Editorial
Celebrate, Bear Witness, Give Thanks
By Marie-Paule Sanfaçon, m.i.c.
There are important moments in life that deserve to be celebrated. It is often a wonderful opportunity to gather grand-parents, parents, cousins and friends around the same table. The whole family comes together to celebrate, rejoice, reconcile and share news. What a joy it is to prepare for these festivities, especially the joy of seeing each other again after so many years. Our founder, Delia Tétreault, loved to remember and celebrate, hence our Thanksgiving spirituality.
Today, the magazine presents the golden jubilee of the M.I.C. Africa Province, the fiftieth anniversary of its founding. It’s an opportunity to reread its history, to give thanks for it, and to see how one inspiration can change the course of a life, of an institution.
In a spirit of faith and mutual love, Karine and Maurice overcame a great trial to give their children a joyful family life, the result of a living commitment shared at the heart of everyday life. Sister Lise Tremblay, a missionary nurse in Haiti, has had a similar experi- ence, seeking to heal sickness and hearts. The spirituality of Thanksgiving becomes a real Visitation in their lives, giving them courage and peace in times of trial.
With all these people, we want to sing the Magnificat to bid farewell to 2023 and welcome 2024. Saying goodbye to a year is a precious opportunity to thank all the collaborators who have contributed to the advancement of the work of M.I.C. Missionary Press. It is with deep gratitude that the management team would like to convey its best wishes for health, joy and happiness in the coming year. What does the future hold? That’s the Lord’s secret. But one thing is certain: we’ll lose nothing if we welcome it with serenity and gratitude for everything we’ve achieved together.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2024 !
In Focus - Witness
Family Solidarity, Our Greatest Asset!
By Maurice Desmers
A Laval University document, written to welcome foreign students and introduce them to Quebec society and values, states: Quebecers, like most North Americans, are considered to be individualistic. They leave home at a relatively early age, and it takes time to build relationships with them. Quebec society has changed considerably over the past fifty years, becoming more individualistic. Of course, these changes have brought forth many advantages, but there are also inconveniences. On the one hand, individuals have become more emancipated in recent decades, enabling women to acquire more rights, ethnic and sexual minorities to gain more respect, victims of violence to be better protected, and so on. On the other hand, the loosening of the fabric of families has weakened traditional bonds of mutual support.
My personal story clearly demonstrates the great value of family solidarity. This text is intended to honor my loved ones who support me greatly as I contend with a degenerative disease. In 2018, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The Public Health Agency of Canada defines it as follows: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system. The immune system attacks myelin (protective covering of the nerves) in the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves, which disrupts communication between the central nervous system and the rest of the body.
My physical condition has greatly deteriorated in the years since my diagnosis, to the point where I now have to teach at university in a wheelchair. Fortunately, my cognitive and communicative faculties are unaffected, allowing me to continue working. [ … ]
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