Celebrations of the 10th anniversary of the death of Father Émilien Tardif
Dominican Republic
The way of celebrating the 10th anniversary of Father Émilien Tardif’s passing into heaven was a healing retreat at the school of evangelisation, at the new church ‘Jesús Resucitado,’ on Sunday 7 June 2009; nearly 1,000 people took part.
There were 5 conferences: ‘Jesus heals our hearts’ by Maria Armenteros, ‘Jesus sets us free’ by Alfredo Pablo, ‘Jesus heals the sick’ by Victor Masalles, an adoration coordinated by Miguel Horacio Mariado and finally a Mass presided over by Bishop Plinio Reynoso, M.S.C., and concelebrated by Fathers Raphaël Rodriguez, M.S.C., provincial, André Dumas, M.S.C., vice-postulator, and Fathers Jorge Jara and Juan Candenas.
On Monday 8 June at 7:00 p.m., a Mass for the 10th anniversary of his death was presided over by Cardinal Nicolas Rodriguez. A large crowd took part. The cardinal was always a great friend of Father Émilien.
Cardinal Rodriguez
In Quebec
We celebrated the 10th anniversary by inviting Father André Dumas, M.S.C., vice-postulator, Maria Sangiovanni, co-founder of the community of the Servants of the Living Christ, and Roberto Ramirez, an inspired singer, also a member of the community. A first Mass was celebrated on Saturday 6 June by Abbé Marcoux and concelebrated by Abbé Yves Rancourt at St-Zacharie de Beauce, in the parish where Father Émilien was born.
A second Mass was presided over by Abbé Yves Rancourt and concelebrated by Father André Dumas, M.S.C., Abbés Pierre Rancourt, Victorien Faucher, Laval Bolduc, parish priest, and assisted by deacons Charles Roberge and Michel Bolduc, at the church of the Assumption of St-Georges de Beauce; more than 500 people took part. There was a teaching by Maria Sangiovanni and a healing ministry carried out by Roberto Ramirez and Maria.
Mass of the 10th anniversary of the death of Father Émilien
Abbé Yves Rancourt, presider
Assumption parish
Rapide Danseur (Adrien Tardif and Adrienne Tardif)
On Tuesday 16 June, on the way to Chicoutimi, we made two stops; a stop at Ste-Marie at the House of the Oblates of Béthanie where two Sisters Cosette, originally from Rapide Danseur in Abitibi and fellow parishioners of Father Émilien, at which Father Émilien was ordained on 24 June 1955; another stop at Beauport with the Sisters of Ste-Chrétienne, where Sister Jeannette Vandal resides, the latter, who had worked on documents concerning him, being very fond of Father Émilien.
In Chicoutimi in the evening, there was a third anniversary eucharist at the house of the Sisters of the Good Counsel, which was celebrated by Abbé Yves Rancourt and concelebrated by Father André Dumas. There was a teaching by Maria and a ministry of prayer carried out by Maria and Roberto. On Wednesday 17 June, on the road to Rouyn-Noranda we made two stops: a first stop at La Doré, at the home of Gérard Delisle and Gertrude Bélanger, to fraternise and pray with them; a second stop at Chibougamau where the parish priest, Father Fernand Dufour, welcomed us and had us visit the church and an adoration chapel made entirely of wood.
Finally, the rest of the road to reach Rouyn-Noranda around 10:00 p.m. was really long. Maria found it very far, she even wanted to take a room in Val-d’Or, so tired did she feel. It must be said that the mileage covered in that day is almost equivalent, in mileage, to crossing the country of the Dominican Republic, from North to South and from the South to the East of the country.
Father André Dumas, Maria Sangiovanni, Gabrielle Goupil, Mario Veilleux, Roberto
We spent three days in Rouyn-Noranda at the house of the Sisters Auxiliatrices du Purgatoire, residence of Sister Adrienne Tardif; moreover, three of us stayed at the house of the Sainte-Famille community, a lay community. On Thursday 19 June in the afternoon, we visited the little church of St-Bruno of Rapide Danseur, where Father Émilien was ordained on 15 June 1955, as well as the Tardif family home and the cemetery, in the company of Adrien and Sister Adrienne, brother and sister of Father Émilien. Jean-Yves Tardif, a nephew of Émilien who was 8 years old at the time of Émilien’s ordination, gave us a great deal of historical information about these places.
Maria Sangiovanni, Sr Adrienne Tardif, Adrien Tardif
In the evening, Father André Dumas presided over the fourth anniversary Mass. There was much emotion in the air, both for the visitors and for the people around Rapide Danseur. On Friday 19 June, we visited Bishop Moreau at the archdiocese of Rouyn. What a beautiful meeting of sharing. In the evening at the chapel of the Sisters Auxiliatrices, on the feast of the Sacred Heart, Father André Dumas, M.S.C., presided over an anniversary Mass in the presence of Bishop Moreau, Abbé Yves Rancourt and a few priests of the diocese of Rouyn-Noranda and of Amos. Maria, who also shares the spirituality of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of Mary, gave a teaching centred on the great Mercy of the Lord. Roberto, another member of the community of the Servants, testified to the Lord’s mercy towards him, he who is a convert who regards Father Émilien as a father.
