Hello, my name is Francois. I am originally from northern Ontario
and this year I had the opportunity to live at the Parkhill student residence in Ottawa,
run by Opus Dei
How did I find out about Opus Dei and the residence?
In fact, it's through a longtime friend of mine who lived in Ottawa for 2 years,
at the residence, during his studies. One day he invited me to come visit.
When I arrived, I was greeted by very warm, genuine people who
looked really really happy, and I immediately felt good
and I knew that I would really like to live there to grow in my faith
while pursuing my university studies.
What I like the most about the Parkhill residence
is definitely the family atmosphere. As I said, here we're surrounded by virtuous people
who care about our well-being,
who inquire about us and who truly inspire us to become
a better version of ourselves.
As soon as I arrived here I felt listened to, I felt welcomed and I felt uplifted.
As students we often have the opportunity to participate
in talks and spiritual growth activities during which we discuss
social and spiritual issues of course, and also talk about our way,
our ability to be a vector of change, starting with ourselves,
then our family, our friends and then the world at large.
Living here allowed me to find new ways of getting involved
and gave me the tools to become a citizen
commited to building a better world.
Another really pleasant thing at Parkhill is that I have the possibility
of receiving spiritual accompaniment. In my view spiritual accompaniment is
really something that really has a lot of value because it is essentially being able
to confide in someone about the most intimate things. And it isn't only about confiding.
The person you confide in can guide you, give you advice,
help you to walk on the right path. Some will say : "Can’t you have a
simple conversation with a friend?" Yes, you can. And I do that also. But at the same time,
the priest I confide in has the training needed to help me move forward
both in my professional life and in my spiritual life.
A friend of mine once commented that living here must have been annoying
because I had to participate in religious or spiritual activities.
Well, my answer is that: firstly, it's not just about that; and secondly, if I decide to participate,
it's not because it’s being imposed on me, but because I really want to do so.
It is absolutely normal and a natural manifestation
of my desire to draw closer to Jesus and deepen my faith.
Basically, it's as if a fan of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team
received a pair of tickets to go see
a game at the Bell Centre. So, if he decides to participate, it's because
it is really very, very important for him to go see these stars on ice and to experience
the atmosphere of the Bell Centre. For me, it's the same thing:
it's very important to be in this atmosphere, here, in order to be able to grow in faith.
So this all relates to Jesus and to my faith.
What’s really special with living at Parkhill, in addition to the family atmosphere and so on,
is having a chapel, an oratory,
right here in the basement, where mass is celebrated daily.
I really feel privileged to be able to access the sacraments in such
an easy way. My friend once said to me:
this is probably the only time in my life when I will have the opportunity to have Jesus as a roommate.
So, living at Parkhill was a transformative experience for me.
It really made me realize that it was possible to sanctify my life,
to offer it up to the Lord, in my everyday work.
"May the light of your faith and love shine" Saint Josemaria Escriva, The Way 1