A Secretary without equal

Margot Bilodeau has spent 30 years serving Edmonton's archbishops

By RAMON GONZALEZ
WCR Staff Writer
Edmonton

Three decades later, Marguerite Bilodeau is still at her desk and she is still graceful, polite and courteous, her radiant smile always shining.

Currently assisting Archbishop Thomas Collins in his daily routine, Bilodeau's good nature and dedication to his duties as executive secretary, co-chancellor and canon lawyer have not gone unnoticed.

She is revered throughout the archdiocese. So much so that activities at the Catholic Pastoral Centre came to a halt for two hours Sept. 16 as the archdiocese paid tribute to her for 30 years of competent and professional service. About 70 people attended the ceremony, including friends, co-workers, bishops, priests and representatives of several parishes.

As MacNeil noted at the ceremony, "Margot has been at the centre of it all for the past 30 years and has brought grace, talent and wisdom to this enterprise."

"She is an extraordinary person," he said in an interview. "She is a very happy person, very dedicated and totally committed to her duties and totally committed to the Lord. She is a great asset to the archdiocese."

Bilodeau, a member of the secular institute of the Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate since a young age, is highly qualified in theology and canon law and the archdiocese often draws on her talents to tackle highly complicated issues, noted Collins. She also makes the job of the archbishop easier by finding solutions to people's problems or directing them to the appropriate parties.

"She is an extraordinary person." - Archbishop Joseph MacNeil

"She is wonderful, totally dedicated to the mission of the Church and of the Gospel," Collins said in an interview. "She listens to people and is able to provide a real presence of the Lord to people."

Former chancellor Father Mike McCaffery noted that "people always get a warm welcome" when they phone the chancery office and get to talk to Bilodeau.

"I worked with her for many years and I never saw her mad," he said. Sometimes people call to protest, to insult or to denounce but Bilodeau never loses her cool, treating people with respect, courtesy and hospitality. "She follows a pastoral principle that when people throw rocks at you, you don't throw them back."

Apart from serving in the chancery office, Bilodeau also makes time to visit the sick and the dying and to help the diocese find new vocations for the priesthood and religious life, McCaffery noted. "She epitomizes the true Christian spirit. She is a great witness to our faith."

In an interview, Bilodeau said she has stayed for 30 years because "I felt that this is where the Lord wanted me to be." She sees her duties as an extension of her job as a missionary.

A native of Sherbrooke, Que., Bilodeau has been a member of her secular institute for close to 50 years. Institute members make promises of poverty, chastity and obedience, but otherwise remain in the world, living as single lay people and each continuing their trade or profession.

Bilodeau became a lay Oblate in 1955 at age 18 after working as a secretary in a lawyer's office in Sherbrooke. Before coming to Edmonton in 1969, she worked for a time in Rome as a secretary for the Congregation for Religious. Originally she wanted to work as a bar server in order to reach out to bar patrons who might need spiritual assistance. But as she put it, the Lord had different plans.

Bilodeau joined the Edmonton Archdiocese in 1973 and served under Archbishop Anthony Jordan for two months filling in for a secretary who was ill. When MacNeil succeeded Jordan, he appointed her permanently.

Since then Bilodeau has been doing "a bit of everything," from answering calls to the archbishop and writing letters to making appointments and helping organize events. The archbishop's office gets an average of 50 calls a day, most of which require action. When Bilodeau can't find a solution, she refers the callers to someone who can.

Sometimes Bilodeau can be found working in her office until 7 p.m. or even later. "I like to finish what I start," she said. "I want to start the next day with a clean slate. My father taught me not to leave for tomorrow what I can do today."

Her dedication and competence has often led to additional responsibilities. In 1977 Bilodeau was appointed vice-chancellor and served in that position until 1998, when she became co-chancellor. This means she shares the duties of running the chancery office with chancellor Father Greg Bittman.

Since the early 1970s she has been involved in promoting religious vocations. She is also a vocations counsellor with her secular institute. In the midst of it all, Bilodeau still found time to get her licentiate in canon law, which she completed over the years through correspondence.

She also finds time for prayer, which she does in the course of her duties or while taking her usual lunch hour walk on the pastoral centre grounds. "Our spirituality calls us to be spiritual all the time, even when we are waiting for our turn at the photocopier."

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