I was born in a little town, Ellscott, north of Edmonton in a farming community, a place of freedom and joy living with family and friends.
I met the first FCJ , Mother Antoinette McKinnon, when my mother brought me to begin grade one at Grandin School. Mother Mary Bertha taught me in grades one and two. When I was in grade five I became a convent boarder until I went to the Novitiate in Calgary in 1950. I am so grateful that I have lived with and met so many FCJs in Canada and overseas. I treasure the stories and memories that we have shared. Their example of faithfulness and true spirit of giving has sustained me in my own vocation as an FCJ.
The words ‘Courage and Confidence’ have a deep meaning for me. These words were used often by our Foundress, Marie Madeleine. Today they still ring a bell for so many of us. The word ‘Courage’ has helped me often when the Society, asked me to follow God’s will in good and difficult times. To me the word ‘Confidence’ is the trust I should have in God in daily events. This has offered me an opportunity to be deeply grateful for the graces I have received each day, in particular, as a teacher for thirty-four years and now as a volunteer for the last fifteen years at the Cancer and University Hospitals. My sixty-fifth anniversary as an FCJ has been a great source of joy for me.
