How not to Praise You, Provident God, in the Midst of an Ice Storm!

With these words I want to testify what I recently experienced here, at Maison Providence Saint-Joseph (PSJ), a care centre (CHSLD) in eastern Montreal.

On Wednesday, April 5, an ice storm hit southern Quebec and the city of Montreal in particular. As the layer of ice that formed on the tree branches became heavy, many of them to broke, resulting in damages to the city’s power infrastructure. The authorities figured that at least 4,500 branches had fallen, leaving half the city’s homes without power. The PSJ was under great pressure during the blackout. Barely an hour and a half after taking over, our power generator broke down! We could feel humidity all over the facility, not to mention how challenging it became to carry the food carts and other equipment to the residents without the use of elevators!

But despite all this, I was happy to witness the staff’s admirable teamwork and dedication. It touched deeply my heart as a Sister of Providence. What a display of true compassion to see the amazing food chain that formed spontaneously to help the kitchen team serve their three meals to our residents in the care units!  The maintenance staff also gave themselves in body and soul to cope with the situation as best as they could. By 6:30 p.m. a new generator was already in service! Everyone helped in an atmosphere of constant peace, joy and harmony. I was so proud and happy to witness so much compassion and deep kindness. Yes, such a beautiful sight!

I wish to thank all our beautiful team of Guardian Angels of the PSJ. Well done! You are a champion team!

Danielle Charron, SP