Lives Lived: The Very Reverend, the Honourable Lois M. Wilson
A reflection by the Rev. Dr. Karen A. Hamilton, CCC General Secretary (2002-2017).
“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” (Isaiah 58:6 NRSV)
This biblical quote comes near the beginning of the recent For the Sake of the Common Good: Essays in Honour of Lois Wilson and it speaks clearly and directly as Lois always spoke to the calling to justice that was hers and is ours.
Lois Wilson died the morning of September 13th at the age of 97. Her life was in so many ways a life of ‘firsts’ – first woman President of The Canadian Council of Churches, first woman President of the World Council of Churches. She was an independent Senator, Canada’s envoy to Sudan, a member of the Order of Canada, Ecumenist in Residence at the Toronto School of Theology, a Fellow of Massey College, International Co-President of the World Federalist Movement and Chair and President of many other crucial Canadian and International initiatives that crossed and combined the lines between what is traditionally called the religious and the secular.
Lois was a global ecumenist extraordinaire who spoke and listened to everyone. She was an early activist in interfaith dialogue and worked passionately, creatively, determinedly and without partisan bias in the vital fields of Faith and Public Policy and Human Rights.
She spoke and acted out of tremendous courage – writing 10 books many of which focus on the biblical stories of women of courage, naming those whose names have often been forgotten. She met around the world people experiencing tremendous suffering and injustice and listened to their stories of struggle and faith, even smuggling out of Korea in her shoe a list of political prisoners to give to Amnesty International.
Lois travelled in a way that was physically light, with just a backpack on her back, but in a way that was deeply, thoroughly grounded in her biblical, theological faith that she was called to work together with God in Christ and the Holy Spirit to break every yoke and truly let the oppressed go free, all the oppressed, including God’s holy creation.
She was a preacher and a liturgist and remained deeply grounded in her beloved United Church of Canada while marvelling and rejoicing in the diverse, faithful and vibrant ways of other parts of the Body of Christ. She would show up in the offices of The Canadian Council of Churches from time to time wanting to talk ecumenism and she was a tea with milk fan!
I was privileged, challenged and inspired to have Lois as a parishioner, mentor and friend.
She gifted me with much wisdom and on the occasion of my ordination, her own communion chalice and on my becoming General Secretary of The Canadian Council of Churches, her CCC Presidential gavel and on the eve of her death with two emails of Grace.
For the Sake of the Common Good: Essays in Honour of Lois Wilson, named as an expression of her complete calling to and enacting of the common good, concludes with another quote from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (one of her favourite biblical books):
“Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of street to live in.” (Isaiah 58:12, NRSV).
[Source: The Canadian Council of Churches (CCC)]