Sixty years ago, two young missionaries set out to serve mission communities in the West: newly ordained priest Father Bertrand Mathieu, O.M.I., in Saskatchewan, and Sister Eileen Gamble, M.C.R., in northern British Columbia.
“When I arrived in 1949, it was a four-hour trip over gravel roads from Anaham to Williams Lake,” recalls Sister Eileen. Today, she says, “Our life as missionaries has not changed that much…We teaching the school, help instruct the children in the sacraments, prepare couples for marriage as well as young parents who wish to have their children baptized.”
Fr. Mathieu, 2009 St. Joseph awardee for distinguished missionary work, signed up to serve soon after his ordination in 1949. To survive in the harsh climate, he travelled by dogsled or by foot to cover the 45 to 50 miles between his missions.
Circumstances have barely improved in many of our remote communities, yet our missionaries’ faithful commitment to serve even in the direst conditions continues to inspire.
