Vaccinations against COVID-19 are in full swing in the Montérégie region of Quebec. According to statistical data, that region ranks second (after Montreal) in 19,537 people having been inoculated as of January 14.

The Sisters at Maison Jesus-Marie (MJM) were vaccinated last Wednesday. It should be noted that the Department of Health and Human Services recognizes Religious Congregation infirmaries as private CHLSDs. Maison Jesus-Marie has thus been placed on the priority list for vaccinations.

The residence of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) whose average age is 89,was fortunately spared from the coronavirus outbreaks. Although the Sisters were relieved welcomed the operation with relief, there is no question of ignoring the health guidelines in force.

At the same time, MJM staff were invited, as were those of the region’s private CHSLD’s and the health and social services network in general, to be vaccinated. In December, The Regional Health Board established two centres in Saint-Hyacinthe and Brossard. Last week, it opened two new sites in Longueuil and Candiac.

These sites will eventually welcome the population when the vaccination program is at this stage. Meanwhile, Christian Dubé, Minister for Health and Social Services said the vaccination program would be extended to another priority population group, starting January 25.

Photo credit: Amélie Rivard

The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken everyone’s life. It has also imposed new rules that prevent, or at least limit, celebrations surrounding the death of loved ones.

This video vignette is a way to pay tribute to the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) who passed away in the year 2020.

Despite the strict confinement due to COVID-19, the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) of Maison Jésus-Marie (MJM) remain connected to the outside world and eager to continue supporting various worthy causes.

After offering, to several charitable organizations, many handmade articles (tuques, mittens, scarves…) fashioned by a group of knitters, the MJM Sisters contributed funds from their personal budgets to support the cause of two local organizations. Their donations, combined with an amount from the MJM coordination budget, provided $1875 to each of these organizations.

This year, L’Entraide chez nous and La Croisée de Longueuil benefited from this financial aid.

L’Entraide chez nous, established in 1971, offers front-line services including various emergency services, help for the elderly and a clothing counter. The organization contributes to the development of the social skills and the personal growth of its clients.

La Croisée de Longueuil focuses on the autonomy of people in the community by promoting socialization and integration activities, while helping people develop a sense of belonging. Among the projects it has put forward is a project in agroecology.

Support for the youth of Saint-Nom-de-Jesus School

The SNJM’s sensitivity to the needs of the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district dates back to their arrival at Hochelaga Convent in 1860. Since then, in addition to their presence in almost all the educational institutions  in the borough, the Sisters have initiated or collaborated in projects set up to help families and have been actively involved with groups advocating for social justice causes.

With the goal of raising $25,000, a quarter of the estimated cost for renovating the courtyard of Saint-Nom-de-Jésus School, the students organized a fundraiser, a sale of fir trees. The administration of Maison Jesus-Marie (MJM) purchased four of these trees last December.

The children in the daycare service at this school designed several decorations and paper chains to add their particular touch to the Christmas decorations at MJM. As for the Sisters, they were invited to write messages of hope inscribed on golden cardboard balls to adorn the fir trees inside the building.

The Head of Activities and Community Services took the opportunity to design an information poster recalling some of the historical facts, thus highlighting the strong bonds forged between the SNJM Sisters and the people of the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district.

It was pointed out that the presence of SNJM Sisters at  Saint-Nom-de-Jesus School dates back to October 19, 1907, when 14  Sisters  were  mandated to teach at the school which, at the time, had 700 elementary school girls registered. Then in 1922,  the school added high school education. Until 1921, the school also had classes for English-speaking students.

Photo credit: Josée Narbonne

Alexandre Da Costa, the conductor of the Longueuil Symphony Orchestra (OSDL), while respecting all the health guidelines, delivered a hundred CDs to Maison Jesus-Marie, in Longueuil, a week before Christmas.

A former student of Vincent d’Indy School of Music founded by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM), Alexandre Da Costa, an internationally renowned violinist, became artistic director and conductor of the OSDL in 2019. Since then, without abandoning his career as a violinist, he has been committed to making classical music accessible to all, while at the same time making the orchestra known and appreciated internationally.   

He is the only conductor who travelled during the Quebec health crisis in order to meet people. He believes that “music is an essential need, an eminent good that has endured for centuries and a blessing that defines us as humans.” This vision of things is in direct line with the approach of Mother Marie-Rose and those who followed her.

