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9.
The priests express their thanks to the
foundress of the Daisy Movement, Mrs. Louise Ward, at the occasion of the 25th
anniversary of the movement (2006)
Table: statistics
of received messages
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
|
# |
Name of the diocese |
Priests |
Sent |
Answers
received |
Portion of the diocese |
Percenta-ge
of messages |
|
..1 |
Alexandria Cornwall |
45 |
43 |
Bish. + 2 |
6.666 % |
1.785 % |
|
..2 |
Amos, QC |
37 |
41 |
Bish. + 2 |
8.108 % |
1.785 % |
|
3 |
Baie-Comeau,QC |
52 |
46 |
Bish. + 3 |
7.692 % |
2.380 % |
|
4 |
Bathurst,NB |
59 |
42 |
1 |
1.694 % |
0.595 % |
|
5 |
Chicoutimi |
211 |
174 |
2 |
0.947 % |
1.190 % |
|
..6 |
Gaspé, QC |
58 |
60 |
Bish. + 2 |
5.172 % |
1.785 % |
|
7 |
Gatineau |
84 |
78 |
1 |
1.190 % |
0.595 % |
|
8 |
Hearst, ON |
30 |
28 |
2 |
6.666 % |
1.190 % |
|
9 |
Joliette, QC |
128 |
111 |
4 |
3.125 % |
2.380 % |
|
10 |
Mt-Laurier |
40 |
31 |
4 |
10.000 % |
2.380 % |
|
11 |
Montréal, QC |
1241 |
1214 |
2 Bishop
25 |
2.175 % |
16.071 % |
|
12 |
Nicolet, QC |
159 |
157 |
14 |
8.805 % |
8.333 % |
|
13 |
Ottawa, ON |
317 |
350 |
5 |
1.577 % |
2.976 % |
|
14 |
Québec, QC |
773 |
736 |
Bish. + 7 |
2.328 % |
10.714 % |
|
15 |
Rimouski |
122 |
118 |
4 |
3.278 % |
2.380 % |
|
16 |
Rouyn-Noranda,QC |
34 |
34 |
4 |
11.764 % |
2.380 % |
|
17 |
Ste-Anne-de-la-Pocatière |
102 |
92 |
Bish. + 7 |
7.843 % |
4.761 % |
|
18 |
Saint-Hyacinthe |
202 |
170 |
Bish.+15 |
7.920 % |
9.523 % |
|
19 |
Saint-Jean-Longueuil |
128 |
129 |
Bish. + 6 |
5.468 % |
4.166 % |
|
20 |
|
163 |
138 |
2 Bishop 7 |
5.521 % |
5.357 ? |
|
21 |
|
301 |
287 |
10 |
3.322 % |
5.952 % |
|
22 |
Trois-Rivières,QC |
165 |
173 |
9 |
5.454 % |
5.357 % |
|
23 |
Valleyfield |
85 |
93 |
10 |
11.764 % |
5.952 % |
|
24 |
? |
-- |
47 |
0 |
|
. |
|
25 |
Letters FdR |
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
26 |
Totals-1 |
4536 |
4392 |
2 Bishop 156priest |
|
100 % |
|
27 |
Gifts but no message |
4536 |
4392 |
43 |
|
|
|
28 |
Totals-2 |
4536 |
4392 |
211 |
|
|
|
29 |
Deceased |
|
4392 |
78 |
|
|
|
30 |
Moved |
|
4392 |
118 |
|
|
|
31 |
Totals-3 |
4536 |
4392 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
|
# |
Name of the diocese |
Priests |
Sent |
Answers
received |
Portion of the diocese |
Percenta-ge
of messages |
Notes
1.
Column 3: the numbers of
column 3 come from the Canadian Catholic
Church Directory, 2006.
2.
Column 6: the numbers of
column 6 express a relationship between the numbers of columns 5 and 3.
3.
