Blessed Dina Belanger

The life of Dina Bélanger is so peaceful, so like who she was. Even her times of struggle, her Dark Night of the Soul, were unique in that she was constantly trying, in everything she ever said or did, to please and give honor to Our Lord, her Lover.
Whenever we write a book on a Saint or Blessed, we make a television and video series. We visited Sillery, in the province of Québec, Canada, which is in itself a charming, peaceful reflection of the Saint who lived most of her life in that spiritual atmosphere. We went to the convent of the Religious of Jesus and Mary on St. Louis Road in Sainte Foy, and the school where she taught, St. Michel de Bellechasse.
The convent in which Dina spent her nine years as a religious burned to the ground in 1983. Therefore there was no room where she had lived, no infirmary where she died, nothing physical, that you could touch in the new convent and school which was built after her death. But she was there, in every room we visited, every corner we turned, in the chapel where she is buried, and most importantly, in the eyes and spirit of every Sister in the Community. They all reflected the spirit of their Sister in Christ, the precious little Saint of Québec. There were mementoes of her life, pictures of her (She is a Twentieth Century Blessed, a product of our own century), needlepoint which she made, a musical score which she composed, and Sisters whom she knew. She died sixty-six years ago and we were able to talk with people whom she touched and, while they have become senior citizens, their memories of Blessed Dina are crystal clear. Everyone had something special to share about her, a word, a smile, something which touched their lives. She remained with them, and they would never be the same.