A renowned servant of the poor and marginalized in Guelph, Sister Christine Leyser is leaving the city to serve in other capacities with the Loretto Sisters in Toronto.
An Order of Canada recipient who is considered a model of sacrificial community service, Sister Christine started the Welcome In Drop In Centre at 23 Gordon Street over 30 years ago. A handful of volunteers helped her with the effort, providing daily food, comfort and services to those in need.
The effort galvanized broad community support, and spawn other services, including a series of four shelters for the homeless, those struggling with mental illness, and the isolated and economically marginalized.
“She doesn’t like the word retirement, so she is leaving to pursue her next chapter,” said Drop In Centre director Gail Hoekstra on Monday. “She is going to live at the Loretto Sisters convent in Toronto. She will do some work with the nuns there, and she is looking at working at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.
Leyser, now in her mid-80s, suffered a broken leg in 2011 that put her in hospital and rehabilitation for three weeks. After a relatively speedy recovery, she returned to work at the Drop In Centre without the need for a cane or walker, and without skipping a beat.
Noted for her boundless energy, she continuously worked at the facility for three decades, and received numerous awards and accolades for her efforts. She put little value on personal acclaim and was generally media shy.
“I think we will just have to grieve,” said Hoekstra in an interview. “She is a special and unique person, and there is no one that will ever replace her. We will sadly have to say goodbye to that chapter. What she has built here is a wonderful community of volunteers, people who just come here and pitch in. It is going to take everybody to keep this place going.”
For nearly 33 years, Hoekstra said, Sister Christine offered leadership, compassion and laughter at the centre and broadly in the community, and boundless hugs to all she encountered.
In a press release, Leyser expressed both joy and sadness over leaving the centre and the city.
“I leave with a heart full of sadness and joy,” Sister Christine said. “Sadness because I will miss the wonderful people at the Drop in Centre and the many people who have supported me all these years. Joy because the Drop In Centre is thriving under the very capable and lovely Gail Hoekstra.”
An excellent team of support workers and volunteers will allow the centre to continue to grow, she said.
“And I intend to grow, as I have excellent health, great energy, and I still have a few marbles,” she said in the release.
Hoekstra said Sister Christine has built a strong network of support locally for those in need, and that work will continue.
“We feed about 100 people a day, and have many supports and resources for people that often are living in poverty, and need mental health support or addiction support,” Hoekstra said. “She opened the shelters as well, when there was a need around homelessness.”
One of those shelters, The Stepping Stone, was recently closed temporarily after a need arose to examine how the facility is staffed and the program run.
The community is invited to a celebration of Sister Christine at the Drop In Centre on Thursday, April 28, from 3-5 p.m.
