Sister Rose-Éva Cadorette
“When you pray, withdraw alone to your room and your Father will be present to you in that secret place.” (Matthew 6:6)
On November 29, 2022, Sister Rose-Éva Cadorette,
in religion M.-Bernard-Eugène,
went home to God.
She was 100 years of age, with 76 years of religious profession.
Born in Chartierville, Québec, she was the 8th of the 14 children
born to Eugène Cadorette and Edwidge Landry.
Rose-Éva attended the country school until the age of 14. She grew up in a happy home, where they prayed together as a family and where the children knew how to have fun together. Their mother taught them to sew and to cook. Their father was an entrepreneur in the lumber business. When her mother was otherwise occupied, Rose-Éva took care of the younger children.
At the age of 20, Rose found employment as a cook in the village hotel. In 1944, Jeanne, the oldest of her sisters, already a Holy Names Sister, wrote to her: “Do you realize that it might be time for you to decide what you want to be in life?” That was the encouragement she needed. Rose-Éva had already thought of religious life and in July of that year, at the age of 22, she joined her sister in the community.
At her ceremony of taking the holy habit, Rose-Éva was given the name M. Bernard-Eugène. She already had the habit of setting aside time to pray alone in her room. First nominated to be a cook, Rose-Éva spent most of the next 38 years serving in this ministry, mainly in large convents, such as the Motherhouse, Valleyfield Teachers’ College, the Institut Jésus-Marie and Vincent d’Indy Music School. As a hard-working, good-natured, responsible woman, with gifts for organization and for fostering relationships, she was greatly appreciated by both Sisters and employees.
Then there came a time to take on new responsibilities. Sister Rose-Éva was put in charge of maintenance and major repairs at Valleyfield Convent and Saint-Nom-de-Marie in Outremont. Eleven years passed before she returned to the Motherhouse, where she said, “I was asked to take charge of laundry supplies and of repairs of washing machines, vacuum cleaners and refrigerators. At the Motherhouse, responsibilities piled up. Such is life! Even during my leisure time, I spent time knitting for Sister Claire Dupuis’ disadvantaged people in Saint-Henri. During my earlier years, I loved to go shopping with friends.” Sister Rose-Éva also made good use of her skills in the Motherhouse store (Procure) and helped prepare for the closing of the Motherhouse and the big move to Longueuil.
Following this, she returned to maintenance work at Marie-Rose Durocher, where she continued to radiate a loving presence. At the age of 95, she was welcomed into the Maison Jésus-Marie infirmary. Though gradually losing her mobility, Rose-Éva remained lucid, prayerful and interested in others. At 100 years of age, she repeated the testimony she had expressed in the year 2000: “I am very happy and feel fulfilled in community. Using talents already developed at home, talents inherited from my parents, I was very happy doing things that I loved.” At her funeral, family, SNJM Sisters and former employees gave moving testimonies that celebrated Rose-Éva’s love of God and neighbour.