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.
Last week we told you about the important decision that the Ontario Government had to make about the moratorium on water permits coming to an end and we invited all Ontario residents to write to Premier Ford urging him to extend the moratorium. The provincial government had signaled publicly that they were intending to let the moratorium expire. However, we have received the happy news that Jeff Yurek, the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, announced that the government will in fact extend the moratorium for a further 9 months. This is great news but we still have plenty of work ahead to safeguard water. Thanks to all who took action. We will continue to keep you informed of similar opportunities in the future.