Just over a week after the tragedy at a day care center in Laval, the moving funeral of one of the two young victims was held in the strictest of privacy on Thursday.
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The sight of the tiny white coffin in which rested the remains of little Jacob Gauthier, 4 years old, could not remain indifferent while the bells of the Sainte-Rose-de-Lima church rang.
With kind approval
Jacob Gauthier
Many residents of Laval, upset by the tragedy, but also several relatives of the victim, could not hold back their tears. Several hugged each other for a long time in the church square, seeking consolation in the face of this senseless death.
Parents also came with their children to the ceremony, which the media stayed away to respect the family’s wishes.
“There were a lot of people there, it was full. People showed solidarity with their families. […] It was moving,” said Father Michel Bouchard, who officiated at the funeral.
He was also the one who baptized the victim.
Inexplicable
Several people who came to the ceremony were at a loss for words, while misunderstandings still prevail.
“A week later we still don’t know why it happened. […] There are no words to describe her grief towards the parents,” said Samir Alahmad, president of the Association of Private Daycares of Quebec.
For her part, Clémence Vachon, 77, felt it was important to be present to support the family.
The funeral procession to celebrate the funeral of little Jacob, one of the two victims of the tragedy at the Laval daycare center, has just arrived at the Sainte-Rose-de-Lima church. pic.twitter.com/nNSbOcNmQH
— Antoine Lacroix (@ALacroixJDM) February 16, 2023
“I have a 4-year-old grandson who goes to kindergarten, I think it could have been him,” she said, describing the funeral as “very touching.”
Another ceremony will follow
“There is no answer to such a calamity. We can search on a human level, we could find 56 reasons, said Father Bouchard. There are things we cannot understand. »
The latter is just recovering from his emotions, but is not yet at the end of his troubles. He has to meet on Monday the parents of little Maëva David, 5, who also died in the tragedy at the Garderie Éducative Ste-Rose.
The funeral is to take place at a later date.
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