The OSDL leader’s gesture was greatly appreciated by the Sisters at Maison Jesus-Marie, who have been confined since last March.  It touched the hearts of all, especially the many musicians who had taught at Vincent d’Indy School of Music and other private and public schools where the Congregation worked.

Conductor Da Costa and a few OSDL musicians had given an outdoor concert at MJM last summer. This concert was part of a series of concerts that brought a measure of joy and beauty to the elderly of several South Shore residences during their time of confinement.

The CDs received were distributed amongst the Sisters and the MJM staff by means of a raffle. It was a great way to thank everyone for their commitment since the beginning of the pandemic and to highlight the concern and care offered by the dedicated staff.

The members of the SNJM Justice and Peace Committee of Quebec were invited to adopt an open letter signed by the members of the Quebec Coordination of the World March of Women  (MMF), to sign it and send it to the relevant authorities. 

This letter (in French only) has also been shared throughout the many networks of “solidarity and justice” in order to raise awareness among the greatest number of people and to encourage them to adopt the letter, sign and send it. This invitation was also circulated within the Association of Sisters for Women’s Rights (ARDF).

This approach is as much a part of the follow-up to give concrete expression to the theme of the MMF’s  “Walk to Transform” as in the activities of the 12 days of action against violence toward women. This campaign runs annually from November 25 to December 6.

The 2020 Jubilarians of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) were treated to a beautiful celebration on December 3^rd and 4^th. After postponing the scheduled celebrations last spring, the Jubilee Committee chose to honor the Sisters according to the “bubbles” in which they live. Celebrations were held on December 3^rd at Maison Jesus-Marie, and the following day, at the Congregation House.

While following social distancing guidelines, the two celebrations were animated in a spirit of joy and of thanksgiving for the jubilarians’ “constant fidelity to their life as consecrated persons.” During the celebration, the jubilarians heard a creative first reading adapted from 1 Cor.1:1-9.

This text is a letter from the Quebec community which is reproduced below. It shows appreciation and admiration for the unwavering commitment of these 25 Sisters celebrating 80, 75, 70 and 60 years of religious profession.

• 80 years – Sister Olivette Blais
•  75 years – Sisters Rollande Lavoie and Rita Marcoux

• 70 years – Sisters Rita Brière, Magella Cadorette, Colombe DeGrandpré, Pierrette Dubuc, Yolande Henri, Françoise Laberge, Jeannine Lamarche (R.I.P), Suzanne Morin, Jeannine Pronovost, Éliana Vallée and Marielle Beaudoin.
• 60 years – Sisters Françoise Angers, Yolande Charron, Suzanne Leclaire, Monique L’Écuyer, Angéline Parenteau, Laurentia St-André, Florence Verner, Jeanne Dagenais, Élisabeth Giroux, Thérèse Laplante and Jocelyne Latreille.

In 2020, the 25^th anniversary of associate commitment of Madame Louise Cailhier-Quenneville was also highlighted.

In closing, we thank the Jubilee Committee (Sisters Lisette Boulé, Lise Gendron, Madeleine Marchand and Simone Perras) who planned these celebrations.

Photo credits: Sisters Suzanne Brault and Claudette Bastien

Note: The celebration booklet is available on the intranet, under Prayers/Rituals.

On November 28^th, twenty –two women and two men, by means of Zoom, renewed their commitment as Associates of our Congregation.   They were joined by Rashmini  Segarajasinghe-Ernest who made promises for the first time.

Our prayer and time together was both beautiful and life-giving.  We reminded one another that we are called to listen to the message of the Gospel in our lives and to strengthen one another in our faith.  In an adaptation of the text of John Hammond, O.S.B., we prayed: “Together we will enter through the door of serenity, the silence of our hearts…we will meet there the God who in silence speaks to all creatures, the God who in silence speaks one word, the word of love.”  We were then given time to enter into the silence of our own hearts.  This was followed by a litany of thanksgiving and praise for the blessings in this time of COVID-19.

Our prayer naturally led us into proclaiming and celebrating our commitment.  There was a special moment when Rashmini pronounced her promises.  She felt honoured to be with us but we knew that we were the privileged ones.  Rashmini brings love, enthusiasm and a heart full of joy in serving.

We spent the next hour socializing and informally sharing our ministries at this time in our lives.  We have all learned new ways of reaching out to others.  We are truly blessed:  blessed in our faith and blessed in our community.

