Canada, we welcome you, too!

I love this picture with its welcome under the flag of Canada! I am getting excited about learning more about this vast and beautiful country; I am also going back to the history of the Society of the Sacred Heart in Canada. The Bishop of Montreal, brought a letter from Reverend Mother Barat to Mother Galitzin who was in New York in September of 1841. She said that the Bishop had thought to return by another route but she had asked him to go by way of New York to discuss the possibility of a foundation in his diocese. In fact, "the house is ready, practically furnished,,,I think we should not refuse the offer. His Lordship promises that we shall have novices soon and accomplish much good in time, the the beginnings may be small, as is ordinarily the case." (This letter is quoted by Mother Callan in The Society of the Sacred Heart in North America.)
Mother Galitzin was ready to leave for the South but now set out with Mother Salliaon for Canada. The Bishop hoped that the Society would immediately make the foundation but it was deferred for a year. Mother Galitzin  reported that the house was beautiful with an enclosure of five acres of fertile land. The Bishop not only was giving us the house but would furnish it and pay for the Religious who would come from France.; she did not mention that St. Jacques was just a village and not easily accessible from Montreal.
We did make the foundation setting out in December in spite of the intense cold that made the trip difficult. More on this later as it is fascinating to read about the early pioneers.