceremony was faith filled. A joyful Eucharist ceremony encompassed our exchange of vows. We began our life together in Ottawa where I continued my law studies. Here we became actively involved with the soup kitchen of the Shepherds of Good Hope.

Katie: I began my teaching career in Immaculata High School where I was deeply involved in teaching dramatic arts and producing plays and musicals including Godspell and Les Misérables. The skills I learned in this position turned out to be central in my later years. The love of poetry I acquired while teaching High School has resulted in my deepest, sincerest thoughts and emotions being expressed through poetry to this day.

Suddenly I was struck down with a very severe case of spinal myelitis from which it took me months to recover. In the hospital I enjoyed an epiphany which only intensified my desire to serve overseas as a missionary. In this intense spiritual experience I was given the grace to put total trust in God. I no longer felt a need to be influenced by merely human reasons or feelings. I had absolutely no fear. I was in total peace. I knew that I was called to a life of service to the needy and oppressed.

When did you act upon this call?

Katie: When I recovered from my illness and John had completed all his legal studies we volunteered for overseas service with Volunteer International Christian Service (VICS). My brother had served in The Gambia as a VICS volunteer and we were delighted when a suitable posting was found in Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. Our parents and friends urged delay. I was still weak after my illness and Annie, our daughter, was still a baby. But we knew the time was right.

John: I ran a free legal clinic for the Archdiocese(www.archdioceseof castries.org/).  This clinic served those who were too poor to afford legal fees of any sort. Katie worked in a school for the deaf, where she learned the art of teaching children who could not hear from Sr Grace Martin CND, herself a volunteer. She gave Katie the task of working with the small group of children, profoundly deaf, who had never been to school before.

Katie: Two of them in particular, Robert and Anika, will forever be in my heart and prayers. Both were abandoned children living on their wits begging for food and shelter. Neither had ever been in school. Neither had been socialized with other children. With them I had to start at the very beginning and earn their trust and affection despite the scars left by years of neglect and by their inability to hear and speak. It gives me great satisfaction to know that Robert, who can now sign and lip read, is employed as a banana picker and is able to support himself. Anika learned sign language and is nearly finished with her studies to become a teacher for the deaf.

After nearly a year and a half in St Lucia, disaster struck. Annie contracted dengue fever. As the fever took deeper and deeper hold Annie became weaker and weaker. She wasted away before our eyes. The medication was having no effect. The doctor said that she was too weak to transfer to Canada. Our new-found friends, especially Ivy, Hilary and Charlie, rallied around us in constant support. John and I bonded with this group of St Lucians as we had never bonded with friends before, as they kept vigil with us by day and by night. When we began to realize that we might lose our firstborn, our little angel, Annie’s fever broke. The prayers of the poor, the deaf and two frantic Canadians had been heard in Heaven. Life could never be the same again.

Each of you have jobs, you John as a public prosecutor, you Katie as an elementary teacher. You are bringing up three children. Where does your vocation as Lay Spiritan enter your lives?

John: It inspires us and guides us in every aspect of our lives. As a family of five we try to live counter-cultural lives. We live in modest accommodation and have Tina our Ugandan refugee friend living with us. Our home is TV-free and the children have no video games etc. We live as a household of faith, filtering out where possible elements of the life outside the home which are contrary to the model Jesus lived and taught. We stress prayer, meals, communication. We treat each other and the children with dignity and respect. We teach them the responsibility which comes with their many talents. We hold family discussions. Having a refugee living with us is a challenging and rewarding experience.

Sunday liturgies are important for us as a family especially when we gather with the other local Lay Spiritans and their families for our monthly Mass. The children of the group have formed a natural community and they love to participate in the liturgical action.

Not that everything is plain sailing. Katie and I suffer the agonies and enjoy the ecstasies which parenting brings. And as our children reach adolescence we know that there will be some difficult times ahead.

For instance Locky, now five years old, has been invited this weekend to a ‘laser gun’ birthday party; a glorified war game. We refused to allow him to participate. It will take a lot of prayer and communication to explain decisions like this to Locky when he is fifteen.