Our Zoom meeting was wonderful.  It was “so good” to be together.

Source : Sr Phyllis Douillard

Photo credit : Sr Pat O’Neill

The interval between concerts has been prolonged. The second wave of this global health crisis has disrupted the scheduling of concerts planned at Maison Jesus-Marie (MJM). Only two concerts were held before new security measures were imposed for residents.

Sr Marie-Paule Demarbre – Lorraine Prieur

Thus, on September 20, Lorraine Prieur, pianist and Luc Saucier, bass,  came to share their “Love Stories and stories of humor” with an audience familiar with their performances. Following the warm  words of welcome by  Sr. Marie-Paule Demarbre, the two artists  played several pieces by famous composers, including Chopin.

The performance of this duo, as usual was remarkable, much to the delight of the public who attended. Some of those present, who have well-attuned ears for music, praised  the work of the singer who, according to them, had superb voice control.

It was a wonderful gathering for everyone.

A violin concert without an audience

At the end of October, a few days before her final violin recital, Geneviève Parent performed her program for the Sisters at Maison Jesus-Marie (MJM).  The viewing audience watched her on closed circuit TV, while she played her violin in the empty sound-proofed chapel.

Geneviève Parent

The performance was extraordinary, according to Sr. Maryse Moisan, who had organized the concerts at the Maison Jesus-Marie (MJM). “I have only one regret. I didn’t have the opportunity to meet Geneviève Parent, in person, to show my support and appreciation,” she said.

This former student of Sr. Maryse demonstrated “perfect technique”. She performed important pieces from the repertoire,  accompanied by pianist Gaspard Tanguay-Labrosse for  the  “Sonata for Violin and Piano in E minor” and  the  “Sonata for Violin and Piano No.1 in A major, Op. 13 by Gabriel Fauré. Between the two accompanied pieces, she performed solo, the “Poem for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 25 by Ernest Chausson.”  

Despite presenting  her recital without an audience, Geneviève Parent was delighted to have this opportunity because her upcoming performance for her Master’s degree would be presented behind closed doors.

Despite the let-down, Sr. Maryse nevertheless appreciated the talent of this student who works as a general practitioner at a CLSC on the South Shore. In addition to the pleasure of seeing her protégés  practice their art, each in their own way, Sr Maryse was moved by the beautiful testimony of this student. ” I owe my passion for the violin to you, Sister Maryse.”

Until further notice, the MJM concert schedule is suspended due to the pandemic.

Photo credit: Sr Suzanne Brault

The notes, thoughts and letters of Mother Marie-Rose were the focus in the process of the mini-retreat for the French speaking SNJM affiliates on November 21st.   In the formation meetings with associate candidates in Peru, Sr. Marjorie Moffatt used the letters of our foundress of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, to reveal her spirituality. “I wanted them to discover for themselves how Mother Marie-Rose had faced obstacles and how she got through difficulties”, she said.

With Associate Diane Corbeil,  Sr Claudette Bastien, provincial councilor welcomed the participants  who then began their retreat with the song “Jesus and Mary, my strength and my Glory” composed by Agathe Dorge SNJM, and led by her niece, Sister Jeannine Vermette in Manitoba. Then, the reading of the story of the rocking chair reserved for Mary became the source for a rich time of sharing  and spontaneous shared prayer.

The next step was the silent reading of the short sayings of Eulalie Durocher in order to discover her spiritual journey.  These are some of the themes that were represented in these writings :

Prayer, devotion to the presence of God

Zeal for the charism of education

Patience and compassion in face of adversity

Good leadership

Discernment and seeking the will of God

A grateful heart

Union with God

This mini-retreat took into account and valued the personal experience of the participants who chose their favourite sayings, and commented on them, explaining what resonated most with them.

Besides the moments of interiority and reflection, the retreat gave priority to moments of sharing which this internet encounter allowed for, both in small groups  and all together.  The full participation of the participants demonstrated that they identified with Mother Marie-Rose and that they had a close and intimate relationship with her.

After lunch in two groups, the second half of the retreat proceeded with a reflective reading of a few chosen letters of Mother Marie-Rose with comments from the presenter and then from the participants.  By the evaluation of those present, we can be sure that the retreat was energizing and allowed for a better knowledge of the spirituality of Blessed Mother Marie-Rose.