Column 7: the numbers of
column 7 indicate the relationship between the total number of messages
received (168, lign
4.
There are two (2) ways to
calculate the results of the letters sent out to priests: either according to
the number of messages received or according to the number of answers received.
(1) the percentage of the messages received is 168 / 4392 = 3.825 % (168: lign
26, column 5; 4392: lign 26, column 4);
(2) the percentage of answers received is 211 / 4392 = 4.804 %
(211: lign 28, column 5; 4392: lign 28, column 4).
5.
The average of the number
of messages received per diocese is 168 / 23 = 7.304 (168: lign 26, column 5;
23 dioceses).
Observations
and questions
1.
The number of priests per diocese
The third column of the table shows the number
of priests of each of the 23 dioceses where the Daisy Movement exists. The
numbers have been taken from the 2006
Directory of the Catholic Church of
Montréal 1,241
Québec 772
Ottawa 317
Sherbrooke 301
Chicoutimi 211
Saint-Hyacinthe 202
Trois-Rivières 165
Saint-Jérôme 163
Nicolet 159
Joliette 128
Saint-Jean-Longueuil 128
Rimouski 122
Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière102
Gaspé 58
Baie-Comeau 52
Mont-Laurier 40
Amos 37
Rouyn-Noranda 34
Hearst 30
Going over this list, we can easily see that the first two archdioceses
have
What consequences can we draw from these statistics? It is said that
numbers do not lie. But they keep silence. They certainly keep their secrets.
They don’t mention the extend of the territory of each diocese. They do not
mention whether the priests live in a town or in the countryside. The numbers
do not tell if the locality is a large or small town or a village.
These numbers also keep silence about the population where the priest
works. Is the population stable or changing, multi-ethnic or uniform? Is there
religious or linguistic pluralism or not? Is the population aging or young? The
numbers are silent. And how about the population’s density?
I am not a sociologue and therefore I have no competence in this matter. Does the economy influence the
religious domain? The kind of professions or jobs do they make their influence
feel? So many questions we can ask and the numbers hide or ignore the answers.
Is the pastoral strategy of one diocese the same as that of another
diocese which has very different features? The television, radio and newspapers
tend to make culture uniform. But the mentioned points above do they not go in
the opposite direction?
2. Column number 4
The numbers of column number 4 (letters sent to the priests) are the
least trustworthy. In our case, this does fortunately make little difference. We immediately see
the disparity between columns 3 and 4, the number of priests in the diocese and
the number of priests receiving the letter. When the address did not provide
the abbreviation of the diocese, we ignored where to place the location. That explains lign 24 of the table. Moreover,
a blind person who directs volunteers cannot check their work. So we have
received return mail which had been incorrectly addressed.
3. The harvest
According to our caluculations, the everage of the received messages is
7.304 (see note 5).
Nine (9) of the twenty-three (23) dioceses where the Daisy Movement has
been implanted have more than the everage (7.304).
Montréal 27
(colonne 5)
Québ ec 18
Saint-Hyacinthe 16
Nicolet 14
Saint-Jérôme 9
Trois-Rivières 9
Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière 8
Fourteen (14) dioceses have less than the average (7.3):
Saint-Jean-Longueuil 7
Ottawa 5
Baie-Comeau 4
Joliette 4
Mont-Laurier 4
Rouyn-Noranda 4
Amos
3
Gaspé 3
Hearst
2
It is remarkable that the archdiocese of
In ten (10) dioceses, the bishop has also sent a message.
