Rosalie Cadron-Jetté founded the first Canadian sisterhood to welcome single mothers, in 1848. (Photo: Corinne Laberge)
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Rosalie’s treasures
Le Musée des Sœurs de Miséricorde: looking back at 160 year of history
Established in Bordeaux-Cartierville in 1930, the Sisters of Miséricorde will celebrate their 160th anniversary on Jan. 16. To mark the event, they are inviting the public to attend their museum which commemorates a full and lively history.
The Musée des Sœurs de Miséricorde presents the life and work of Rosalie Cadron-Jetté, the founder of the only Canadian sisterhood dedicated to single mothers who have been marginalized and rejected by their peers. Despite the taboos of the time, she led a mission that has affected the course of history.
“Divided into three segments, the exhibit starts with the civil life of Rosalie, who was a widow and mother of several children when she took her vows,” said Julie Duchense, the museum’s coordinator. “It’s important to know the founder very well, because the colour and spirituality of the community are in her image. It’s what you call charisma.”
“She was known for being very welcoming. Evidently, founding a sisterhood dedicated to caring for non-married pregnant women was a welcoming act and one of unconditional compassion. It was something daring at a time when helping these women, who were the disgrace of their families, was looked at as encouraging vice,” said Duchense, a trained historian.
The call of life
After browsing through the beginning of the work, from 1846 to 1864, the journey takes us through numerous community accomplishments, initiated by Rosalie at the request of Mgr. Ignace Bourget. The latter was the city’s bishop from 1840 to 1876 and wanted to reduce the number of infant murders and abandonment, which were frequent at the time.
A museum in images
From the model on Wolfe Street – where the pioneers started to take in women from all over Quebec who were looking to take refuge with the Miséricorde Sisters – to the reconstruction of Rosalie’s room containing objects that belonged to her, and passing by a life-size recreation of a nursery that received children waiting to be adopted, the exhibit presents the events chronologically and accurately, while using authentic photographs and other visual elements to make comprehension easier.
“We were boarding single mothers and were taking care of them and their babies after birth. Some were adolescents between 14 and 17 years old,” remembered Sister Jeanette, who has worked with those people Rosalie called “the treasures of my heart” for more than 50 years.
As unconditional as motherly love
“This was created to help the mother and encourage the connection with her child. The mothers often had problems that were not resolved and it would sometimes take a while for them to open up. Some needed to get to know themselves as a woman before becoming mothers,” she said. “It was founded on respect and non-judgment. We take mothers how they are, with their joys, grief, their worries and especially their faith, which was always strong,” she said.
A lively heritage
“We’ll always have a mission, because as society has changed, it has remained ambivalent toward certain things. Single mothers of all ages and origins continue to find themselves alone and in need of support, still and especially today, as families are more and more scattered and dispersed in the four corners,” said the sister, who added she has found a community where she feels good. “My parents gave me some quality gifts the mothers I have met have helped me develop over the years. I gave to them, but I also received much from them, and felt what it is to be a woman and a mother,” she said.
The Musée des Sœurs de Miséricorde, situated at 12435 de la Miséricorde Ave. in Cartierville, offers free guided tours for individuals or groups by appointment. For more information about the museum and other 160th anniversary activities, call 514-332-0550, ext. 1-393.
(Translated by Elyse Amend)
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“We’ll always have a mission, because as society has changed, it has remained ambivalent to certain things. Single mothers of all ages and origins continue to find themselves alone and in need of support, still and especially today, as families are more and more scattered and dispersed in the four corners.” @CSi:- Sister Jeannette
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