Born in Quebec City in 1897, Dina showed exceptional musical talent from an early age. From 1916 to 1918, she went middle through of the First World War to study composition and harmony at the Institute of Musical Art, which later became the famous Juilliard School. During her stay in the Big Apple, Dina stayed at Our Lady of Peace residence run by the Religieuses de Jésus-Marie, her future congregation.
Back in Quebec City, she organized benefit concerts for the families of war victims and became involved in a number of charitable causes. In 1921, she joined the Religieuses de Jésus-Marie, teaching music and writing her autobiography at the request of her superior. Her writings reveal an extraordinary interior life, reminiscent of those of Thérèse de Lisieux, Thérèse d’Avila and John of the Cross. Dina died of tuberculosis in 1929, at the age of 32, leaving behind an autobiography of unprecedented depth.
Shortly after her death, her writings were published by the Religieuses de Jésus-Marie and rapidly distributed. Circulation reached over 50,000 copies in 1955. Today, her writings are known in over 30 countries around the world, and have been translated into a dozen languages.
Dina Bélanger, a key figure in Quebec City in the early 20th century, is one of the founding saints of the Church of Quebec. In her, we find the missionary drive of St. François de Laval, the concern for education of St. Marie de l’Incarnation and the experience of resilience in illness of Blessed Marie-Catherine de Saint-Augustin.
Dina evolves in a modern context marked by industrial development and the emergence of women’s rights.
Endowed with a profound artistic sense, a remarkable talent for writing and a universal message, Dina places God’s love, trust and mercy at the heart of her testimony. She is also the embodiment of courage and resilience, having faced the ordeal of illness with serenity, drawing on the solid foundations of her faith.