The retreat concluded with comments from Sister Claudette, and the song : “ I Have Come to Cast Fire on the Earth”  Here is another one of her sayings :

“When our responsibility is great and weighs heavily upon us, need we complain? God is leading us.” (December 1844)

It is the hope of the organizers that the retreat allowed each one to identify elements most likely to help in our daily life, especially in times of adversity.

We recall that a similar retreat was held on Zoom with the SNJM earlier this year.

In a recent article published in a regional newspaper and available on the G1-Globo.com web portal, journalist Paula Salati tells the story of an agricultural cooperative and the empowerment of the people of a rural region in Brazil.

Her meeting with a few key people allowed her to go back to the source of the enterprise and the change in mentalities. She thus discovered the influence and contribution of three SNJM Sisters from Quebec who arrived in Brazil in 1986. We present a summary of the article published in Portuguese.

A cooperative founded by women produces sweets while preserving caatinga

The agricultural cooperative was officially founded in 2004. Its foundations date back to the late 1980s with the arrival of three Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) of Quebec. They encouraged women and farmers in the semi-arid region of Bahia, particularly Uauá, Canudos and Curacá, to create their own source of income.

Farm workers during the harvesting of the imbu | Source: Coopercuc

The Cooperativa Agropecuaria Familiar in Canudos, Uauá and Curaçá  (Coopercuc) has since established itself as a resource in organic production of fruits in the caatinga* family, including passion fruit and imbu. The latter is  a flagship product of the cooperative. In addition to the commercial success of this fleshy fruit, it is worth noting the work of the rural communities of Coopercuc, in the preservation and proliferation of the umbezeiro, a Brazilian plum tree that has been on the verge of extinction for a few years.

The cooperative transforms the fruits of the harvest into sweets, jams and pulps that are greatly appreciated by the Brazilian market. Since its participation in the Slow Food agricultural exhibition in Italy, the cooperative has entered into the European market which includes the countries of France, Austria, Italy and more recently, Germany.

Encouraging women’s emancipation

Denise Cardoso, President of Coopercuc | Source: Coopercuc

70% of Coopercuc’s 270 family farming members are women. In 2016, Denise Cardoso, at the age of 26, became the first female executive and took over the management of the cooperative.  She tells the story of the cooperative in connection with the changing attitudes of the region and the influence of the Quebec Sisters.

“In our semi-arid region, men acted as absolute masters within the communities.  Husbands prevented their wives from going to school. They also prevented their wives from working outside the home,” says  Denise.

From left to right, we recognize Sr. Monique Fortier, Grace Leblanc, Sr. Marthe D’Aoust and Sr. Jacqueline Aubry in 1987 | Source: SNJM Archives

In 1986, change took place with the arrival of the three Canadian Catholic Sisters in the municipality of Bahia, in Uauá. Sisters Monique Fortier, Marthe D’Aoust and Jacqueline Aubry were part of the Faith-Based Communities (CEB), a movement in the Catholic Church that focused on the social and political organization of the poorest populations, especially during military dictatorships.

They forged close relationships with the women and men of Uauá, and later in Canudos and Curacá. Gradually, Sisters Monique, Marthe and Jacqueline began to encourage the women of Uauá to earn a living and to participate in the decisions of the local community, at a time when the presence of women in rural associations and social movements was non-existent.

Sr. Marthe D’Aoust (right) with other Sisters during a meeting with women in a church in 1990. | Source: Jussara Dantas Personal Archive

“The Sisters told the women, ‘Look, even at home, you can raise chickens, plant your own garden, harvest umbu and earn your livelihood, so that you don’t have to depend solely on your husbands,’ ” says  Denise  Cardo. The Sisters also organized meetings at the church. “The men thought that the women were going to study the Bible. But, over and above that, the Sisters were preparing a social transformation in the minds of women.”

Feeding dreams of freedom

Denise believes that this foundational work opened the door to the remarkable history of the co-op. “In this sense, when we founded Coopercuc, everybody already understood what socio-activism was and how collective decisions worked.”

Sr. Monique Fortier with a farm family. 1993 | Source: SNJM Archives

Although Denise, the current co-op president was only two years old when the SNJM’s arrived in her area, she has an unforgettable memory of that time, even though the Sisters left in 1997. The presence of other missionaries who continued working in the same vein helped  to nurture her dream of greater freedom of action and her desire to have a life different from that which her mother had. She remarked, “My  mother, who was frequently with the Sisters, often told me:  ‘My daughter, don’t marry as young as I did. I want you to have a future with studies and a job.’ “

Motivated not to experience the same difficulties as her mother, Denise continued her studies. At 30, she is not married and does not yet have children although her mother, as she says, “was married at 16, because my grandfather wanted her to be safe in life.”

