By the members of the Montreal diocesan council, and Murielle Mondou, veteran of the Montreal Share Lent committee.
It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing on November 10, 2025, of Micheline Savoie, a longtime Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada (DPCC) member who co-founded our first local group in Montreal over 50 years ago.
The entire DPCC family offers the deepest condolences to her family and loved ones.
These testimonials from members of the Diocese of Montreal reflect the gratitude and respect that people felt for Micheline Savoie. We thank them for their contribution.
“Solidarity is more than a gesture: it is a way of living in the world, of believing and hoping.”
— Micheline Savoie, in her article on the 2017 DPCC campaign, published on the Femmes et Ministères website
Theologian, educator and committed activist Micheline Savoie devoted more than 50 years to Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada. She was one of the first to develop French-language educational tools (at the Diocese of Montreal) to raise youths’ awareness of international solidarity. Her enlightened view of the Church, her discretion, her rigour and her embodied faith have influenced several generations of volunteers and believers in the diocese. She was able to connect major global issues to simple acts of faith, with a quiet boldness and a deep love of the Word.
Testimonial from Murielle Mondou
In the Diocese of Montreal, the name Micheline Savoie evokes quiet loyalty, embodied faith and an unwavering commitment to the mission of Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada. For more than 50 years, Micheline has been a discreet but essential presence, weaving together the major global issues and the simple acts of solidarity experienced in everyday life.
A theologian and educator by training, she combined intellectual rigour with humility. Unwilling to talk about herself, she preferred to let her convictions speak for themselves through her actions. Her enlightened view of the Church, both as an institution and as a community of faith, enabled many to discover a new, broader and more committed world.
As part of the Lent Sharing committee, Micheline supported parishes in the diocese in their annual mobilization for international justice. She also contributed to the creation of educational tools for the francophone sector, raising awareness of solidarity among both young people and seniors.
Her commitment was not only organizational; it was spiritual. For her, justice could be a living prayer. She embodied it with constancy, boldness and love for the Word. Many today testify to how she sowed in them the desire for a more just and fraternal world.
Like any human endeavor, our collaborations were sometimes fraught with tension. Micheline taught us, often without saying it, that to welcome the light of others, we must have the courage to walk through our own shadows. We learned this, sometimes late, but deeply.
To Micheline, we say thank you. Thank you for your loyalty, your quiet courage, your concern for the least among us. May your memory continue to inspire us to make faith a path of justice, and solidarity a form of prayer.
From members of the Montreal diocesan council
Micheline was a Christian committed to social justice throughout her life. Her commitment to Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada and its partners was unwavering for more than 50 years. Micheline served as our president for six years; established the Share Lent committee, which she led with fervor and rigor for a decade; and recruited and accompanied new members. She always remained involved in her parishes to promote DPCC and its partners, raise awareness and call for justice, solidarity and respect for the dignity of communities in the Global South that were fighting for justice.
Micheline never retired from her commitments to the Church or to DPCC. Despite her declining health, she remained concerned and active in God‘s “great project of love for humanity,” faithful to her mission until the end of her life.
We share the grief of her loved ones, her children, her grandchildren and her siblings, and we pray for the repose of her soul. All who knew her will remember her as an inspiring person. May her enthusiasm for service and her commitment to the poorest continue to inspire and enlighten us always.