Sister Pierrette St-Yves
On July 23, 2026, at Maison Jésus-Marie in Longueuil,
Sister Pierrette St-Yves (Sister Gabriel-de-Marie)
went home to God.
She was 94 years old and had celebrated 73 years of religious profession with the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM).
A quiet, organized woman deeply committed to serving others, Sister Pierrette devoted much of her life to education, as a teacher, a housemother, and later as a librarian. Her faith, nurtured from childhood, was expressed through simplicity, faithfulness, and a profound sense of gratitude to the Lord.
Family and Early Years
Born in Montreal on August 24, 1931, Pierrette was the eldest of the three children of Gabrielle Roger and Donat St-Yves, who owned a general store. She grew up in a devout Christian family and cherished many memories, including family pilgrimages to Saint Joseph’s Oratory.
Saint Lambert Boarding School became Pierrette’s second home throughout her school years. At the time of her First Communion, she felt the Lord’s presence deeply and recognized in that experience an initial call to follow Jesus.
Religious Life and a Mission in Education
Pierrette entered the SNJM Congregation in 1951 and made her first vows in 1953. Although adapting to religious life at the time was demanding, she valued the support of her companions, deepened her knowledge of Mother Marie-Rose, and developed a lasting appreciation for the community celebrations.
After a brief experience in teaching, she spent fifteen years as housemother in charge of boarders, particularly at Sainte-Émilie, Hochelaga, and Mont-Jésus-Marie Boarding Schools. Skilled and well organized, she contributed to the students’ education in many ways, including through sewing, history and geography lessons.
A Life of Service through Books
In 1976, an experience in the Marie-Rose Boarding School library opened a new path for Pierrette. She followed a three-year program in information technology and then continued her work at Marie-Rose. She especially appreciated this service, which she described as “precise, orderly, quiet, restful, and rewarding”.
She later put her skills to work at the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism and at Sainte-Émilie Residence.
After moving to Maison Jésus-Marie, Sister Pierrette remained active for many years in the library at Saint André Pavilion. An attentive advisor on books, she continued this service until she moved to the infirmary in 2025.
Her long religious life was marked by a quiet presence, great simplicity, and steadfast faith, beautifully summed up in these words of Saint Teresa of Avila: