My Winnipeg is all about people: the people I work with, the people I meet around the city, the people I connect with through casual ministry, the people who support our work, and so on.  People.

I arrived here about 20 months ago feeling like I was already at home because of all the people both at St. Paul’s High School and at St. Ignatius Parish that I already knew from my many visits over the years in various capacities.  So the period of adjustment was really quite smooth and consisted more in finding my way around the city than in meeting a multitude of new people.

In October of my first year I was given an object lesson in the meaning of “Friendly Manitoba”.  I blew a tire and had to pull into a parking lot off Portage Avenue to fix it.  As I was preparing to undertake the relatively simple task, a young man (about 30), whom I had never met before nor have seen since, saw me and came over to offer his help.  So I stepped aside and let him have at it.  Within minutes the deed was done.  I offered him a small token of gratitude but he declined, got into his pickup truck and drove off with a wave.  I don’t know if I looked to him like a decrepit old geezer.  But I was grateful nonetheless for his generous assistance.

That spirit of generosity is a characteristic of Winnipeg’s people.  They have to be the most philanthropically minded people in the country.  It seems to be a way of life here.  Our school has certainly been the grateful beneficiary of this generosity not only in the major capital campaign, which is almost complete, but also in the many smaller fund-raising moments which are supported by parents, alumni, faculty and staff, and friends of the school across the city and the country.  It is truly awesome and humbling to see such generosity, especially for those programs that raise money for less privileged students and their families, through bursaries, Christmas hampers, the Magis Fund, etc.  People care!

Our school is one of four Jesuit works in Winnipeg that enjoy this type of support.  St. Paul’s College and its Jesuit Centre for Catholic Studies continues the tradition of higher education begun here in the 1930's.  St. Paul’s High School, part of the original institution, became a separate entity in the 60's and moved out to the west end of the city.  The College at the same time found a new home on the campus of the University of Manitoba.  St. Ignatius Parish predates these by about 25 years, having opened in 1908.  And finally, the newest Jesuit work in Winnipeg is Quixote House, a residence for recently released prisoners who are serious about getting their lives back on track.

At the moment there are 6 Jesuits spread over these four works.  So the success and effectiveness of these ministries is entirely dependent upon the generous participation, collaboration, and service of outstanding lay people who have bought into the vision and have accepted responsibility for furthering the mission of the Society of Jesus.  People.  People who make a difference. People who share their gifts and their faith as generously as they share their money. People who keep the work of the Society of Jesus alive and growing in Winnipeg and who are willing to step forward to accept even more responsibility for leadership in our ministries.  People!  What a gift!