Alexandria Cornwall
Amos
Baie-Comeau
Gaspé
Montreal
Québec
Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière
Saint-Hyacinthe
Saint-Jean-Longueuil
Saint-Jérôme
Even two (2) bishops have
answered in
Saint-Jérôme
4. The diocesan portion of the
messages received
Column number 6 shows the percentage of the diocesan portion:
Rouyn-Noranda 11,764
%
Valleyfield 11,764
%
Mont-Laurier 10,000
%
Nicolet 8,805 %
Amos 8,108 %
Saint-Hyacinthe 7,920 %
Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière 7,843 %
Baie-Comeau 7,692 %
Hearst 6,666 %
Saint-Jérôme 5,521 %
Saint-Jean-Longueuil 5,468 %
Trois-Rivières 5,454 %
Gaspé 5,172 %
Sherbrooke 3,322 %
Rimouski 3,278 %
Joliette 3,125 %
Québec 2,328 %
Montréal 2,175 %
Bathurst 1,694 %
Ottawa 1,577 %
Gatineau 1,190 %
Chicoutimi 0,947 %
Column 5 (observation 4) gives the number of real answers. Here,
according to column 6, we adjust this number according the capacity in each
diocese, that is, according to the total number in each diocese, which
witnesses of the vitality of the Daisy Movement in any given diocese.
Thus, the archdiocese of
5. Column 7, the percentage of the messages
received
Montréal 16,071
%
Québec 10,714
%
Saint-Hyacinthe 9,523 %
Nicolet 8,333 %
Saint-Jérôme 5,357 %
Trois-Rivières 5,357 %
Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière 4,761 %
Saint-Jean-Longueuil 4,166 %
Ottawa 2,976 %
Baie-Comeau 2,380 %
Joliette 2,380 %
Mont-Laurier 2,380 %
Rimouski 2,380 %
Rouyn-Noranda 2,380 %
Amos 1,785 %
Gaspé 1,785 %
Hearst 1,190 %
6. Was this effort a worthwhile exercice?
Note number 4 indicates that we have collected 3.825 % messages and
4.804 % answers. Does this low percentage show us a sufficient participation of the priests? We
cannot state it. The consulted professionals (inquiries and fund raising) could
not help us. The purposes were too different. Personally I am satisfied with
the obtained results.
7. The future of the Daisy
Movement
In the summer of 2006 the Daisy
Movement passed from its first quarter century to its second quarter century.
It has been implanted in several dioceses since some 15 years. Which Petals and
which diocesan coordinators will still be there in 25 years? Perhaps only the
recently ordained priests. But will these have younger Petals praying for them?
The above table and these observations do they allow us to say something
about the health of the Daisy Movement, about its quality of life, about its
future? Where do we stand today? Can we look forward five or ten or even
fifteen years? Several dioceses have had the movement implanted about fifteen
years ago. The Daisies have grown fifteen years older in the meantime. The
diocesan animators also. What can we foresee? Will there be someone to take
over?
Every diocesan coordinator has a rather precise vision of his diocese.
Can he, from his diocesan viewpoint, express himself about the entire movement
in the twenty-three dioceses?
In the dioceses where there is no more coordinator death slowly enters.
And what to do in the dioceses where the animator is merely a title bearer
without any action?
In the dioceses of
Personally, I believe that the table and these observations which we can
draw from it do contain some elements allowing us to answer for the health and
the future of the movement. But I also think that these details are
insufficient. Moreover, there are other factors which are absent from these
data.
It is easy and pious to say: let the Holy Spirit do his work. But does
he not count on our collaboration?
8. Our participation to the
Holy Spirit’s action
I see five (5) points where we can work with the Holy Spirit. And, as we
know, he will not act without us; let us go over these five (5) points.
8.1 Forgotten priests
In my communications with priests in 2006, I made a surprising
discovery: there are three (3) groups of forgotten priests:
·
Retired diocesan priests (at the seminary, at the
bishop’s house or in a pavilion)
·
Religious priests living in community
·
Missionary priests who have come back (p.m.é., M.Afr.,
etc)
The implantation of the Daisy Movement in a
given diocese is a work which merits our admiration. It is an arduous and long
work. The easiest is to provide a Daisy to the parish priest. The pastor has
received his Daisy. How about his predecessor who now is retired in the
pavilion for older priests? He has been forgotten. Who will give him a Daisy?
