International Women’s Day

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On this International Women’s Day, we would like to introduce you to an exceptional woman, Sister Marie-Thérèse Lemoine-Despins, second superior of the Congregation. Born in Boucherville in 1722 into a wealthy family, young Marie-Thérèse received a very pious education. On her mother’s death, she was entrusted to Marguerite d’Youville, who took her in as a boarder. She became the congregation’s first novice, taking her perpetual vows in 1753, and quickly became indispensable to the development of the General Hospital’s work. A few days after Marguerite d’Youville’s death, she was chosen to succeed her.

Image source: François Malépart de Beaucourt, Mère Marie-Thérèse Lemoine-Despins (posthumous portrait), 1792, oil on canvas, Grey Nuns of Montreal collection, 1973.A.007