A heart aflame with and for the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus!
Here is the tribute presented by s. Marlaine Lalancette, Prioress General, at our sister Françoise Guillot's funeral on Tuesday January 16. Here is a brief overview of our dear sister's life, illustrating the unique gift she was to the world and to her community.
Dear family and friends, good morning!
We are gathered here to give thanks for our dear sister Françoise Guillot, the first person from Beauport to join the Dominican Missionary Adorers. Gifted with a radiant personality and a passionate temperament, she knew no half-measures; she was ardent, enthusiastic, joyful, entirely self-given and without return. A brief glance at her life shows us that her baptismal grace brings to light the "up the end" of Jesus at the Last Supper (Jn 13:1ff), to whom she devoted herself totally.
Françoise nait à Beauport le 16 avril 1933, troisième enfant de Rose de Lima Drouin et d’Alphonse Guillot; elle est baptisée le lendemain, à l’église paroissiale la Nativité-de- Notre-Dame. Elle grandit heureuse, entourée de l’affection de ses parents, de ses cinq frères et de sa sœur; bref, une famille très unie, caractérisée par la foi, la générosité, la confiance, la joie de vivre. Son père, homme de cœur, est imprimeur de métier. Une tendre affection unit Françoise à sa mère, ayant hérité d’elle, entre autres, de son goût pour la nature, de son sens artistique raffiné et de son intuition.
Françoise fait ses études à l’École Légaré, à Beauport, dirigée par les Sœurs de la Congrégation de Notre-Dame. Comme plusieurs jeunes de son âge, elle adhère à certains Mouvements très actifs à son époque : la Croisade Eucharistique et le Guidisme. Toutes ces expériences affermissent chez elle le sens des responsabilités qu’elle possède déjà, parce qu’étant la troisième enfant de la famille, elle aide sa mère, de santé délicate.
What's more, the Lord granted her a unique favor: that of being the only daughter of Mother Julienne du Rosaire to be a discreet witness to the nascent community from the very first days of its foundation in May 1945.
Let us take a brief look at the main moments in our sister's life.
Françoise was born in Beauport on April 16, 1933, the third child of Rose de Lima Drouin and Alphonse Guillot; she was baptized the next day at the Nativité-de- Notre-Dame parish church. She grew up happily, surrounded by the affection of her parents, her five brothers and her sister; in short, a close-knit family characterized by faith, generosity, confidence, and joie de vivre. Her father, a kind-hearted man, was a printer by trade. Françoise inherited from her mother, among other things, her love of nature, her refined artistic sense, and her intuition.
Françoise attended the École Légaré in Beauport, run by the sisters of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame. Like many young people of her age, she also joined certain movements that were very active at the time: the Eucharistic Crusade and the Girl Guides. All these experiences reinforced the sense of responsibility she already possessed; as the third child in the family, she helped her mother, who was of delicate health.
The first event to leave an indelible mark on Françoise's life occurred on May 2, 1945. Aged 12, she attended mass every day as a member of the Eucharistic Crusade. That same day, she saw "three little ladies" at mass, recollected and soberly dressed; then she saw them again the following days - they were the sisters! As they returned to their home via Rue Seigneuriale, Françoise, attracted by them, followed them from afar until she entered her family home.
One day, her father gave up his printing business and bought a grocery store. The family moved to Avenue Royale. Françoise, aged 14, stayed on at the store to answer people's questions and give orders to the delivery boys. However, this new task did not prevent her from living her youthful life to the full; but she had already been seized by Christ, and she made no secret of it. She had a taste for the things of God. She sought out and loved the realities of Above.
From childhood, Françoise felt called to religious life. On June 15, 1952, on her way to Corpus Christi mass, she spotted a group of sisters from the young community gathered before the Blessed Sacrament at the repository prepared by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (today the École de musique des Cascades de Beauport). Seeing them, she was seized; and after her communion, she felt in her heart an irresistible call to join them right away, even though she'd been thinking about it ever since she met them. Thus, she came to meet Mother Julienne du Rosaire, and her entry was set for February 1, 1953.
