Marguerite Bourgeoys 400th Birthday Celebrations
The celebrations occurred at the Provincial level and in all the communities, Chofu, Hanazono cho, and Sensui cho. We welcomed between 120 to 200 Christians, and graduates. We could be so grateful to see the fruit of 88 years of missionary activities. And there are still more celebrations to come that we keep in our prayers.
A Canadian Saint Celebrates 400th Anniversary
Marguerite Bourgeoys was born in Troyes, France on April 17, 1620, the seventh of 13 children in the family. She was raised in a loving and nurturing family. At the age of 20, Marguerite’s young life changed forever. In her most complete account, Marguerite Bourgeoys wrote, “On Rosary Sunday, I went to the procession at the Dominican Church where there was so great a number of people that the cloister was not large enough. So, we crossed the street and passed in front of the portal of Notre Dame where there was a statue in stone above the door. And glancing up to look at it, I found it very beautiful. At the same time, I found myself so moved and changed that I no longer recognized myself. When I returned home, this was apparent to everyone.” It was then she decided to give herself to the service of God with little idea of what her gift would imply.
Belated Celebration
After a winter storm, caused Kamloops CND Associates’ gathering to be postponed in January, our group gathered February 3rd for our belated celebration of St. Marguerite’s Feast Day. It is always so wonderful to greet each other with great hugs and smiles, and catch up on each other’s news.
It was exciting to hear of the appointment of our very own, Teresa McKerral, as the Associate Coordinator for Visitation Province, West/North. We are so proud of her and know she will add a spark to Associates efforts to live in the spirit of St. Marguerite.
We began our gathering in prayerful reflection honouring the Feast Day of St. Marguerite and remembering her 400th anniversary and sharing how the words and songs inspired us. A bowl of water was added to our “inspiration table” and a prayer was included keeping us in focus with Visitations Blue Community Project. After this we all stood and recited our renewal commitment as associates. One by one we signed our names on the list affirming our Associate Relationship.