At sister annas feet: an old nun and a young nun break the holy rule to help the poor

The building was in need of major repairs. Finally, the authorities of the Colony decided to appoint Marguerite Lajemmerais, the Widow Youville, as the provisional administrator of the hospital. Over time, the word hospital has come to mean a healthcare establishment, even though the word hospice has been used for a long time for a place where people with loss of autonomy are cared for. He died in , however, on his way back to New France. With the passing years, the community no longer recruited new members and dissipated itself in a number of undertakings that eventually led to its bankruptcy.

Marguerite and her companions began wearing the religious habit that was worn in the Congregation until the s.

Henceforth, the people of Montreal recognized and appreciated the work of Marguerite in caring for the poor of the city. People on the streets were heard saying: During that year, the Sisters devoted themselves entirely to the victims of a major smallpox epidemic. Since they were not cloistered, they could visit the afflicted. They even cared for the First Nations people in Oka.

The First Nations people were grateful to the community and can be found listed among the benefactors who contributed to the rebuilding of the Hospital after the fire of In exchange, all the able-bodied people worked. One day, Marguerite even welcomed Intendant Bigot while she was wearing her work clothes because she had been in the process of making candles. The lowly tasks and hard work performed by the Sisters were punctuated by periods of spiritual reflection that accompanied them in the care they gave to the poor.

The woman, who would henceforth be called Mother Youville lived a deep spirituality based on the love of the Eternal Father, a Father who is compassionate and loving to his children. She put her trust in Him and in Divine Providence. As Superior of the community, Marguerite instructed her novices in the importance of daily prayer which builds up trust in God the Father and allows one to surrender to his Providence.

She taught the ways of charity which enable one to tolerate the faults of others and hope that ours will likewise be tolerated. Moreover, she did not wear a veil, but a kind of bonnet that was more practical for everyday work. Another trial awaited Marguerite. A terrible fire broke out in the city. Ever generous, she sent her people to help the victims only to find out shortly afterwards that the fire had spread to the hospital.

They were able to get the boarders and some of their possessions out. Marguerite courageously had the Te Deum recited as an act of submission to the ways of Providence. She was certain that the hospital would never again be destroyed by fire, and this has proved to be the case.

At the age of 64, she began rebuilding the hospital. She saw the possibilities for the development of her mission by rebuilding the mill, sowing the fields, and planting apple trees to provide food for her people. Sister Despins continued the work of the Foundress by instituting a new book of rules that allowed the community to maintain the fervour and cohesion of this small society working among the poor. They found new ways of earning money: In , the community recovered part of the interest on loans that had been made in France during the War of Conquest.

The whole wing could contain two hundred beds. The bottom storey included a kitchen, a dispensary, and a work room. The s were a decade of notable growth for The Grey Nuns of Montreal.

Economic conditions were improving, the population of Canada was growing with the arrival of immigrants from the United Kingdom, and new means of transportation were developed. Each time, the administrators of the community hesitated because their numbers were still small, but the appeals were urgent.

In , three young Sisters left Montreal for Saint Hyacinthe; others then left for Bytown Ottawa in and, finally, others left for Quebec City in This was the beginning of five autonomous congregations of the Sisters of Charity. In accordance with the wishes of the bishops of the time, newly founded congregations had to detach themselves from their community of origin and form a new community under the authority of their local bishop.

The five new congregations were:.

1737 A secret commitment

Sisters of Charity of Saint Hyacinthe, www. Sisters of Charity of Ottawa, www.

They provided considerable help by teaching, caring for the sick, and comforting the poor of this isolated population. From their arrival at the Red River Colony on 21 June , the Grey Nuns devoted themselves to care for the sick, the poor, the elderly and the orphans. Despite their limited resources, they built in , a small house to care for the sick with a four-bed dispensary on the 2nd floor. This house was the foundation for what became the first hospital in Western Canada, the Saint Boniface Hospital. In , the Grey Nuns came to the rescue of Irish immigrants suffering from the typhus epidemic.

Please re-enter recipient e-mail address es. You may send this item to up to five recipients. The name field is required. Please enter your name. The E-mail message field is required. Please enter the message. Please verify that you are not a robot. Would you also like to submit a review for this item? You already recently rated this item. Your rating has been recorded. Write a review Rate this item: Preview this item Preview this item. At Sister Anna's feet: Eileen joined the convent at age 18, and immediately found the restrictions unbearable.

Transferred to a mission where Sister Anna taught her to develop her true spiritual self regardless of the rules, and where she could minister to the poor, Eileen thrived. However, eventually she was transferred to a wealthy parish where she had no poor to tend, and once again became determined to leave the convent.

At Sister Anna's Feet: Spurred on by her Irish Catholic upbringing in the s, Eileen Tegins decided to enter the convent and become a nun at the young age of seventeen. Almost immediately, she ran smack up against rules, regulations, and arcane practices that ran counter to her free-spirited nature. Deciding this life was not for her she tried to escape, not once but three times in the first Spurred on by her Irish Catholic upbringing in the s, Eileen Tegins decided to enter the convent and become a nun at the young age of seventeen. Deciding this life was not for her she tried to escape, not once but three times in the first year.

During the second year in the novitiate she was assigned to a mission where she would meet the person who would change her life forever. There, the elderly mother superior, Sister Anna, taught her how to develop her true spiritual self. As the years passed, her work taking care of those who lived in the poverty-stricken Brooklyn neighborhood of her parish and beyond, brought her much joy and solidified her commitment to being a nun.

However, all that would change when she was reassigned to a wealthy parish on Long Island. No longer allowed to attend to the poor, her life in the convent became unbearable. She knew the only way she could be true to herself and to the mission instilled in her by Sister Anna was to escape. But the decision was a lot easier than the deed. Paperback , pages.

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about At Sister Anna's Feet , please sign up. Be the first to ask a question about At Sister Anna's Feet. Lists with This Book.

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. I first heard Eileen O'Toole's story on the NPR Snap Judgment podcast series in the episode called "Gratitude," and I was blown away by this nun's bravery, courage, and strong sense of self. I was truly inspired by her experiences and insights; her words actually moved me to tears. This book is a serious disappointment in comparison.

Don't bother reading it. Just listen to the podca I first heard Eileen O'Toole's story on the NPR Snap Judgment podcast series in the episode called "Gratitude," and I was blown away by this nun's bravery, courage, and strong sense of self. Just listen to the podcast. Apr 28, Jeanne rated it did not like it. There was no in-depth how or why.

There were so many unanswered questions.