As one grows deeper in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, it becomes completely natural — almost instinctive — to overflow with love, joy and a burning desire to serve others, which is, at its core, living the true spirit of Christmas every single day of the year.

Lucille Partington of Sexsmith, Alta., embodies this beautiful truth with radiant clarity.

For the past several years, Partington has worked indefatigably alongside her friend Lynne Oe to help resettle hundreds of refugees and migrants in Grande Prairie. They deliver furniture, kitchenware, food and more. Their signature contribution is bread, in partnership with COBS Bread Bakery.  

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Now 80 years old, Partington can’t stop — and won’t stop. She believes steadfast service is keeping her alive and in good health.

After overcoming cancer nearly five years ago, by the end of 2023, “it had returned with a vengeance,” said Partington. It was a stage four bone cancer diagnosis that had metastasized through her spine.

When the cancerous growth in her body got so bad that her movement was greatly impaired, early in 2024, she called the pastor of Immaculate Conception Church at the time, Fr. Jeyapaul Packiasamy, to request a healing service.

Soon afterwards, she went to her doctor and was given a prognosis of just “two or three weeks” to live.

“I said, ‘that's not really suitable for me right now because I'm running this ministry for God,' ” said Partington. “So, I'm going to ask Him if He can give me a little more time.”

Friends from far away travelled to Sexsmith, where Partington has called home since 1977, to attend the healing service. The following morning bore a miracle.

“I woke up, and I didn't have a single thing wrong with me,” said Partington. “Now I’m one year past my best-before date, and I still do not have a single thing wrong with me... I guess as long as I have to do this ministry, I'm going to be hanging in there. I'm pretty happy with God, I'll tell you. Not many people can have a God that loves them as much as God loves me.”

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Partington’s inspiring motivation to act for the Lord garnered her a special honour in October. Conservative MP Chris Warkentin presented her with the King Charles III Coronation Medal in honour of her community service.

Typically, Partington connects with 50 newcomers to Canada in a given week. Each Monday and Thursday, she and Oe are at work in Grande Prairie. Originally, their ministry was entirely a food service. They partnered with the discount supermarket chain FreshCo, particularly to secure eggs, and Hutterites provide chicken.

Quickly, they discovered the newcomers needed furniture. They first secured storage space to accommodate furniture and then issued a public appeal. It has evolved into a big enterprise. Partington reckons they “give away a quarter of a million dollars of furniture every year now.”

“Because we're Christians and because this operation is run by God, if that seems strange to say, we always get everything we need,” said Partington.

There have been many instances when a request is made for a particular item — a microwave, for example — and Partington would question how they would fulfil that desire, as it had been several weeks since they had received that item. Lo and behold, she would return home later that day to discover that needed commodity on her living room floor.

The invigorating hustle of her ministry does not deprive her of opportunities to forge meaningful connections with the people she serves. In recent weeks, Partington has spent meaningful time with refugees from the Mideast, Nigeria and Sudan. And since February 2022, she “can't tell you how many people from Ukraine we've helped.”

This spirit of service extends beyond this refugee outreach ministry. Partington teaches Sunday school, functions as Immaculate Conception’s unofficial pastoral assistant and is “a stalwart member” of the Catholic Women’s League. She also oversees an annual clothes giveaway event at her parish.

Right up to Dec. 25, Partington intends to keep up her vigorous pace. She will determinedly do her part to provide Christmas warmth to migrants and refugees experiencing the cold blast of Grande Prairie winter weather for the first time. 

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Partington says “when Jesus in Scripture told us that we are to feed the hungry, that we are to help the poor, He really meant it. It wasn't a suggestion. As far as I'm concerned, from Jesus, it was a command.”

Leading up to the Saviour’s birth, the on-the-go octogenarian encourages Catholics to actively look around in their community for ways to get involved and thus honour Him.