The Homecoming - A Gathering of France and French Canada Montreal, July 8-10th, 2004

by David Demian

"The inhabitants are desperate, they have sacrificed for the conservation of the country and they end up ruined without any resources." Francois Gaston, Duc de Levis 11:00 am 9 May 1760 - The Quebec City Ramparts

Hundreds of us have been gathered on the cliffs overlooking Quebec City for days. We anxiously scan the horizon for the first sign of a ship sailing up the St. Lawrence.

Almost a year has past since the English first began their bombardment of Quebec City. After two months, little was left but smouldering ruins. Then, on September 13, after a short battle on the Plains of Abraham, the city fell to the English forces.

But we, les Canadiens, will not give up our dream of New France that easily. For 150 years, we have sown in blood and tears to birth the vision for this new nation of Canada. We cannot let go.

So we mustered our troops this spring and, led by Levis, repelled the English invaders. They have retreated and now, sit holed up inside the walled city.

And together, we wait. Our fates bound in the answer to one simple question: which ship will come?

The cry goes out - a ship is on the horizon! We strain to see which flag is flying on its mast…

No! It cannot be! In one instant our hearts are crushed. It is the Lowenstoff, an English frigate. France's small flotilla has been easily turned back at the mouth of the St. Lawrence by a large English fleet.

We have been abandoned.

We have been betrayed.

We have lost our hope.

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For many years now, the church in Canada has been undertaking a remarkable journey of healing and reconciliation that we might see our nation become a resting place for the glory of the Lord.

An important part of this journey has been to see the healing of the historical animosities we as a nation inherited from our French and English parentage. Over three years ago God gave us a vision of two interlocking wedding rings and the words "I DO". We recognized that a covenantal union between English and French was His desire for Canada. Our recent discovery that our first Prime Minister, Sir John A MacDonald, described the formation of Canada as "being united in Holy Matrimony…" has strengthened our resolve to reclaim this inheritance of God's original spiritual design for our nation.

We have walked many steps in this journey already: a courtship in Charlottetown (the birthplace of Canadian confederation) and an engagement during a courtship tour of Canada in summer 2003 (www.ladanse.ca).

And now the Lord has revealed to us that before a wedding can take place there has to be a healing of the heart of our beautiful French Canadian "bride", through restoration of the relationship with her "mother" country of France. Only when the root of abandonment and rejection is broken will French Canada be able to truly open her heart to receive the love English Canada longs to bestow on her.

We, as a representation of fathers and mothers of the Canadian church, together with leaders of the church in France have discerned that the Lord is asking us to take this step of repentance and reconciliation. We are excited that the time has come now, in 2004, the 400th anniversary of French settlement in Canada. It is a day of new beginnings.

The Gathering between representatives of the church of France and church of French Canada will take place beginning at 7:00 p.m. July 8th and will continue through 10:00 p.m. July 10th, 2004 in Montreal. Details of the exact location of the Gathering, registration and schedule will follow in the next week.

We want to invite all French Canadians to come for this important time of healing and reconciliation. And we pray the Lord will release a great representation from throughout English Canada to come and stand with French Canada and witness God re-connecting hearts across the miles and the generations that healing might come to Canada and France.