Thank you, Yolande!

-By Benoît-Marc+

Dear Yolande,

Upon learning of your passing in the newspaper, I wanted to express my gratitude for your rich and fulfilling life.

Were you part of that generation of women who knew how to take their place in the Church? In any case, you gave yourself a solid academic education. So when I was a young man and arrived at the Tribunal, I found a host of strong, fulfilled, and joyful women working there: Claire, Diane, and Hélène, coordinated by Suzanne, were the pillars. Jeannine was a judge. And for fifteen years already, you had been representing people in need. I remember your enthusiasm and joy. When a case seemed more difficult, you would say good-naturedly, “We'll argue harder.” And while there are no statistics on this, I have no doubt that in more than 95% of cases, you won for the people who entrusted you with representing them.

I always felt that your goal was never to be right for the sake of being right. It was simply to help people who came to the Tribunal to move forward, to find some peace in the process, a balance in their lives, and momentum for the future. Thanks to you, I learned from the best. And it is these values that continue to motivate the Tribunal's work today.

I prayed with you this morning using the texts from the Eucharistic liturgy of the day. We read the passage from the Gospel where Jesus says that he did not come to abolish the Law or the prophets. On the contrary, those who observe them will be declared great in the kingdom of Heaven.

I have known and learned from a great woman. And I am grateful for that.

*Sister Yolande Dufresne, s.n.j.m., was, among other things, an ecclesiastical lawyer at the Regional Tribunal of Montreal.