The Lasallian Region of North America (RELAN) mourns the loss of two additional Brothers from the Francophone Canada District due to COVID-19. Brother Jean Laperrière, FSC, and Brother Rosaire Rivard, FSC, both died on May 22, 2020, at Résidence De La Salle in Laval, Québec.
Résidence De La Salle is home to Brothers and members of other religious congregations. In all, 32 members of the 74-member community have died from COVID-19, including a total of 10 Brothers and 22 members of other religious congregations. Thirteen other community members have tested positive for the virus, 10 of whom have not exhibited any symptoms. Three staff members have tested positive in recent days.
These deaths and infections come despite the strict safety measures Résidence De La Salle put into place early in the pandemic, even a week before the government mandated the measures. Precautions included not allowing visitors or gatherings, closing the chapel, allowing no more than one or two (as needed) people in an elevator, bringing meals to the residents’ rooms, requiring staff members to leave their uniforms to be washed nightly, and requiring staff to wear masks with nurses and attendants wearing a mask and face shield. At the peak of the infections, residents were not allowed to leave their rooms and meals were brought to their rooms using disposable plates and utensils.
Brother Florent Gaudreault, FSC, Visitor of the Francophone Canada District, said the Public Health Service supported the community for four weeks during the outbreak and recognized that nothing more could have been done.
“I would like to thank, from the bottom of my heart, all the people, Brothers and other Lasallians, who expressed their sorrow and offered their prayers, from around the world—really from all the Regions—by means of emails and phone calls. It was very moving,” said Brother Florent. “Fortunately, the situation is improving, as Brothers are allowed to leave their rooms and go outside. It’s still fragile, but there is a lot of hope.”
Memorials will be scheduled for the Brothers at a later date. If you would like to send a note to the Brothers at Résidence De La Salle, you may email your message to Brother Florent at fgaudreault@delasalle.qc.ca or mail a note to:
Daniel Croteau, fec
Résidence De La Salle
300, ch. du Bord-de-l’Eau
Laval (Québec) H7X 1S9
CANADA