†
Brother Régis Belzile was born in Amqui, a town in the Matapédia Valley, on March 13, 1931. He was the eldest in a family of ten children, including eight boys and two girls. He was baptized with the name Joseph-Marie. His father, a farmer, was named Maurice Belzile, and his mother, Germaine Dubé. It should be noted that four of Brother Régis' aunts were nuns, three of whom were missionaries. Régis attended primary school in a school in his native parish. After four years of "classical" school at the Rimouski seminary and two years at the Collège séraphique des capucins in Ottawa and then in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, he began his novitiate with the Capuchins of Cacouna on
August 14, 1953 and then received the name Régis. He made his first profession on August 15, 1954 and his solemn profession three years later. He was ordained a priest on February 11, 1961. He studied philosophy and theology, respectively, in Pointe-aux-Trembles and Ottawa. After completing his theology studies, Régis did a year of pastoral studies at the University of Montreal (1961-1962).
Frère Régis Belzile, capucin
Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Moundou in Chad
(1931-2018)
Following his request to go and work on a mission, Brother Régis received an obedience from the Minister General, dated June 11, 1962, for the Tandjilé in the diocese of Moundou in Chad, where he arrived in November 1962. He was in charge of the Lélé ethnic group sector. He worked with the Lélé until his appointment as bishop. However, he spent two years at the Catholic Institute of Paris (1971-1973), studying exegesis and anthropology. Upon his return to Chad, he was appointed diocesan head of catechists, while continuing to work in the Lélé sector.
On December 19, 1974, Paul VI appointed him Bishop of Moundou to succeed Bishop Gaumain; the ordination took place on April 6. It was presided over by the Apostolic Delegate to Chad, Bishop Mario Tagliaferri. Brother Régis became the first and, until then, the only religious of the province to become a bishop. His years of episcopate in Chad were marked by serious political events: the assassination of the President of the Republic in 1975 and the civil war in the capital in 1979 and 1980. The repercussions in the south, where the diocese of Moundou is located, were felt especially from 1982, with the occupation of troops coming from the north, and were often very harsh. The problems caused by the presence of soldiers from the north continued for several years. For several months, some missionaries had to "fall back" on Moundou; The Catholic communities then survived thanks to the courageous work of the catechists who remained on site.
Bishop Belzile with Pope John Paul II
(Synod of Bishops, Oct. 1977).
Les orientations majeures du frère Régis comme évêque de Moundou sont la formation des laïcs et leur prise en charge des
communautés chrétiennes, comme catéchistes ou conseillers dans les villages et dans les paroisses, la préparation et la
formation du clergé diocésain, et la diffusion des textes bibliques et liturgiques dans la langue des différentes ethnies. Les efforts de Mgr Belzile portent aussi sur la recherche de collaborateurs « expatriés », hommes ou femmes, afin de combler des postes devenus vacants pour différentes raisons. Les besoins en personnel concernaient l’administration du diocèse, l’extension de la première évangélisation dans des endroits encore peu rejoints et les services sociocaritatifs. Que de demandes sont faites par lettres ou par visites personnelles pour obtenir parfois peu de résultats ! Il obtient cependant la collaboration de plusieurs instituts, comme les comboniens, les pères blancs et les sœurs blanches.
Having resigned, Brother Régis was replaced in 1985 by Bishop Gabriel Balet, who was the victim of an attack during a flight between Chad and France in 1989. However, he continued to work in the diocese until 1990. Returning to Canada, and after a few months of renewal, he worked in a parish in the diocese of Montreal first and then in that of Saint-Jean-Longueuil. From 2008, he collaborated in the mission of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart and Saint-Padre-Pio and in various committees of the province. He is particularly committed to the success of fraternal collaboration projects with other provinces of the Order and is always very welcoming to all the brothers who come to us from elsewhere. He was responsible for the Franciscan library from 2011 to 2017.
Brother Régis passed away on September 4, 2018 at the age of 87. His remains will be displayed on Friday, September 14 at 4 p.m. at La Chapelle de La Réparation (3650 de la Rousselière, Montreal) where a moment of prayer will follow at 6:30 p.m. The funeral will take place at the same location on September 15 at 11 a.m. The remains will be placed at the Capuchin Mausoleum in Montreal.
Brother Guy Bédard, Capuchin
†
Brother Guy Bédard, son of Lumina Allard and Georges Bédard, a shoemaker, was born on February 7, 1934 in Laterrière, a town located near the old city of Chicoutimi. Guy is the eleventh of a family of 13 children, including 6 boys and 7 girls (three girls were born from Georges Bédard's first marriage to Céline Asselin). Three of his brothers and sisters are still alive: Jeanine, Denys and Rachel. He entered the novitiate on August 1, 1952 and took the name Mathias. He made his simple profession on August 2, 1953 and his perpetual profession on May 30, 1957.
At the beginning of his life as a Capuchin, his obediences were numerous and he provided service in several areas and in more than one fraternity: teaching carpentry, cooking, doorman, maintenance, electrician. Towards the end of the 60s, his talents as a steward were appreciated (Ottawa, Esplanade and Curatteau fraternities). He also completed training in business technology in 1970. But, discerning a call to become a priest, he returned to his studies in theology this time. From 1974 to 1976, he accompanied young people from Gérard-Filion high school in Longueuil as a member of the pastoral service. Ordained a priest on April 10, 1976, he was then appointed guardian at the Saint-Laurent fraternity of Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, which welcomed students from the St-Augustin Seminary. In 1979, the Saint-Laurent fraternity was established in the Mail Saint-Roch in Lower Town of Quebec City, where he also became a spiritual assistant to the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS) of the Quebec City region and particularly to the Tau fraternity, a youth fraternity. The establishment in a modest environment responded to the desire of Guy and the young university boarders to live evangelical values more radically. In 1987, he led a project of the OFS of Quebec to found a mission for lay people in the village of Corail, in Haiti. He would support this work for the rest of his active life, demonstrating a great attachment to the population of Corail and going there several times to accompany groups of young people and adults wishing to live a missionary experience there. Thanks to the initial and determined impetus of Guy and many collaborators, Mission Corail Haiti is today an autonomous organization which manages a primary school, a dispensary and a housing cooperative.
