Sister Mary Boere Remembers…
Every Remembrance Day I pause and remember what the Canadian soldiers did for Holland. That country and its people are forever grateful to Canada, and Canadians. I visited one of the cemeteries where soldiers lay row upon row. The cemeteries are well kept. At that time, I was told that classes of school children attended to sections of the cemetery and kept them weeded and looking beautiful.
Being born in 1937, I have a lot of childhood memories of the war especially the later years of 1943-45 as do other Sisters, when we were school aged. Mind you, we had to be educated during the winter of 1944 by a minister of our village who would come to our home twice a week to teach us our reading and math. I have vivid memories of that time. Another scary event occurred when the railroad behind our house was bombed. For the longest, time, whenever I heard airplanes go over our head, something fearful triggered in me.
In our evening prayers tonight, the first prayer was powerful,
“You laid down your life that we might live; be present to those on battlefields.”
These words certainly convey a concrete image, especially when we know that wars and strife and battlefields still rage in the world’s countries. We remember them all in prayer.
-Sister Mary Boere, csj
Some articles that detail a lifelong friendship:
Why Dutchies Love the Canadians
Dutch post-war tulip gift to Canada gets a repeat, 75 years later
How Hospitality and Some Tulips Brought Canada and Netherlands Together
In April 2019, Canada’s Parliament proclaimed May 5th ‘Dutch Heritage Day’ after receiving unanimous support for the motion. This day honours the sacrifices that Canadians made during the Second World War in liberating the Netherlands from Nazi occupation, while also recognizing the contributions made to Canada by those of Dutch heritage. The day itself, May 5th, was chosen as it is Liberation Day in the Netherlands, further reinforcing the ties between the two nations.
Every May since 1953, the Canadian Tulip Festival has celebrated the Dutch-Canadian connection.
In gratitude for helping liberate the Netherlands during World War II in 1945, Princess Juliana presented 100,000 tulip bulbs to Canada. Since then, the tulip has been a symbol of friendship between the Netherlands and Canada. The Dutch royal family still annually presents 20,000 tulip bulbs to Canada.