What a great meeting with Violaine Couture, coordinator with the Volunteers of God and French and English-speaking friends!

Fifteen Volunteers from Ottawa, Gatineau, Cornwall and a Voluntas Dei, Father Laurier Albert, met on Saturday, September 2, 2023 at the Chartwell Jardin Notre-Dame in Gatineau.

Violaine began with beautiful songs: "If you want to serve in joy" and "Here I am".
There was a division in small groups, on the reading of St. Paul to the Colossians, chapter 3, verses 1 to 24. It was necessary to find, in the manner of Father Louis-Marie Parent, a sentence that highlighted one of his five attitudes of life. We discovered that almost all of the verses touched on one or the other of the five attitudes.

Violaine also shared with us about why or how "I am interested in God" (word of Father Parent).

We had another share on: "How I live bad news": Volunteers being sick.

After the break, Mado Hébert paid tribute to Marie Laurin by giving a short speech on occasion. Marie was in charge of the Volunteers of God in Ottawa.Then, Violaine said a prayer of blessing for our sick.

We also prayed that the Ottawa team would find ways to continue to socialize. We suggested some ways such as meeting in small groups sharing the task according to our talents. You could also participate in a zoom meeting either by phone or computer. We wishes Bonnie success...... who wants to start a group of Volunteers with an English-speaking Oblate, at Our Lady of the Announciation parish.

Thank you to Violaine who wanted to unite us in solidarity and thank you to Father Laurier for his blessing.

Lorraine Lacroix-Gauthier, Cornwall
Saturday, 2 september, 2023

Pictures: Volunteers of God and friends of the Volunteers, Ottawa, Gatineau,Cornwall, St-Albert and Maniwaki: Gilles and Claudette Laframboise, Olier Couture, Mado Hébert. Deacon Marcel Givogue and his wife Gisèle, Marie Marleau et Denis Proulx, Violaine Couture, the Abbot Laurier Albert IVDei, "participant in the small team meeting".