Katie: I job share with Angela Carroll as Grade 2 teacher in St John’s elementary school in Toronto. As well as dealing with the secular curriculum, we prepare our students for the reception of their First Communion. It is delightful to speak of the love of God to children who are so innocent. ‘Trailing clouds of glory, have they come from God, who is their home.’ And yet it is at this tender age that we broach the topic of bullying which often begins to manifest itself in six and seven-year-olds.

I also spend a lot of time working in the Hannon-Shields Centre for Leadership and Peace. Since my background is drama, I am very involved in the Centre’s Peace Theatre (www.childrenspeacetheatre.org) and its summer peace camp where theater, poetry, dance and song teach and express a philosophy of conciliation, communication and non-violence.

John: As a prosecutor in the courts involving domestic abuse, I try to ensure that all involved, victims and aggressors, are treated with justice and compassion. I work towards reconciliation and forgiveness rather than conviction and punishment, although these will often be necessary. I stress that violence is always destructive, that the only road to happiness and growth is a culture of peace. The court system is designed to be fair, just and respectful of the accused. And I believe that even one person can make a difference.

Katie: So do I. In a culture of aggression, conflict and war, all my effort, in the home, school and the Peace Centre, is to provide an example of compassionate leadership. Working towards establishing and living a culture of peace is at the centre of my spiritual life, my family life, my life of service to others. In its deepest form it finds expression in my poetry. And for John and me, much of our prayer takes the form of wiping noses, hugging, listening, respecting those whom Jesus served and called ‘the poor.’ The children, the handicapped, the oppressed, the victims, these are our vineyard.

And in this, the spirit of Des Places and Libermann, the Spiritan charism, lives on.

Was it your common interest in Christian living, or Catholic Action as it is also called, which brought you together?

Katie: Yes, it certainly was a shared interest when we were both attending St Michael’s College in the University of Toronto. We had some classes in common as we both followed general courses, including English and Theology. We lived the typical life of undergraduates, meeting in groups in pubs and at dances and also being part of the very active Christian life which identifies St Mike’s to this day. In fact John served as Convener of Religious Affairs for a period.

John: In University each of us recognized that the other was a person of faith. Our preparations for our marriage were mainly spiritual ones. Thanks to the input and participation of our two families and our friends from University, the ceremony was faith filled. A joyful Eucharist ceremony encompassed our exchange of vows. We began our life together in Ottawa where I continued my law studies. Here we became actively involved with the soup kitchen of the Shepherds of Good Hope.

Katie: I began my teaching career in Immaculata High School where I was deeply involved in teaching dramatic arts and producing plays and musicals including Godspell and Les Misérables. The skills I learned in this position turned out to be central in my later years. The love of poetry I acquired while teaching High School has resulted in my deepest, sincerest thoughts and emotions being expressed through poetry to this day.

Suddenly I was struck down with a very severe case of spinal myelitis from which it took me months to recover. In the hospital I enjoyed an epiphany which only intensified my desire to serve overseas as a missionary. In this intense spiritual experience I was given the grace to put total trust in God. I no longer felt a need to be influenced by merely human reasons or feelings. I had absolutely no fear. I was in total peace. I knew that I was called to a life of service to the needy and oppressed.

When did you act upon this call?

Katie: When I recovered from my illness and John had completed all his legal studies we volunteered for overseas service with Volunteer International Christian Service (VICS). My brother had served in The Gambia as a VICS volunteer and we were delighted when a suitable posting was found in Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. Our parents and friends urged delay. I was still weak after my illness and Annie, our daughter, was still a baby. But we knew the time was right.

John: I ran a free legal clinic for the Archdiocese(www.archdioceseof castries.org/).  This clinic served those who were too poor to afford legal fees of any sort. Katie worked in a school for the deaf, where she learned the art of teaching children who could not hear from Sr Grace Martin CND, herself a volunteer. She gave Katie the task of working with the small group of children, profoundly deaf, who had never been to school before.

Katie: Two of them in particular, Robert and Anika, will forever be in my heart and prayers. Both were abandoned children living on their wits begging for food and shelter. Neither had ever been in school. Neither had been socialized with other children. With them I had to start at the very beginning and earn their trust and affection despite the scars left by years of neglect and by their inability to hear and speak. It gives me great satisfaction to know that Robert, who can now sign and lip read, is employed as a banana picker and is able to support himself. Anika learned sign language and is nearly finished with her studies to become a teacher for the deaf.

