World Social Forum
Friday, August 12, 2016, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Monument National, 1182 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montreal
Asking if this was their first visit to Bon Secours, I zeroed in on the Anglophone tourists as they entered the church. Their names escape me, as do most of their faces, but they came from every continent, spoke English with every accent. Most were open to hearing the “five-minute version” of Marguerite’s life. The young woman from Taiwan listened thoughtfully, murmuring “Cool!” at each of my pauses. The tall blonde German girl was wide-eyed, completely surprised at nearly everything she heard. The confident young woman from Vancouver, backpacking across Canada, exuded deep appreciation of Marguerite’s courage.
Most of their questions I could answer; a few I had to pass on to the attractive and quite knowledgeable young guides in 17th-century attire. If necessary, I asked Sr. Joyce Roberts for her help, which she gladly gave: “Yes, Jeanne Le Ber’s bones are buried in the east wall of the chapel. They were brought here from the Westmount Avenue mother house in 2005. Before the process was begun, the doctors and canon lawyers had examined the bones: definitely female, knees very worn from kneeling, front teeth worn from cutting threads.”
Firs published in Le Magazine Île-des-Soeurs, Tour de l'île 2016-2017.
Nun's Island through the ages