Florentine Seguin, full-time Pilgrim of Saint Michael for the past 65 years, passed away on September 24th, 2020 at the age of 88. Born on April 4, 1932, Florentine was the fourth of nine children born to Mr. and Mrs. Jean Seguin of Noelville, Ontario; the entire family were fervent supporters of Social Credit. Her mother passed away in 1967, and her father, Jean, on Christmas Day 1994, at the age of 93. She leaves her sister Marie-Jeanne, brothers Valois and Julien, several nieces and nephews as well as members, friends and associates of the Pilgrims of Saint Michael. In the July, 1965 edition of Vers Demain (the French-language edition of MICHAEL), Miss Seguin wrote about her vocation:
“I was 12 years old when Vers Demain came into our home in Noelville, Ontario. As soon as the postman delivered the mail, dad would take Vers Demain and read it completely and what impacted him the most was read aloud. I understood that Social Credit would fix families’ monetary problems and was also very impressed that meetings began with the Rosary.
“At age 15 I boarded with the Daughters of Wisdom [a religious order] to continue my education. Each evening we recited the Rosary with the Sisters, according to the method of Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort. What a joy for me to see that it was the exact way that Mr. Louis Even [founder of the Pilgrims of St. Michael] recited the Rosary at our meetings.
“Afterwards, I completed 15 months as a postulate and novitiate with these same religious sisters and also worked as a nurse’s aide. In 1954, I began to go door to door for Vers Demain and MICHAEL. On weekends, we would travel up to 100 miles from home to visit neighboring parishes.
“I am happy to be part of the MICHAEL movement that works to unmask injustice and open the way for Social Credit, a system in which each person would freely and sanely blossom. I took time to choose my vocation. But, now, 10 years have passed since I embraced this way of life. I thank God for having called me to be part of such a beautiful movement, where we find so much joy in dedicating ourselves for others.”
Florentine Seguin arrived at the MICHAEL office as a full-time pilgrim in 1955, and devoted the remainder of her life to the movement until God called her home. She undertook every task asked of her without complaint and worked in many capacities, such as accountant and secretary. She welcomed visitors to the MICHAEL office, and kept an eye on the full-timers, both young and less-young, to ensure all were adhering to our principles. From the beginning, she was the right hand of co-founder, Mrs. Mercier, assisting in all major decisions and, as bursar, administered the financial operations of the movement masterfully. She occupied the office of president of The Louis Even Institute.
Following Mrs. Mercier’s death, Florentine was also the right hand – almost twin sister – of Miss Therese Tardif. The two worked closely to ensure the movement’s smooth development.
Florentine fulfilled her vocation in obscurity and without fanfare. With humility, she conscientiously attended to her work. In the September/October 1970 issue of Vers Demain, on the occasion of 15 years as a full-time pilgrim, we wrote about Florentine Seguin: “Her fidelity has stood the test of time. She does nothing that is not perfect in the spirit of the House. What a pearl this Florentine! A father and mother who were great Christians and great Social Crediters raised her…and the Daughters of Wisdom oriented her well in the spirituality of the great Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort. It is great vocations like hers that edify the work of Vers Demain and MICHAEL.”
In the last two years Florentine suffered from pulmonary fibrosis. During the last few months her health deteriorated considerably. Her sister, Marie-Jeanne, came during the months of July and August 2020 to keep Florentine company. On September 15th, Miss Seguin was taken by ambulance to the hospital in Saint Hyacinthe, where she passed away during the night of September 23 - 24, 2020 from a lung infection.
We offer a great thanks to God, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort for having given us Florentine Seguin. It was a privilege for us to have known her. We thank God for having given us such a model of consecrated life and devotion to justice. We pray He receives her into His Kingdom, in company with Louis Even and all the Social Crediters who fought the good fight. We also ask God, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Michael to send us many young people who share the same ideals and zeal as our dear Florentine.