Women of the parish
Sisters of Marguerite Bourgeoys Centre excited to mark 150 years of community presence
It may be a large building for the two senior-aged Sisters of the Marguerite Bourgeoys Centre, but the pair never feels lonely. “You should have been here for my 80th birthday. You’d think we were never alone. It was an amazing time,” chuckled Sister Marie L. Arsenault, while curling her mouth into a smile.
Arsenault, along with Sister Joan Marie Chaisson, are the two remaining sisters at the centre. “The Congrégation de Notre Dame is about meeting the needs of the people at the time. When our order first began, our purpose was in education,” explained Sister Arsenault. “It was established by Marguerite Bourgeoys in Montreal. She is the name-sake of the centre. It used to be known as St. Mary’s Academy.” Chaisson remembers thinking in high school that she would never join a religious order, let alone become a nun.
“In high school I liked to go out to parties and thought one day I’d get married and have a family and so on. But probably in my first year of university I felt this calling for something more than I had at the time. When I made the decision, I knew I wanted to be in this order.” Next came Chaisson’s two-year discernment period. “That’s when I became sure that this was what I wanted. And over the years I’ve really appreciated being in the ministries and drawing on my educational abilities to help others.”
She says she’s never regretted the decision.
“Of course, I would wonder ‘what if?’, it’s hard not to. But just because I made this decision didn’t mean I couldn’t still have friends that weren’t in the ministry or still couldn’t go out to social activities. We were never living in a cloister,” Chaisson concluded.
Arsenault was in Grade 12 when she decided to join the Congrégation de Notre Dame. Reenacting the moment that helped her decide, Arsenault raises her arms as if she had them draped around a person’s neck while dancing. She began to sway back and forth and began sing the popular “Is This All there Is?”
“Is there all there is, to life,” she said melodically with a smile on her face.
“I remember in that moment, dancing with a boy, my head on his chest, and wondering that very thing.”
For her, joining the ministry was like falling in love.
“It’s something within you that attracts you and calls to you. I had a need for a deeper sense of the purpose of life. When I was in novitiate [the period of trial and early years in a religious order] that’s when I knew where I was supposed to be.”
Like Chaisson, Arsenault wondered ‘what if?’
“I did find it difficult originally because I kept thinking ‘I’ll never have children of my own,’ but I was a teacher, and when I think about it, all the kids I taught were like my own in some way. But I was comforted because I found fullness of life in the congregation and I had an intense desire for a deepened relationship with God.”
The pair agree that even today, people wonder why they’re still active in the ministry.
“I’m in good health. I feel great at 78, and I still want to help others. We go where the need is. I came here almost three years ago when there was a need, and while those needs may change, it’s still here,” explained Chaisson.
When the pair decide to retire, the property will be assessed by the St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, which is based in Halifax. The 80-year-old Arsenault agreed that they aren’t at that point yet.
“I came to the Marguerite Bourgeoys Centre 13 years ago. We still feel a call to the community, to be here and help others. Maybe when we feel that it is our time, we will retire from active ministry, but that isn’t yet.”
In a few weeks, the pair will mark the centre’s 150th anniversary.
“It was one Oct. 3, 1868 that the Sisters of Notre Dame came to Summerside. The three founding sisters of St. Mary’s Academy,” said Arsenault.
Ten days later, 25 students were registered in the school. About half of them were nonCatholics.
By the time the school closed 1966, there were 23 sisters and 800 students.
“The sisters would teach curriculum you’d find in any school, as well as music and art. They came to the Island because there was a need for educators in the province,” said Arsenault. Unlike the traditional image of a nun, Sisters of Notre Dame were not required to wear a habit or cloistered into a convent. “Marguerite Bourgeoys never wanted us to be cloistered. We were never meant to have a habit. We were meant to be out in the community and to help in whatever was needed.” Chaisson chimed in with a smile, “We are les filles de la paroisse. Daughters or women of the parish.”
Now the centre provides a place for hospitality and spirituality to grow.
“We have prayer groups regularly. There is a quilting group from another part of the Island currently staying here for a few days. We can board up to about 18 people at a time. We also act as tutors for newcomers to the area,” Chaisson said, adding it’s hard to feel lonely when so many people visit the centre.
A celebration of the Centre’s history is set for Saturday, Nov. 3 and Sunday Nov. 4. There will be a fundraiser at 8 p.m. on Saturday at St. Paul’s Church. The church’s Sunday mass begins at 10:30 a.m. and an open house of the Marguerite Bourgeoys Centre on Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. The centre is located at 284 Convent Street.