This was the theme of the Regional Congress of the Volunteers of God from across Quebec, held on September 13.

There were about forty of us who were very keen to meet after several years without a Regional gathering of the Volunteers of God.

They came from Québec, Montréal, Drummondville, Victoriaville, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, not to mention La Tuque and Toronto, represented by Adèle Yamba, who is also part of the Central Team. All were eager to socialize and, above all, to share the five attitudes of life that are at the heart of our spirituality and mission.


                                                                              

Generous Volunteers (in pairs and trios) took turns entertaining us with talks on God's presence, the absence of destructive criticism, the absence of useless complaints, being of service, and being peacemakers. They spared no effort in speaking to us from the heart about the writings of Father Parent, while at the same time sharing their own life testimonials.

After two presentations, one by the La Tuque group on being of service and the second by a dyad from Drummondville on the presence of God, the participants gathered in four mixed groups to share what had resonated most with them. Our team leaders did an excellent job of facilitating the discussion, giving everyone a chance to express themselves and share their experiences.

                                                                         

After dinner, the trio from Victoriaville spoke to us about the absence of destructive criticism, followed by the group from Trois-Rivières on theabsence of unnecessary complaints. In this last triad, newcomers testified to the importance of growing in the spirituality of the five attitudes of life to help them better adjust to their new environment in Québec. Later, Jacques Dugré spoke to us about the positive effects of praise and blessing, especially when things are going badly.

Finally, Irène from Sherbrooke and Adèle from Toronto presented the theme of peacemakers after consulting with each other remotely. Their life testimonials,along with quotes from Father Parent, were very meaningful. We could sense that they were “walking the talk,” as we say here in Québec, meaning that their actions matched their words.

 Finally, we shared mixed tables around the last three presentations, concluding the day in joy and songs of gratitude. Several people expressed their joy at having come to this convention and their desire to repeat the experience in 2027 on the 70th anniversary of the official name of the group, “Volunteers of God,” according to the minutes of the OMMI Central Council meeting of 22 December 1957.

Thank you to everyone who made this convention possible, and let us pray to God that He will help us organize the next one in 2027.

Violaine Couture, Responsible of the Volunteers of God