December Meeting of CND Associates

On Monday, December 5, the new meeting place for the associates was organized in a different but very significant way. A globe and flags from different countries were placed on a table covered with a nice white tablecloth and the Bible was open on the lectern next to the display.

The celebration of internationality was a mix of the history of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame, biblical messages and insightful reflections to encourage us to better live internationality in our daily lives and in our communities.

Camilla and Francine facilitated these precious moments with great conviction. They encouraged all the participants to make a gesture to the prayerful community that we form with them.

We had a very meaningful moment when we stood in front of the statue of Mary singing the Magnificat and praying to the mother of our Saviour to guide us as we try to promote internationality.

In keeping with this theme, the facilitators invited Marisol, a Mexican lady who recently became a Canadian citizen, to join us. In an interesting way and in quite fluent French, she spoke to us about the challenges she encountered and the expectations of her immigration to Canada. Thank you to Francine and Camilla for organizing this activity.

We then carpooled to a restaurant in the area for a Christmas dinner. There were fifteen of us. The restaurant was normally closed on Mondays but the owner, Mrs. Jeanne D'Arc, generously opened her doors exclusively for us. We had a lovely meal and the service was greatly appreciated. The tip was an expression of the group's gratitude for all she had done.  Susan was unable to join us, but she gave us a special souvenir, a beautiful 3D card that was a true work of art filled with meaning for associates. Camilla read and explained the symbolism behind the card as we passed it around for everyone to admire. Thank you so much, Susan, for sharing your artistic talents with us.

Andréa brought us a treat that we could enjoy in an even more meaningful way thanks to the explanation that accompanied it on the origin of the Christmas candy cane. It was a beautiful message and a delicate kindness from you, Andréa.

More sharing took place after we left the restaurant and distributed holiday greeting cards in the various nursing homes in Saint-Louis. We divided up the places to visit in order to be able to spend a bit more time at each location. Wishing to bring joy to those who are often forgotten, we went were there was good to be done, a bit like Marguerite Bourgeoys did.

Some went to deliver a lunch box to Raymonde, who was at home waiting for technicians to come fix the heating problem in her apartment.  Anne Marie left to look after her sister Pierrette who had just had surgery on her leg to improve blood circulation. The four associates who were unable to attend – Susan, Marianne, Pierrette and Raymonde – were not forgotten. A photo montage of the sisters who moved to Quebec was also on display at the restaurant. Why not display it now at the back of the church?

The next MEETING will be SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18. Yolande Cormier will lead a reflection to help us discover the TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS.

This activity will be a good way to prepare for the holidays and a chance to admire the nativity scenes made by young and old who have participated in this project since last November.