Prayers get Santa back on track in Canada

Montreal, Canada, Dec 22, 2003 / 22:00 pm

Thanks to their prayers, everything for Christmas is back on track, said Santa in a letter to millions of Canadian children.

Santa sent the children the personal message Dec. 9 after a parade accident landed him in a Montreal hospital Nov. 30.

The recuperating Claus sent his message from the North Pole, via Shawinigan, Que., after receiving get-well messages from children across the country. In the letter, which was published in Quebec’s daily newspapers, Santa thanked the children for their good wishes and assured them that he was doing better.

It all began when Grade 2 Vancouver student Siobhan Desormeaux learned on the evening news that Santa Claus (a.k.a. retiree Roger Caron from Shawinigan, Que.) fell three meters from his horse during a Santa Claus parade in Laval, north of Montreal. The fall resulted in 12 stitches to the head and a short hospital stay.

Concerned about his condition and feeling badly that children around the world might miss their Christmas this year, the seven-year-old prompted her class at St. Francis of Assisi Elementary School to send the ailing Claus get-well wishes. They were sent in early December, along with their usual letters to Santa Claus. They also offered heartfelt prayers for Santa’s recovery, said teacher Anne Hewitt.

The action of these Catholic school students prompted other young Canadians to do the same.

In his letter, Santa thanked Siobhan, her teacher and her school personally.

“I also send a big thank you to all who prayed for me, since there’s no doubt that’s the reason for my quick recovery,” wrote Santa, who was resting at home and being cared for by Mrs. Claus (a.k.a. Nicole Caron, a retired nurse).

“I feel good about things now that I know Santa is okay,” Siobhan told the B.C. Catholic after receiving the good news from Santa.

When asked about what she had included on this year’s Christmas list to Santa, Siobhan told the newspaper: “I asked for a new gym for my school because we don’t have our own and we have to use the gyms at other schools.

“Oh, and I asked for peace in the world, too.”