He can still live many years…
I live in a religious house where there are
several priests. Only since one month the others also have a Daisy after so
many years.
In September 2006, I received an e-mail from a
«Missionnaire d’Afrique» (M. Afr.) residing in another diocese than mine: “Next
October 25 I’ll reach the age of 86 years and only yesterday I have learnt the
existence of Daisies! I wonder who has given you my address. It must be because
someone loves me much and finds that I need to be taken care of by at least one
Daisy. It is right. I need that people pray for me and I accept that people
look after me and give me as many Daisies as you can find for me. I thank you
for it.”
I have found someone to organize a Daisy for
him. Later on, I have sent it to the coordinator of his diocese.
How many other missionaries who have come back
home after many years spent in foreign missions do not have a Daisy except when
they had one already when they left? They have been forgotten.
Is there not a need to check the three groups
of priests that we have mentioned to know if they indeed have a Daisy?
8.2 Putting life
back into the Daisies
Are our Daisies alive, dynamic? Ideally
speaking, the eight (8)persons who form a Daisy, that is the priest and the
seven (7) Petals or prayer partners, are a little spiritual family. Are there
good communications between these eight (8) persons? Some priests send, from
time to time, a letter to their Petals. The priest can make a phone call to the
Petal of the day to thank that person who prays for him that day. Do the Petals
phone to their adopted priest to ask him about his health and inform about any
news? Does the Daisy sometimes meet around the Eucharistic table? Do they think
to invite their priest at home? Or as a group at a restaurant? I have the
impression that this rarely occurs. Does the Daisy’s organizer maintain the
unity among the Daisy’s members? Or are they without any contact among
themselves? They need to receive new life.
8.3 Rejuvenate the
Daisies by twenty years right now
Aging is a fact of life, both for priests and Petals.
The older priests and their prayer partners will disappear more or less at the
same time. But the priests of 30 to 40 years who have a Daisy much older than
themselves will one day loose the prayer support. To correct this, I propose
that we give to these younger priests another Daisy composed of people of their
own age.
Besides, the diocesan animator should make sure
to have a team ready to replace him and to continue his work. Once a year, of
course, at the annual celebration of the Eucharist, there is a strong team: greeters at the three doors
of the cathedral, animators, the choir, the collection, the booth to sell a
Daisy pin or other symbol, team to distribute the booklet for the ceremony,
guides to direct people to their seats, publicity team, decoration team, alter
service, etc. But after this great annual event, the animator can die or take
sick, etc. Has a group of people been prepared to take over at any time?
8.4 Nomination of a diocesan coordinator
The chancellor of one diocese writes me that
the Daisy Movement does not exist in that diocese. Yet I have in hand a list of
sixteen (16) Daisies in that diocese. It is true that diocese has no animator.
It also happens that the title bearer does absolutely nothing for the movement.
What should we do? The prayers of the Daisies render the priest better and
holier. Through his influence the priest, in turn, renders the parishioners
better and holier. Which (arch)bishop does not want to have good and holy priests
at his side to work in his diocese? Is he not interested in the holiness of his
priests and the diocesan people? Can the (arch)bishop not nominate and remove
any person in his territory that has a “diocesan” function? Is it not his right
and duty? Can he not ask him for a report on his work done?
Wherever there is no competent and committed
coordinator, I propose that the (arch)bishop creates a salaried position so
that someone will take care full-time of the Daisy Movement. This goes against
the movement’s tradition, I know it. But what is more important? A salary or
the vitality of the Daisy Movement? The holiness of his flocks?
8.5 Updating
It seems to me that it would be useful at every
quarter of a century to make an in-depth revision of the entire movement. If
needed, the necessary updates should be make.
Francis de Ruijte, ofm
95, chemin Sainte-Anne
Phone: (450) 742-7299
Fax: (450) 743-7666
E-mail: Francis.de.Ruijte@paxetbonum.net
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