14

This afternoon, I went to town to play hockey with my buddies. We had such a grand time! We played on the rink right by the church. It was very cold but that did not stop us from playing.

15

The hockey equipment
1920
Musée des Pionniers et des Chanoinesses, Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, Manitoba

16

To play hockey of course, you need skates, a stick and warm clothing. The goalie also needs to wear goalie gloves and pads to protect himself from the shots.

17

The hockey song
1930
Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, Manitoba

18

Audio: This song was written and sung by a Lourdais, Louis Chaperon, originally from Switzerland.
"Grand-père et grand-mère, mon père et son frère
Arrivèrent de la Suisse, ils se sont établis
En haut d'une colline, pas loin des ormeaux
Qui poussaient sur les bords d'un joli p'tit ruisseau
(tyrolienne)
Bien des années plus tard, mon frère Charles et moi
On mettait nos patins, on descendait le p'tit chemin
Qui menait aux ormeaux, on patinait, on jouait au hockey
Sur la glace de ce beau p'tit ruisseau
(tyrolienne)
Souvent le samedi et les dimanches aussi
Arrivèrent les Delaquis avec quelques amis
Ils venaient patiner, on jouait au hockey
Tout près des ormeaux Sur la glace de ce beau p'tit ruisseau
(tyrolienne)
Aujourd'hui nous chantons cette belle p'tite chanson
À mes p'tits enfants qui jouent au hockey
Tout près des ormeaux Sur la glace de ce beau p'tit ruisseau"

19

Christmas Eve
1915
Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, Manitoba

20

Christmas is finally here! The whole family went to midnight mass. We saw the beautiful nativity crèche in the church and we sang Christmas songs. I saw uncles, aunts and cousins I had not seen in a long time. We don't leave the house much in wintertime. So Christmas Day, as everyone goes to church, it's the perfect opportunity to gather, to chew the fat and to exchange the latest local news. When we went home that night, we found candy and fruit in our shoes. Mama prepared us a delicious meal.
Audio:
Adeste Fideles
Adeste Fideles, laeti trimphantes
Venite, Venite in Bethleem
Natum videte Regem Angelorum
Venite adoremus, Venite adoremus
Venite adoremus Dominum
En gregre relicto, humiles ad cunas
Vocati pastores approperant
Et nos ovanti Gradu festinemus
Venite adoremus, Venite adoremus
Venite adoremus Dominum
Sung by Renée Brisson-Jackson

21

Statue of the Virgin Mary in the Lourdes church
1915
Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, Manitoba

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During Christmas Day mass, each year a 10-12 year old boy reads a short sermon. This is the sermon read by Guy Augert:
My dear brothers, For four weeks now, each of us has been preparing his heart for the coming of baby Jesus. Today, it is Christmas and we are happy to celebrate his birth together. Ever since we were little...each year, on this great day, we are brought close to the creche. Each year also, it is the same baby Jesus we see lying on the straw... Is it that Jesus is born on every December 25?
I hear you answer me: "Of course not! The Jesus in the crèche is only a doll. It reminds us that about 1930 years ago, Jesus was born in a poor manger in Bethlehem. He was small, so small. He was cold. Thankfully, Saint Joseph and his mother the very Holy Virgin Mary were there to love him and comfort him."
You are right to think that Jesus is not born every year.
But would you believe me if I said that Jesus is reborn each year, that he is reborn even more often among us?... You'd like me to explain?... Well, here goes!
First of all, if I ask you why our Lord left his beautiful heaven to come to our poor world, you would answer right away: "To save mankind". What does this mean? In my own simple words, I will tell you. When he created our first parents, God gave them a gift, a great gift he called sanctifying grace; it's almost God's own life in our soul. Well, Adam and Eve, by sinning, lost this precious gift. Without it, they could not enter heaven. It was a great loss for them and for us also.
So what happened then? Jesus felt pity for us. He asked his Father for permission to come to earth to suffer and die for men and by this have God give them back a bit of his life, that is, his grace.
That's what happened. The Son of God chose himself a mother, he took a little body and came to earth. You see his expression in the creche? Why does he open his little arms to us? It is to tell us to come and get his gift: his grace. Yes, he gives it to us for the first time when we are baptized. If we lose it by mortal sin, he gives it back to us when we go to confession by telling him that we are sorry we offended him.
So it is true, isn't it, that Jesus is reborn in our souls... in each of our soul. At Christmas, more than ever, he wants us to receive this great gift. If we have it already, he wants us to tell him Thank You and show our gratitude.
Do you understand now why, at Christmas, we give each other gifts? It is to remember this great and beautiful gift Jesus brought to earth with his birth: his grace and his love.
So my dear brothers, today we are happy because we have within us the life of Jesus. We went to communion at midnight mass. Let us kneel with the shepherds, near Saint Joseph and the Holy Virgin and let us promise to enjoy our great treasure. Let us say together: "O little child Jesus, you have loved us so because to give us your grace you left behind your beautiful heaven. In return, we will love you with all our hearts. More importantly, we will keep your life within ourselves by committing no sin. If, unfortunately, we do sin, we will quickly ask you to be reborn in our souls."
My dear brothers, I ask baby Jesus to grant us this grace and I pray that he places it upon our heads with our reverend Pastor's benediction.

23

New Year's Day
1930
Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, Manitoba

24

New Year's Day, the whole family went visiting relatives. I played with my cousins while my parents drank wine with my uncles and aunts. Everyone was happy and wished each other a Happy New Year, we laughed and we sang.
Audio: "New Year's Day was a big celebration. Everyone would visit each other. Even here, once we moved into town, people from Somerset would drop by to wish us a Happy New Year. My wife came from Somerset and knew everyone from there so, at times, our house would be full of them. In those days, everyone would visit each other much more often than today. In those days, we'd make a bit of wine. Our visitors from Somerset, on New Year's Day...they were people I had known in Somerset. They would come to wish us a Happy New Year and have a glass of wine. "
Albert Augert

25

The snowmobile
1930
Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, Manitoba

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After mass this morning, I went with my father to visit his friend who had just bought a snowmobile. It's the first one in Notre Dame de Lourdes. He took us for a ride through the snow covered fields. What fun!

27

Evening Gatherings
1900
Musée des Pionniers et des Chanoinesses, Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, Manitoba