Our 20-year-old postulant, gifted with a strong, wholehearted temperament, gave herself totally. In the summer of 1953, she began her novitiate and was given the name of Sister Rose de Lima. Her commitments continued, leading to perpetual profession on August 4, 1958.
Sister Françoise could move effortlessly from one task to another, or several at the same time. For she had a special gift: a global vision of the projects entrusted to her. By the time she started on a project, she already saw it through to completion and knew how to achieve its objectives, which can explain the many services she provided.
She continued her studies, from grade 9 through to a Brevet A in pedagogy. For 6 years, she taught 4th grade at l’École Mgr-Robert; and in June 1964, she was the main organizer of the Garde d'Honneur du Cœur Eucharistique (now the Fraternité Eucharistique).
She then left for Peru, where she was put in charge of the Peruvian temporary professed sisters. In January 1971, a new mission awaited her here: the Eucharistic Union Pro Mundi Vita, where she would assist Mother Julienne du Rosaire. Sister Françoise's joyful enthusiasm for the work initiated by Mother Julienne du Rosaire was evident.
Returning from Peru on April 28, 1971, she was assigned to study and obtained a bachelor's degree, followed by a master's degree in theology. At the same time, she spent twenty years working for the Eucharistic Union Pro Mundi Vita, a movement whose aim is to bring nuns together for four different days a year for a renewal on Eucharist Life and Spirituality. Through her many occupations, she served two terms as General Councillor from 1972 to 1985. She was also a member of the committee responsible for the final drafting of our Constitutions in 1984-85.
At the General Chapter of June 1991, she was elected Prioress General for a six-year term. She was thus the first sister to succeed our Mother Foundress, apart from the co-foundress, Mother Colette Brousseau, who accepted this responsibility from 1966 to 1972.
A new milestone! Sister Françoise took her role to heart and spared no effort to promote our charism in the community. In all her decisions, she showed affection and filial respect for our Foundress, Mother Julienne du Rosaire.
Sister Françoise watched over Mother Julienne du Rosaire and each of her sisters. She sensed their gifts, so to speak, and encouraged them to develop them. She always encouraged and gives good advice to her sisters. Her charity for each one was more and more delicate. She radiated the presence of God, whether with lay people, nuns or priests, for there was no self-seeking in her: united to her Lord, she ardently desired to give Him to others. Many were seized, even transformed, by her contact. In everything, she was afire with Eucharistic Love, and her greatest desire was to communicate this fire, to set hearts on fire for Him.
Several important events, both foreseen and unforeseen, took place during her first term, including: the death of Mother Colette Brousseau, our co-foundress; the death of our beloved Mother Foundress; and the Golden Jubilee of the founding of our Congregation.
On July 9, 1997, Sister Françoise was re-elected Prioress General for a second six-year term, which ended in 2003. In 2004, she was appointed vice-postulator of the Cause of Mother Julienne du Rosaire, whose diocesan process opened in this church on September 14, 2008, and closed on February 7, 2010.
As vice-postulator, she had to travel to Rome from time to time. On her return from the 2013 trip, she fell down an escalator at the Toronto airport, which subsequently caused severe pain in her back... The severity of her ailment eventually led her to the Augustinian Intercommunity Infirmary on Monday, November 18, 2019. Thus opened the last stage of her life.
On Saturday, December 30, 2023, at 4:35 p.m., in great peace, she entered eternal life. Members of her family and community were present. The sisters sang the "Salve Régina", the last hymn inviting the Virgin Mary to welcome her beloved child.
Dear Sister Françoise, we thank you for your unshakeable faith in our origins and in the relevance of our mission in the Church. What a rich heritage you leave us, having lived it so intensely! Intercede for us now, so that we may live it with fervor, following in your footsteps.
With her, a great voice has been definitively extinguished here below, to be reborn, even more vibrant, in the afterlife to sing eternally:
Love and glory to the Trinity through the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus!
sr. Marlaine Lalancette, o.p.
Monday, January 15, 2024
