Sister Lise Geoffrion
“The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.” (Psalm 23)
On February 4, 2021, Sister Lise Geoffrion,
in religion M.-Jeanne-Andrée,
went home to God.
She was 86 years old, with 61 years of religious profession.
Born in Verchères, Quebec, she was the 3rd of the 7 children
of Gaston Geoffrion and Marie-Jeanne Brunelle.
Lise grew up in Verchères, on the banks of the St. Lawrence River. It was there that she acquired her love of swimming and of excursions on the water! She no doubt attended the village convent school run by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. However, in keeping with her character, she left no notes on the subject. Lise was discreet and silent about her personal life. A calm woman, she knew how to listen, but spoke little about herself.
After three years of teaching at Olier School, located in a rather disadvantaged area of Montreal, at 216 Roy Street, Lise entered the SNJM novitiate at the age of 23. She received the name of M.-Jeanne-Andrée. She enjoyed teaching, succeeded well and was well appreciated by her students. For 31 years, Lise taught students in grades 8, 9, 10 or 11 at various high schools: Sainte-Martine, Saints-Anges, Saint-Nom-de-Jésus, Saint-Barthélémy, Montréal-Est, Souart, Jeanne-Mance, Saint-Pierre-Claver where she spent eight years, and Marie-Rose Boarding School where she spent 10 years. During most of these 31 years, she shared community life with various small groups of Sisters.
Though endowed with a pleasant personality, perhaps even “happy-go-lucky”, Sister Lise still thought before acting and always left lots of place for others. As leisure activities she enjoyed camping and handicrafts. Gifted with a beautiful voice, she enriched many moments of prayer and relaxation. She supported the “Young Naturalists” movement, organized a choir with her students, practiced yoga, and was interested in liturgy.
Sister Lise was attracted to the poor and to social justice. When she retired from teaching, she became particularly committed to literacy and francization projects with immigrants. For 22 years, she was deeply involved with the people in her neighbourhood and with Social Justice, Justice and Faith, Justice and Peace, and Maison de quartier projects.
As she became les mobile, Lise helped out with the accounting for various organizations and small community groups. She was over 70 years old when she worked in accounting for the finance department of her religious province of Quebec. While living at Albani and Melodie Residences, she offered her services as a chauffeur, driving Sisters to appointments or picking up supplies in the vicinity.
In April 2017, Sister Lise was welcomed into Maison Jésus-Marie and began her prayer ministry. “Ô Mère, ton étoile (O Mother, your star)” was her favorite hymn. She also liked to pray the Salve Regina and was definitely ready to meet her Queen on February 4, 2021.