SOEUR LAURENZA LAFRENIERE (SOEUR MARIE SAINTE-SUZANNE)

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SOEUR LAURENZA LAFRENIERE (SOEUR MARIE SAINTE-SUZANNE) Le jeudi 3 fevrier a 4:20 a.m. a l'hopital St-Boniface, Soeur Laurenza Lafreniere (Soeur Marie-Sainte-Suzanne) remit son ame entre les mains de son Dieu, apres une lutte courageuse et vigoureuse contre le cancer et ses complications. Elle etait agee de 71 ans dont 51 ans de vie religieuse. Laurenza naquit a Somerset, MB en 1933. Son pere, Thomas Lafreniere etait originaire de St-Leon, MB et exercait le metier de fermier. Sa mere, Yvonne Cote, etait franco-americaine de Lewiston, Maine, E.-U. Issue d'une famille de douze enfants, Laurenza en etait l'avant derniere. A l'age de 7 ans elle perdit son pere, victime d'un accident. Elle recut une education profondement chretienne par l'exemple des parents. Au debut de sa huitieme annee d'ecole a Somerset ses etudes furent interrompues par les fievres rhumatismales qui la garderent au lit durant sept mois, dont cinq a l'hopital St-Boniface. Elle reprit ensuite ses etudes et passa quatre ans au couvent de St-Charles ou les Missionnaires Oblates enseignaient. Comme adolescente elle desirait poursuivre ses etudes et devenir institutrice. Lorsque l'appel a la vie religieuse se fit sentir le choix de la Congregation ne fut pas un probleme. La communaute des Oblates etait la seule qui l'interessait. L'ideal de Laurenza etait: Devenir une religieuse exemplaire et gagner mon ciel en me donnant pour l'education de la jeunesse. Educatrice, elle le fut, oui, pour etre fidele a son ideal, mais en plus, elle etait dotee de plusieurs talents qui, malgre une sante limitee, rendaient son travail fructueux. Laurenza jouissait d'un caractere serieux mais gai, une humeur egale. La piete, la discretion, la docilite, le devouement semblaient des qualites naturelles. Elle etait vive au travail, ingenieuse et econome de son temps, et avait beaucoup d'initiative dans n'importe quel travail. Mais sa preference etait pour l'enseignement, ou pourrait-on dire l'education par l'enseignement. Elle se devoua a ce ministere pendant 23 ans dans diverses ecoles au Nord du Manitoba, en Saskatchewan, en Alberta et en Ontario. Quand elle a pris sa retraite de l'enseignement en 1984, elle alla vivre au centre-ville de Winnipeg pour mieux servir les plus pauvres. Elle avait un amour de predilection pour ses freres et soeurs des Premieres Nations. En 1995 elle alla travailler en pastorale dans le diocese de Hearst, ON. Depuis l'ete 2001, Laurenza etait membre de l'equipe de Leadership de la Congregation et aussi responsable de l'AMO (Associe.e.s des Missionnaires Oblates). La justice sociale lui tenait beaucoup a cur et elle y devoua de nombreuses annees. Elle a pris l'initiative d'etablir une cellule de Kairos a St-Boniface. Laurenza fut precedee dans la mort par ses freres Leo, Norbert, Gilbert, Bertrand, Hermain et Rheal (en enfance). Elle fut aussi precedee par sa soeur Stella, ses belles-soeurs, Maximilienne, Rose, Lucille et Audrey et par ses beaux-freres Andre Delaquis et Frank Williment. Elle laisse dans le deuil les membres de sa communaute religieuse, ses soeurs, Annette Leclaire (Sudbury, ON) et son epoux Adolphe Duffy et Therese Delaquis (St-Claude, MB) et ses freres Marc (Castor, AB) et son epouse Claire et Remi (Bromont, QC) et son epouse Patricia. Elle laisse aussi dans le deuil ses belles-soeurs, Irene (epouse de Norbert) et Alice (epouse de Gilbert) et de nombreux neveux et nieces bien-aime.e.s ainsi que des arrieres neveux et arrieres nieces a qui elle manquera beaucoup. Les prieres auront lieu lundi, le 7 fevrier 2005 a 10 h 00 en la chapelle des Missionnaires Oblates a 601 rue Aulneau, Winnipeg, MB. Les funerailles auront lieu le meme jour au meme endroit a 14 h 00. Le Pere Albert Bouffard, o.m.i., presidera la celebration et concelebree par Mgr Noel Delaquis. L'inhumation aura lieu au cimetiere de la rue Archibald a St-Boniface mardi le 8 fevrier 2005 a 10 h 00. Les arrangements funebres ont ete confies au salon Mortuaire Cropo. Merci