Ecclesiasticus 34:20 expresses my life’s journey. It states “you lift up the soul, O God and make the eyes sparkle. You give health and life and blessing.”
In this blog I want to give you a glimpse into my lived experience of responding to God’s call with deep faith, a living trust and a love that conquers all fears.
The Present
Sky-high snow banks, closed roads, and continuous snowfalls remind me of February 12, 1947. That day, my father and I left my only sister and our home in Quyon Quebec to enter the convent at St. Joseph’s-on-the-Lake in Pembroke. Roads were closed. We returned home. My sister was grateful, she wiped her tears and prepared a delicious meal, celebrating our return and her first wedding anniversary.
The next day we went to Pembroke via Ottawa. I was fearful enough of the new venture but had no idea that I would be appointed to Ottawa in 1970 to teach French with the Bazilians at St. Joseph’s High School which closed (sold) soon after.
I found myself with the Public Board. The school paper heading – ‘A NUN!’ Were you or are you a NUN? My fears and anxieties diminished as time went on and especially when I learned that the head of my French Department had been in the Seminary.
I taught first at Glebe Collegiate with its gifted programs, then at Lisgar, the oldest High School in the Ottawa Carleton District School Board. There were line-ups even in the snow for cross boundary transfers.
Parents boasted that Peter Jennings, Adrienne Clarkson, Rich Little, and Lorne Green had all attended Lisgar.
After 40 ½ years of uninterrupted teaching, I, along with Sister Eileen Allison, carried out a ministry of hospitality at 476 Wilbrod Street in Ottawa.
We shared our home-cooked meals with our guests. They shared their experiences which were life-giving and joyful. There was no lack of interesting conversations, with varied cultures and accents, especially when members of the CRC stayed with us after their meetings, sharing the richness of their time together.
My heart is filled with gratitude for all the blessings showered on me by a loving God throughout my long life. I believe that ‘You made me in the image of your own eternity.’ (Wisdom 2:23)
- Sister Marie Meilleur