Early Life

Jacqueline Marie Bartush was born on April 23, 1934, in Fort Frances, ON, a town built on the rugged beauty of the Canadian Shield. She attended school in Fort Frances, where she was taught by the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions.

Impressed by the RNDM Sisters

Impressed by the dedication and sense of fun she saw in the Sisters, Jacky left the grandeur of rock and lakes in Fort Frances, to enter the RNDM novitiate on the open prairies in Regina, SK. She made her first profession of vows in 1954.

A Long and Varied Teaching Career

Following profession, Jacky began what would be a long and varied teaching career. In all, she taught for thirty-nine years, for sixteen of which she was principal of St. Edwards in Winnipeg. She was in fact the last RNDM to teach at St. Edward’s, a school the RNDMs began in 1909.

Beyond her professional qualifications, Jacky was an educator who both gave and received in the learning process. She had a particular attentiveness to students who struggled and often spoke of what she learned from them. In this way, Jacky was not only a teacher. She was also a learner who taught.

Marriage Tribunal

After retiring from teaching, Jacky worked for the Archdiocese of Winnipeg as an auditor in the Marriage tribunal. At the tribunal, her ability to listen with compassion was a liberating grace for all parties.

Being of Service

When asked 5 years ago what she enjoyed most about her life, Jacky said that she most enjoyed moments where she could be of service. Being asked at the same time what the hardest part of her life was, she said it was being named for positions of authority. Over the course of her RNDM life, Jacky had occasions for both.

For her RNDM Sisters who lived with Jacky and loved her, Jacky was a “glue” that contributed to the cohesiveness of the community. Whether she was cooking a meal, welcoming us to our camp at Keewatin, sewing something for us, or shopping for Sisters in the nursing homes, Jacky’s strong desire to be of service shone in every community in which she lived.

When International Sisters began joining us in 2015 for mission in Canada, they had the benefit of Jacky introducing them to many of the “practicalities” of life in Canada (how to dress for winter, change a furnace filter etc.), including how to shop for groceries and make Canadian cuisine. At the same time, Jacky added more international recipes to her already impressive menus. This process of “enculturation” was important to us all.

Creativity

A creative person, one of the ways that creativity showed itself was in the hats Jacky made. These hats, both stylish and warm, were given as gifts to family and friends, sold to make money for the missions, or given away to unhoused people on the street.

Jacky was also renowned for making beautiful candles for gift and fund-raising purposes, and for the further purpose of community prayer. Every RNDM community cherishes one or several of Jacky’s candles.

Challenges

Jacky also acknowledged that community life held challenges for her. As difficult as some of those experiences were, Jacky grew from her struggles, practiced forgiveness, practiced gratefulness. And her inner light grew brighter.

Abounding in Kindness

One of the joys in Jacky’s life was her relationship with God – a relationship she described as informal, loving and constant. Other joys she enumerated were wide ranging: family, community, pupils, friends, fishing, sewing, candle-making, playing cards, and reading. And fishing some more!

There is a Scripture passage that encapsulates Jacky’s life. Psalm 103 praises God who is ‘merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in kindness.’ Abounding in kindness. As Elizabeth Johnson SSJ indicates, the holy mystery of God is love beyond imagining. Even a simple cup of cold water given in Christ’s name symbolizes how the abounding kindness of God becomes effective in this world.

“Abounding in kindness”, is an echoing theme of the one precious life of Jacky Bartush.