On January 12, 2020, St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Parish in Brookfield will mark the 400th anniversary of the birth of Marguerite Bourgeoys.
Following the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday Masses, the newly formed St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Sodality will be hosting a birthday party! A “French” breakfast will be served (crepes, quiche, croissants, French toast), and there will be activities for the entire family.
Caraquet is an Acadian village on the Bay of Chaleur in Northern New Brunswick where Congrégation de Notre-Dame Sisters lived, loved, laboured and prayed for 125 years... from 1874 to 1999. I felt their presence there yesterday when I attended a Christmas Concert in the parish church where the Little Stars of Marguerite Bourgeoys sang like angels and were a featured part of the program. There in front of the church is the former convent which burned many years ago, the statue of Our Lady and the Convent Park. The memory of Marguerite and her Sisters is very much alive. It is worth a visit to Caraquet to go and see for yourselves.
As Advent quickly becomes Christmas, we recognize a little more deeply the connection between the circumstances of Mary and Joseph, expecting a child and searching for a place and the almost 65 million human beings fleeing their homes and looking for asylum. Many of us are more aware of the connection between the suffering of Mother Earth and what happens to human beings whom we call refugees.