Laurenza pour le don de toi qui continuera de nous aider a grandir! SISTER LAURENZA LAFRENIERE (SISTER MARIE-SAINTE-SUZANNE) On Thursday, February 3, 2005 at 4:20 a.m. at the St. Boniface Hospital, Sister Laurenza Lafreniere (Sister Marie-Sainte-Suzanne) commended her soul into the hands of God, after a courageous battle with cancer and its complications. She was 71 years old, 51 years of religious life. Laurenza was born in Somerset, MB in 1993. Her father, Thomas Lafreniere, originating from St. Leon, MB earned a living as a farmer. Her mother, Yvonne Cote was a Franco-American from Lewiston, ME. Laurenza was the second youngest of a family of twelve children. At age 7 she lost her father, victim of an accident. She received a profound Christian education, following the example of her parents. At the beginning of her 8th school year in Somerset, MB her studies were interrupted by a severe attack of rheumatic fever which kept her bedridden for seven months, five of which in St. Boniface Hospital. She then resumed her studies and spent four years at St. Charles boarding school under the supervision of the Missionary Oblate Sisters. As an adolescent she wished to pursue her studies and become at teacher. When the call to become a religious became clear her choice of a Congregation was no problem. The Missionary Oblate Sisters was the only one. Laurenza's ideal was: To become an exemplary religious and earn my heaven by giving of myself for the education of youth. An educator, she definitely was in order to be faithful to her ideal, but also, she was gifted with many talents which, in spite of her fragile health, made her efforts very fruitful. Laurenza was gifted with a serious but joyful and even-tempered nature. A life of prayer, discretion, docility, self-giving seemed to be part of her nature. She worked diligently, was ingenious and sparing of her time and showed much initiative in whatever she undertook. Yet her preference went to teaching, or as one might say: education through teaching. She taught for 23 years in a variety of schools in Northern Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Ontario. When she retired from teaching in 1984, she lived in downtown Winnipeg where she could be of service to the poor. She had a special love for her First Nations brothers and sisters. In 1995 she went to serve as a pastoral worker in the diocese of Hearst, ON. Since the summer of 2001, Laurenza was a member of the Leadership Team of the Congregation and was also responsible for Associates of the Missionary Oblates (AMO). Her sense of social justice ranked high in her priorities. She generously gave of herself to the cause over the years. One of her initiatives was to found a Kairos group in St. Boniface. Laurenza was predeceased by her brothers, Leo, Norbert, Gilbert, Bertrand, Hermain and Rheal (in infancy). She was also predeceased by her sister Stella; her sisters-in-law, Maximilienne, Rose, Lucille and Audrey; and her brothers-in-law, Andre Delaquis and Frank Williment. She leaves to mourn her passing the members of her religious community, her sisters, Annette Lecaire (Sudbury, ON) and her husband Adolphe Duffy and Therese Delaquis (St. Claude, MB); and her brothers, Marc (Castor, AB) and his wife Claire and Remi (Bromont, QC) and his wife Patricia. She also leaves to mourn her sisters-in-law, Irene (wife of Norbert) and Alice (wife of Gilbert) and also numerous beloved nephews, nieces, great-nephews and great-nieces. Prayers will be recited on Monday, February 7 at 10:00 a.m. in the chapel of the Missionary Oblate Sisters at 601 Aulneau St., Winnipeg, MB. Funeral service will be held on the same day at the same address at 2:00 p.m. Fr. Albert Bouffard, O.M.I. will preside the celebration and Mgr. Noel Delaquis will concelebrate. Interment of the ashes will take place on Tuesday, February 8 at 10:00 a.m. in the cemetery on Archibald Street. Thank you Laurenza for the gift of yourself, which will continue to help us grow! CROPO FUNERAL CHAPEL 586-8044

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Feb 05, 2005