International Women’s Rights Day

On this International Women’s Rights Day, we wish to highlight the innovative and dynamic career of Sr. Rose-Aimée Gamache, S.G.M. (1877-1957). Originally from a farming family in Témiscouata, she began her career as a teacher in the Rivière-du-Loup region and, in this capacity, opened school gardens. She became a teacher in 1920, at the late age of 42, and graduated in 1921 from the École Supérieure d’Agriculture de Ste-Anne de la Pocatière.

Returning to Montreal, she devoted most of her religious career to the Saint-Charles de la Côte-de-Liesse Farm. She first worked as a teacher at the Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix School, which had just been opened to help orphans who were planning to go into agriculture; then, once this school was closed in 1926, she held the positions of farmer, accountant, bursar and local superior. She used her scientific knowledge of agriculture in biology, rural economics, chemistry, physiology and botany to organize one of the largest (575 acres of land) and most prosperous farms in the Province of Quebec at the time. In recognition of the excellence of her work, she was named Commander of the Order of Agricultural Merit in 1940 and received the gold medal of that order.