The Administration Team of Visitation Province of the Congregation of Notre Dame wish to inform you that as of October 31st 2018, St. Joseph Convent and Renewal Centre will be officially closed.
For the past 131 years (1887 – 2018) this CND mission has met the needs of the local area and many surrounding communities, through the work of liberating education (K to 12 school for students) along with a residence for boarders. This was followed by a new venture, the development of the family life program to meet the needs of a changing society, and more recently, St. Joseph Renewal Centre came into being to provide space for retreat and spiritual renewal.
The members of the leadership teams from the provinces and regions were with us on Friday and Saturday for the presentation given by Sister Carol Zinn, SSJ. The information she shared gave us call for much reflection and contemplation. She left us with two questions:
One of Kathy Reichs’ Temperance Brennan novel, Monday Mourning, is set in Montreal. On page 189 we read:
"As Ryan turned onto Dublin, I noticed a historic marker out my window.
“What’s Parc Marguerite-Bourgeoys ?”
“Mon Dieu, Madame la docteure, you’re referring to one of Quebec’s best-loved ladies. Sister Maggie set up schools for little girls back in the seventheen century. Pretty rad idea for Quebec at the time. She also founded the Soeurs de la Congrégation de Notre-Dame. A few years ago the Church upped her pay grade to saint.”
“Why the sign?” I asked.
“In the mid-sixteen hundreds Bourgeoys was given a hefty hunk of this little peninsula. Bit by bit, the nuns sold the land off, and Pointe-St-Charles now covers most the acreage, but Bourgeoys’s original school and parts of the farm are up ahead. Site’s now a museum.”
“Maison St-Gabriel?”
Ryan nodded."
One of Quebec’s best-loved ladies, no less!