During February and March, the community of the Daughters of Jesus in Rimouski celebrated two particular happy events. Jeannine outlines for us how they brought life to the Sisters.
Sr Béatrice celebrates her 102nd birthday
On February 20th our dear Sr. Béatrice Ouellet celebrated her 102nd birthday. Indeed, a celebration that deserved to be highlighted! After an unfortunate accident, which could have been fatal… Béatrice was able to demonstrate her strength of character and her determination to fight it. After months of physical suffering and hardships, she nevertheless continued to surprise us with her sense of humor and her love of reading.
It was truly beautiful to see! What a lovely testimony for all of us! She now pursues her daily journey peacefully and in agreement with the will of God. She often says: “Whenever He wants … maybe at 105 years old or even right now… He is the One who knows.” In her own way, she reminds us that God is in charge of our lives. By putting our trust in Him, we will overcome all difficulties despite the many hardships the world is facing presently.
8th March, International Women’s Day
On this Women’s day, we wanted to honor some of the women of yesterday and today, who are, or who have been, real Country builders. The committee for liturgy wanted to commemorate in a special way the women of Quebec, whether they are indigenous, born in Quebec, or have come from elsewhere.
Each Sister was invited to find the names of those women who have left their mark on the social and active life of our Province. By their contribution to the development of our Province, they fostered the evolution of society and thus deserve to be recognized in several areas of social life.
During the celebration of the Eucharist, we paused to introduce several of these women by highlighting their specific contribution to the development of society. These wonderful people were not afraid to denounce the situation of women who were relegated to the status of “stay-at-home mothers under the dependency of their husband”. We highlighted their contribution in the fields of education, health, culture, politics, trade unionism, science, journalism, and the culinary arts. Women have taken their place in society and made great strides in advancing equality between men and women while still retaining their gender specificity. They have become role models for both men and women called upon in today’s world to build more harmonious relationships.
For a few days, following March 8th, during the mid-day meal, some of the Sisters continued to introduce us to other women of today who have change mentalities through their engagement in society. In these women’s stories, we have discovered all the work that is being done in our country and the world. We are increasingly aware of the need for us to act together in helping mentalities evolve and make our world a better place to live in.
There is still today a lot of progress to be made. And we, despite our age, are called to support these brave women through prayer and our own gestures of solidarity. Let us not forget that women and men together are the builders of today and tomorrow.
March, the month of Saint Joseph
March is also the month dedicated to our Patron, Saint Joseph. Every day we entrusted to him those of our Sisters who, by their courage and great faith, have contributed to the growth of our Congregation which is still alive and active in the world.
In particular we entrust him with
our project of re-organizing the Canadian Region,
where our leaders, like our predecessors,
are committed in faith to help each one of us
to fully live her mission to the end.
Sr Jeannine D’Amours dj,
Rimouski, Canada
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