It was a feast at Saint-Damien, Bedford on Saturday, 15th October. Indeed the Parish priest Jean Pelletier had decided to mark the 50th anniversary of religious life of Brother Yvon Roy in the Parish community. He wanted to take the opportunity to thank also the FIC community for its presence and engagement in the ecclesial and social milieu of Bedford.
We had previously been told of his project but he got us a surprise. When we arrived at the church, the bishop of the diocese, Mgr. François Lapierre, was at the bottom of the church to welcome the faithful. The latter had been invited by the Parish priest to preside over the celebration and he had accepted it with pleasure. In his homily he remembered the main stages of Brother Yvon’s life and warmly thanked the Brothers for their very important contribution in the Parish life: it was almost embarrassing to be so highly praised.
At the end of the mass, a very beautiful crucifix of Saint Damien was handed over to Brother Yvon. The crucifix of Saint Damien is the symbol of our church because it possesses one of the biggest reproductions in the world of this crucifix in the sanctuary. Everything ended at the presbytery where we shared the meal together with the Parish priest and with Msgr. Lapierre.
Brother Gilles Ménard,
Fic. Bedford