Visit of Sr. Monique Fortier in 2009 to one of the communities in Uauá. Jussara Dantas is on the right (in blue). | Source: Jussara Dantas Personal Archive

The path of another Coopercuc partner, Jussara Dantas, age 39, was also transformed by the SNJM Sisters. She is currently the head of the Municipal Secretariat of Education in Uauá, holds a Master’s degree in semi-arid development, and is a geographer and psycho-pedagogical teacher. “The Sisters allowed me to dream of something else,” says Jussara, whose horizon has been full of possibilities.

An invaluable contribution

In Denise Cardoso’s opinion, the presence of the Sisters not only transformed the lives of women in the region. “The Sisters also worked hard to raise awareness among young boys. Many of them had thought they would leave their communities to work abroad. Instead, they have learned to value their semi-arid environment.”

These two young women have also highlighted another remarkable fact credited to the SNJM Sisters. Before leaving for a new mission in 1997, they had succeeded in being a strong force in motivating and encouraging the people in the three Bahian communities, preparing them for the arrival of organizations that would help them with the production of fruit and the preservation of the caatinga.

During a diocesan pilgrimage to Romaria de Canudos, we see Sr. Jacqueline, Cristina, SNJM associate, Sr. Monique and Sr. Ana Maria V. Mamani, visiting Uauá. Source: SNJM Archives

For example, an NGO (Instituto Regional da Pequena Agropecu-ria Apropriaa – IRPAA) set up shop in the region to work with management techniques adapted to the vegetation and climate of the semi-arid region. As early as 1997, women from the three communities received training  from this NGO, regarding the processing of the fruits of the region.

This training has been beneficial as Denise recounts. “My aunts and my mother participated and learned how to make jams and sweets. Following this class, my parents started making sweets at home, put them into jars and took them to street markets. It was the very beginning of the co-op.”

Valuing a semi-arid environment and looking forward to future endeavors

Although the production and marketing of sweets by farmers in a cooperative began in 1997, it was not until 2004 that the cooperative was formalized. During these years, the partners built small processing units in the organization’s 13 rural communities.

Coopercuc farmers working on the imbu harvest. The umbuzeiro recognized as “the sacred tree of the hinterland”. | Photo sources: Coopercuc and Adilson Ribeiro personal archive

Since 2016, the cooperative no longer benefits from public programs, which had encouraged the purchase of its products for redistribution to people in need of food and those in the public schools. It needs to develop new markets in the private sector, including supermarket chains, for example, and maintain partnerships with NGOs and governments.

In August 2020, Coopercuc exported banana jam with passion fruit to Germany, in partnership with a European company (Toda Vida) that supports sustainable agriculture projects in Brazil. In addition, resources have been invested in the Agrocaatinga project to mainly assist poor farm families and promote the preservation and enhancement of biome*.

The members of the cooperative are also encouraged to diversify their garden by planting various species thereby preserving the caatinga and enhancing the imbu. The latter has also seen an increase in its market value from R$3 for 60 kg in 2003, to more than R$150 today.

Sisters Jacqueline and Monique during a meeting with community leaders in Uauá. | Source: SNJM Archives

According to Denise, the SNJM Sisters are closely associated with Coopercuc even though they were not involved in the entire construction of the cooperative. “They are the ones who gave the basics of social formation, the notion of political participation and taught us to live with our semi-arid environment…

Sr. Marthe D’Aoust with a newly confirmed young girl. | 199 Source: SNJM Archives

We have former members who, even though retired, do not lose their membership in the co-op. The Sisters have left their mark on our history,” concludes the director of the co-op.

Sisters Monique Fortier and Jacqueline Aubry now live in Quebec, while Sr. Marthe died in 2008.

*Caatinga refers to a particular type of vegetation, in this case small thorny trees living seasonally in an ecosystem itself belonging to the desert biome** and bushes of the neotropical ecozone. (Wikipedia source)

**Biome: A biome /ˈbaɪoʊm/ is a large community of plants and animals that occupy a certain region defined by its climate and dominant vegetation.  (Wikipedia source)