© 2024 Gaétan G. Charland
© 2024 Urantia Association of Quebec
Gaetan G. Charland
president@urantiaqc.org
Dear members and friends of the association,
Just recently, I had the privilege of participating in a historic event in the journey of The Urantia Book and its accessibility to one of the most populated regions of our planet. I attended the very first conference held for the yellow people in Taipei, Taiwan. This event marked the launch of the simplified Chinese edition of The Urantia Book. This translation, the result of an extraordinary work spanning over 12 years, finally saw the light of day thanks to the unwavering commitment of Richard Zhu, a Chinese native from China living in the United Kingdom.
Some of you may have had the pleasure of meeting Richard Zhu at the 2015 Urantia Association International Conference in Lennoxville, Quebec. Like many of us, Richard discovered The Urantia Book in his quest for truth through spiritual writings. He is a brilliant individual with whom I had the privilege of discussing his spiritual journey and his translation work.
The conference, hosted by Vicky Yang, a remarkable woman, brought together over 70 participants, most of them women. Last September, Vicky asked Urantia Foundation to invite five speakers, including Foundation President Mo Siegel, Director Tamara Strumfeld, and other representatives, each to present a topic of importance regarding The Urantia Book and its teachings.
The conferences covered varied but coherent topics. For my part, I chose to explore the theme of the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of men. The receptiveness of the participants to these topics was extraordinary, demonstrating a marked interest in the spiritual dimension of the teachings. I noticed that the majority of the participants had followed the course “A Course in Light” during the previous two years, taught by Vicky and other teachers.
This experience allowed us to measure the crucial impact of courses such as “A Course in Light” in preparing minds to receive the teachings of the Urantia Book. In this regard, I would like to emphasize that the courses of Progressive Divine Wisdom go in the same direction. This is why, several years ago, we invited Moussa Ndiaye to give these courses to many readers in Quebec. I therefore encourage you to consult the site of the School of Progressive Divine Wisdom, referenced under the EDUCATION tab of the association’s site.
Improvements have been made to the website, including a new option for donations under the “Contribution” tab, now allowing you to specify the project to which you wish to allocate your contribution. There are three choices: the General Fund, the Sustainability Fund, and the project for the publication of the book “The Untold Story of the Life of Jesus”. Additionally, under the “PUBLISHING” tab, a new “Reflectivity Archives” section has been added, grouping together all copies of Reflectivity since its creation in 1982 with issue 1. These copies will be added over the coming weeks.
Regarding the project to translate and publish the book “The Untold Story of the Life of Jesus”, I have been informed by the project manager in the United States, Mo Siegel, that the text has been modified since its publication in English in 2019, and that it is this latest version that must be used for all other translations.
The book will be printed only in a softcover format of 7 and a quarter inches by 9 and a half inches. This new, more compact format makes it easier to handle when reading and transporting, and will also include ten thousand additional words, thus enriching the content.
This change in format, although important, significantly impacted the translation work completed by the dedicated reader Richard Lachance, the proofreader Robert Cadieux and Hélène Boisvenue with a careful rereading providing new suggestions. However, nothing is lost; Line StPierre volunteered to undertake a new translation, using certain parts of the texts already translated.
For this new translation, Line is working closely with the project manager on the American side, Jimmy English, and Georges Michelson-Dupont in France. Although this project requires hundreds of hours of work, once the book is published, it will offer significant access to the life and teachings of Jesus for French speakers. It can easily be offered as a gift to our relatives and friends, and find its place in many municipal libraries and retirement homes.
Consider attending the association’s Annual General Meeting, which will be held this year in person at the Hôtel le Dauphin in Drummondville, on Sunday, May 5 at 10 a.m. This annual meeting will be an opportunity to elect or re-elect a new vice-president and secretary. In the afternoon, I will give a lecture entitled, “Spiritual Unity and Us.” After many years of absence in person, this will be an opportunity to reconnect with old and new readers.
I wish you all a wonderful spring, hoping to see you soon at our annual meeting.