Mass at Corail in 1987.
During these years, he remained open to the needs of the community. In 1992, he became director of a reception house for aspirants in Chicoutimi. In 1993, after several years living in small fraternities, he accepted to be a guardian at the Saint-Charles fraternity in Limoilou, then master of novices, still in Limoilou, from 1993 to 1996.
Guy showed great determination in everything he undertook and knew how to transmit his enthusiasm to those he met. With a temperament that was at once teasing, fiery and warm, one never got bored by his side. He lived his life intensely, constantly planning and carrying out projects. He spread the spirituality of Saint Francis in many circles and made the Poverello known and loved by several hundred people.
Suffering from Parkinson's disease for several years, he decided in 2010 to come and live at the provincial infirmary of the Fraternité de La Réparation for easier medical monitoring. It was there that he passed away on the morning of August 30 at the age of 84. He will be exposed at the Fraternité de La Réparation (3650, boulevard de La Rousselière, Montréal, H1A 2X9) starting at 4 p.m. on Thursday, September 6, where a lively prayer time will take place at 6:30 p.m. His funeral will be celebrated the following day, September 7, at 11 a.m. at the same location. His remains will then be taken for cremation and his ashes placed at the Capuchin mausoleum in Montréal.
Brother Jean-Claude Lafleur, Capuchin
†
C’est à Lourdes, le 7 mai au matin, alors qu’il était en pèlerinage que notre frère Jean-Claude est décédé. Il se rendait à la messe après être retourné à sa chambre pour revêtir son habit religieux. Le dernier geste conscient qu’il a posé est donc celui de revêtir l’habit de notre Ordre ; cet habit brun qui nous rappelle à la fois notre condition humaine et notre vocation à suivre le Christ pauvre et humble.
Son of Bella Guénette and Louis-Adolphe Lafleur, Jean-Claude was born in Hull on June 19, 1937, into a family of 17 children, of which he was the 16th. He was still very young when his parents died, his father in 1945 at the age of 49 and his mother in 1950 at the age of 52. At that time, he liked to go to the Sisters Servants of Jesus and Mary, where he served mass.
After his primary education at Sainte-Anne and Reboul schools, he began his secondary studies at the Marie-Médiatrice classical day school in Hull before continuing them at the Séminaire Saint-François in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures. He received the Capuchin habit in Cacouna on August 14, 1956 and took the name Rémi. He took his temporary vows on August 15, 1957 and his solemn vows on August 15, 1960. He studied philosophy at the Capuchin study house in Pointe-aux-Trembles, then theology in Ottawa. He was ordained a priest on January 4, 1964.
Brother Jean-Claude devoted 40 years of his life to teaching at the Saint-François Seminary. From September 1964 he taught French, Latin, catechism and ecology. He always remained very proud and very attached to this secondary school founded by the Capuchins in 1952. He still worked there as a volunteer archivist and did not miss any socio-cultural or pastoral activity.
A cultured and passionate man
In order to obtain a degree in classics, he participated during school holidays in historical and archaeological study trips to North Africa, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, the Holy Land and Turkey. He was also interested in student activities such as theatre and, above all, stamp collecting, which would become his great passion. He even acted as National Commissioner for Canada at the Juvalux'98 international youth exhibition. He has often accompanied groups of students on organized trips, including to the United States and Europe.
Jean-Claude was an available and generous brother; he assumed many services and responsibilities in our community. Established as vicar and first counselor on September 18, 1973 at the Saint-Joseph fraternity of Cap-Rouge, he was guardian there several times. He was appointed provincial secretary from 2005 to 2007 and provincial vicar from 2008 to 2011. He was guardian of our Limoilou fraternity from 2003 to 2011 before becoming a member of the Saint-Joseph fraternity again. He was renamed by family in Limoilou in 2013.
He served as Sunday vicar for many years in the Saint-Félix parish, particularly in the Lac-Saint-Joseph chapel, where he enjoyed presiding over weddings. He ministered daily to religious communities in the Quebec region and did not hesitate to replace confreres when necessary. He put his heart, his energy and all his ideals as a religious and priest into his ministry. At the time of his death, Jean-Claude was responsible for provincial archivist, a service he carried out with a keen sense of organization and a love for our heritage.
A cultured man, Jean-Claude had a solid knowledge of the arts, literature and theology. He was a tireless worker, a perfectionist who could not be conquered by anything, neither time nor problems. Over the years, he maintained beneficial relationships and served as an administrator for organizations founded by Capuchins, including the Arc-en-Ciel mutual aid house and the Collaboration santé internationale organization in Quebec City.
He loved to tell his travels, which he meticulously wrote down. He remembered every event and took great pleasure in keeping the history of our province alive. In 2015, with the help of a few brothers, he produced 30 posters presenting in detail the adventure of our province since the arrival of the Capuchins from Toulouse in 1890. It was also a great joy for him to be able to visit Toulouse on the occasion of this pilgrimage to Europe.
His funeral
The funeral of our brother Jean-Claude Lafleur was celebrated on Saturday, May 19, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. at the Saint-Fidèle church in the Limoilou district of Quebec City. His ashes were placed in the Capuchin mausoleum at the La Réparation chapel on Tuesday, May 22.
May he rest in peace!