Parish school in Saint-François-Xavier (Manitoba)

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173 years ago today, at the request of Bishop Provencher, sisters Eulalie Lagrave and Hedwige Lafrance founded a parish school in Saint-François-Xavier, Manitoba, 19 miles southwest of Winnipeg. The parish was originally named “Prairie du Cheval Blanc”. In addition to teaching, the sisters maintained the sacristy and rectory, and made home visits to poor and sick people. When the nuns arrived, the population of Saint-François-Xavier was made up of Cree, Sauteux, Sioux and Métis, and numbered around 500.

Source: ASGM, L009-01, Saint-François-Xavier Convent, Manitoba, First convent, before 1915
Source: ASGM, L009-29-09, Saint-François-Xavier Convent, Manitoba, Student Group, n.d.