Online Vespers in French gain traction across Canada and beyond

ONLINE – During the pandemic, Rev. David Milette of l’Église luthérienne du Bon Berger (Moncton, NB) began providing online weekly Vesper Services in French. Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC) Missionary-at-Large (MAL), Rev. Dr. David Somers, joined forces with Rev. Milette and the evening Office became a regular feature of LCC’s French Ministries, with a baker’s dozen of regular participants in 5 provinces. 

The service was originally meant to last the duration of pandemic restrictions but, when it came time to stop because people could again attend church in person, there was interest in continuing this as a supplemental service, giving rise to a trial prolongation.

In this way, the Vespers liturgy is newly gaining acceptance in the Église évangélique luthérienne d’Haïti.

For the past 6 months, average attendance for online weekly Vespers has been in the twenties and includes connections from the US and, most notably, Haiti. The Haitian participation stems from LCC’s Institut liturgique luthérien francophone courses which have been offered through the Séminaire Théologique Concordia d’Haïti.

The weekly Vespers are now followed by a brief training session for the Haitian seminary students invited by Rev. Walta Clercius (Seminary Dean, and Assistant MAL for LCC French Ministries). In this way, the Vespers liturgy is newly gaining acceptance in the Église évangélique luthérienne d’Haïti. One of the participants, seminarian Marc Jr. Libéral, has even begun training other Haitian Lutherans locally in how to conduct Vespers.

LCC Pastoral Colloquy candidate, Rev. Jean-Luc Damas in British Columbia, also participates as liturgist as part of his formation in French-language liturgics.  

An unexpected connection came from an individual in France who discovered these online services and began attending—at 1 a.m. in his timezone! He obtained a copy of LCC’s French Hymnal, Liturgies et cantiques luthériens, and started up Vespers in his Reformed congregation (the nearest Lutheran congregation being hours away).

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To obtain a copy of Liturgies et cantiques luthériens or to attend online Vesper Services in French, please contact LCC’s Missionary-at-Large for French Ministries, Rev. Dr. David Somers.

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