Lucien Parenteau, of Digby, Nova Scotia, and formerly of Peace River, Alberta, passed away on October 28, 2020, at the age of 93. A native of Manitoba, he followed his family to Alberta. His parents were Social Crediters since the beginning of Louis Even’s movement, and he remained a dedicated and faithful apostle until his death, not hesitating to repeat to anyone who would listen: “MICHAEL took us out of our ignorance”. (He was referring to the lack of knowledge about the banking system that is dispelled by the study of Social Credit.)
Everywhere, he talked about the movement and used any occasion to solicit subscriptions, always approaching people with such kindness, finesse and humour that it was difficult to say no to him. Even in restaurants, he went from table to table distributing flyers and always had literature in his jacket pocket. He had a passion for sharing our literature, as our late Director, Gerard Mercier, remarked.
Lucien Parenteau frequently hosted other full-time Pilgrims in his home for tours of several weeks duration. On one tour, Lucien’s small black plane was pressed into service and Pilgrim Réjean Lefebvre flew to remote subscribers in the region! Despite the long distances, Lucien attended all the Congresses in Rougemont until very recently. In the 1980’s, he met his future wife, Carmel Boudreault-Laforest in Rougemont, a widow with four children. Carmel came from a Social Credit family of 16 children and shared the same convictions about monetary reform as her future husband. Their marriage was blessed with two children, Philippe and Lucie. Daughter, Lucie Parenteau, devoted 13 years to the cause as a full-time Pilgrim in Rougemont.
Mr. Parenteau was an outstanding speaker who made others laugh with his many anecdotes. He always highlighted the importance of the MICHAEL message. Director, Gérard Mercier, and other Social Crediters enjoyed the humour, logic and wisdom of his presentations.
Several years ago, the Parenteau’s moved from Alberta to Digby, Nova Scotia. They continued the work of education by distributing flyers to their neighbours.
His wife Carmel passed in July 2019 at the age of 77.
We pray to God to welcome Mr. Parenteau to paradise, and ask Him to send us apostles on fire as was Lucien Parenteau. Our sincerest sympathies to the entire family. v