After nearly a year and a half in St Lucia, disaster struck. Annie contracted dengue fever. As the fever took deeper and deeper hold Annie became weaker and weaker. She wasted away before our eyes. The medication was having no effect. The doctor said that she was too weak to transfer to Canada. Our new-found friends, especially Ivy, Hilary and Charlie, rallied around us in constant support. John and I bonded with this group of St Lucians as we had never bonded with friends before, as they kept vigil with us by day and by night. When we began to realize that we might lose our firstborn, our little angel, Annie’s fever broke. The prayers of the poor, the deaf and two frantic Canadians had been heard in Heaven. Life could never be the same again.

Each of you have jobs, you John as a public prosecutor, you Katie as an elementary teacher. You are bringing up three children. Where does your vocation as Lay Spiritan enter your lives?

John: It inspires us and guides us in every aspect of our lives. As a family of five we try to live counter-cultural lives. We live in modest accommodation and have Tina our Ugandan refugee friend living with us. Our home is TV-free and the children have no video games etc. We live as a household of faith, filtering out where possible elements of the life outside the home which are contrary to the model Jesus lived and taught. We stress prayer, meals, communication. We treat each other and the children with dignity and respect. We teach them the responsibility which comes with their many talents. We hold family discussions. Having a refugee living with us is a challenging and rewarding experience.

Sunday liturgies are important for us as a family especially when we gather with the other local Lay Spiritans and their families for our monthly Mass. The children of the group have formed a natural community and they love to participate in the liturgical action.

Not that everything is plain sailing. Katie and I suffer the agonies and enjoy the ecstasies which parenting brings. And as our children reach adolescence we know that there will be some difficult times ahead.

For instance Locky, now five years old, has been invited this weekend to a ‘laser gun’ birthday party; a glorified war game. We refused to allow him to participate. It will take a lot of prayer and communication to explain decisions like this to Locky when he is fifteen.

Katie: I job share with Angela Carroll as Grade 2 teacher in St John’s elementary school in Toronto. As well as dealing with the secular curriculum, we prepare our students for the reception of their First Communion. It is delightful to speak of the love of God to children who are so innocent. ‘Trailing clouds of glory, have they come from God, who is their home.’ And yet it is at this tender age that we broach the topic of bullying which often begins to manifest itself in six and seven-year-olds.

I also spend a lot of time working in the Hannon-Shields Centre for Leadership and Peace. Since my background is drama, I am very involved in the Centre’s Peace Theatre (www.childrenspeacetheatre.org) and its summer peace camp where theater, poetry, dance and song teach and express a philosophy of conciliation, communication and non-violence.

John: As a prosecutor in the courts involving domestic abuse, I try to ensure that all involved, victims and aggressors, are treated with justice and compassion. I work towards reconciliation and forgiveness rather than conviction and punishment, although these will often be necessary. I stress that violence is always destructive, that the only road to happiness and growth is a culture of peace. The court system is designed to be fair, just and respectful of the accused. And I believe that even one person can make a difference.

Katie: So do I. In a culture of aggression, conflict and war, all my effort, in the home, school and the Peace Centre, is to provide an example of compassionate leadership. Working towards establishing and living a culture of peace is at the centre of my spiritual life, my family life, my life of service to others. In its deepest form it finds expression in my poetry. And for John and me, much of our prayer takes the form of wiping noses, hugging, listening, respecting those whom Jesus served and called ‘the poor.’ The children, the handicapped, the oppressed, the victims, these are our vineyard.

And in this, the spirit of Des Places and Libermann, the Spiritan charism, lives on.

[Editor’s note: Claude-Francois Poullart des Places founded the Congregation of the Holy Ghost and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in France on Pentecost Sunday 1703. The Venerable Francis Mary Libermann founded the Society of the Immaculate Heart of Mary there in 1842. In 1848 they amalgamated].

Some months after this interview, Katie was diagnosed as having Multiple Sclerosis (MS). You can read at www.mssociety.ca/chapters/toronto/july-aug05.htm how the family has been coping with this. You may write John and Katie c/o Spiritans, Laval House, 121 Victoria Park Ave,  TORONTO, Ontario, CANADA  M4E 3S2