On Saturday 20 June, we arrived at the parish of Ste-Geneviève of Berthierville, welcomed by Abbé Claude Sauvageau, parish priest of three parishes. On Sunday 21 June, Father André and I carried out ministry in these parishes, celebration, preaching and even a baptism. In the evening at 6:30 p.m., we celebrated a 6th anniversary Mass at the church of Ste-Thérèse of Joliette with Father Wilson Ramirez, of Colombian origin, and in the presence of Ricardo, a Colombian intern.
It was a very lively celebration with a presence of 40 Spanish-speaking people. Maria gave the teaching and Roberto interpreted his religious songs, and a ministry of prayer was carried out at the offertory, a dynamic celebration. After the celebration, the parish priest Nicolas Tremblay welcomed us and we had very fruitful and fraternal exchanges.
Abbé Laval Bolduc, Father André Dumas, vice-postulator, and Abbé Claude Sauvageau,
photo taken in February 2017 at Boca Chica.
On Monday 22 June, in the morning, Abbé Claude Sauvageau made a recording of three television programmes for the community TV of the Joliette region. Maria and Roberto took part in this teaching and Father André Dumas served as interpreter: these are documents to be seen. During the afternoon, we had an outing by boat on the river around the islands at Berthierville, in the company of Father André’s cousin. The islands are true sanctuaries of birds of all kinds, and above all of the pelicans, which are abundant there.
We made a stop at Île des Ours, where Father André’s cousin has a chalet and a small farm. In the evening, a prayer meeting took place at the house of the cloistered sisters of Berthierville; Maria and Roberto shared their testimony while giving a teaching on the great Mercy of the Lord. A meeting filled with joy and wonderment in the presence of these contemplative sisters and a few parishioners who had joined this meeting.
On Tuesday 23 June, back in Beauce, we made a stop at Notre-Dame-du-Cap, where we concelebrated. We know of Father Émilien’s attachment to the Virgin. There we exchanged with a Carmelite father about Father Émilien; he had read almost all the books concerning him. Arriving at St-Georges, Father André, Maria and Roberto stayed at the house of deacon Charles Roberge and Diane Paquet, niece of Father Émilien. In their absence, Hélène Paquet, niece of Father Émilien, and her husband Martial Drouin were their hosts for this last day. At supper, Maria invited us to a good Dominican meal.
The next day, 24 June, national holiday, Gabrielle Goupil and Mario Veilleux, accompanied by Hélène and Martial, went to St-Côme to visit the house of Rose Tardif, elder sister of Father Émilien, and the house where the Tardif family lived in St-Zacharie de Beauce. Here are some important stops: one at the church and parish hall of St-Côme, where the Renewal began in Beauce and where Father Émilien witnessed for the first time to his healing, and another at the church of St-Zacharie, the place where Léonidas Tardif and Anna Larochelle had their children baptised.
It should be noted here that this church has been new since 1957. In 1940, the Tardif family, with most of the children, including Émilien, moved onto a settlement farm at Rapide Danseur in Abitibi. Many families left St-Zacharie for lands of Abitibi and Témiscamingue because of the economic crisis and the difficulties due to the 39-45 war. That explains the two places of residence of Father Émilien’s family: St-Zacharie de Beauce and Rapide Danseur in Abitibi.
Early in the afternoon, Father André, Maria and Roberto returned to Quebec at Ste-Ursule, at the house of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, where Father Émilien often stayed to pursue his studies at Laval University and during his various stops in Quebec. On this 10th anniversary, we travelled 30,000 kilometres in the manner of Father Émilien, visiting the great family. On the spiritual plane, this journey brought us a better understanding of Father Émilien’s missionary openness to the world and of the family spirit that always inhabited him.
On this road, we heard various testimonies of people who obtained healings following the ministry of Father Émilien and who shared good times with him. We felt ourselves on a path of life that had the colour of vulnerability. This path, this course, continues in our hearts. A great thank you to the team, Gabrielle, responsible for the sale of the documents, to Mario, the driver of the van, to the Tardif and Paquet families, as well as to all the people who welcomed us during this pilgrimage.
Thank you to our guests: to Maria Sangiovanni, to Father André Dumas and Roberto Ramirez, who touched hearts and touched the heart of God for us.
Good Father Émilien, pray with us in this priestly year!
Yves Rancourt, priest
St-Georges de Beauce
y ve_rancourt@hotmail.com