THE OLD “BLACK” NUNNERY
The northeast portion of the garden of the convent of the “Congregation de Notre Dame,” founded by Marguerite Bourgeoys in 1659. The present buildings are those of the third convent, the previous two having been burned. The projected extension of St. Lawrence Boulevard to the harbor necessitates the demolition of the convent and the adjoining church of Notre Dame de Pitie.
WOMEN TEACHING ORGANIZATIONS—THE “CONGREGATION”
The chief women organizations at present cooperating with the Catholic school commission have an interesting history. The early history of the pioneering work for education in Montreal by the Congregation Nuns has been told in the first volume. To resume in brief, on November 25, 1657, Marguerite Bourgeoys, with Madame Marguerite Pacaud, opened the first school proper, in Montreal in a stable (36 by 18 feet) given by M. de Maisonneuve, facing the Hôtel Diéu on St. Paul Street. In 1666 a boarding school for young girls was opened by her. In 1670, the stable being insufficient, a large house in stone was built. In 1683 the house was burnt down and two of her community, Géneviève Durosoy and Marguerite Soumillard perished. The Congregation immediately commenced, with only 40 sols, to build their house in the “haut ville,” on ground donated to them adjoining the Hôtel Diéu. This was the site on which the subsequent convent additions were built and which has recently, in 1912, been purchased by the city for the elongation of St. Lawrence Boulevard. In 1713 the northeast wing of the convent was commenced for a “pensionnat” which received a foundation of 13,000 livres from Jeanne Le Ber, the recluse of Notre Dame de Pitié church, erected since 1693 in the convent grounds. The revenue from this sum was to educate and board gratuitously seven young girls. In 1768, on April 11th, a second fire destroyed all the buildings of the convent. In 1823 the Sisters added to their establishment a three-story building. When the great movement for popular education was promoted in 1833 by M. Quiblier, superior of the Seminary, some of the Sisters left their convent to open extern free day schools, first, Externat Ste. Marie, opened September 21, 1833, on Craig and Visitation streets, and, second, Externat St. Laurent, 324 St. Catherine Street, to be followed, in successive years till today, by other “externats,” a course which has entitled them to much public recognition. In 1845 the nuns adjoined the annex to the pensionnat—a building 300 by 57 feet, erected on St. Jean Baptiste Street. In 1854 a second pensionnat was added, called “Villa Maria” by the purchase of Monklands, a residence southwest of Mountain, the original home of the “Monk” family, which became the official residence of the governor general. It was there that Lord Elgin retired after signing the rebellion losses bill. In 1860 the original pensionnat, dating from 1666, was removed from the old site to Mount St. Mary, to the building used as the St. Patrick’s Hospital for the Irish from 1852 to 1860, and before that as a Baptist college.
In 1880 the mother house and the novitiate were transferred to the western slope of Mount Royal, near Villa Maria. The handsome new building was burnt to the ground on June 8, 1893. The community returned to their old home on St. Jean Baptiste Street, which in the meantime had been used as the normal school entrusted to the nuns, since 1898, for the education of female bodies for the Province. But a new mother house was preparing; which they entered in July, 1908. It is an immense building, one of the largest in the world devoted to religious purposes. It is built in the Romanesque style. This building is the home of the college for the higher education of women in affiliation with Laval University.
The Normal School for girls to be trained for Catholic teachers for the Province of Quebec has been connected with their organization since its foundation, on September 14, 1898.
SISTERS OF THE HOLY NAMES OF JESUS AND MARY
The institution of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary is a Montreal foundation which has spread over Canada, Oregon, California, and many parts of the United States. It had for its foundress Mlles. Eulalie Durocher (afterwards, in religion, Mother Maria Rose), Melodie Dufresne and Henriette Céré, who began their work of teaching the young in October, 1843, in a modest house in Longueuil. In 1844 it was formed into a religious community and the Sisters took possession of their convent there. On December 8th the foundresses took their first religious vows and on August 15, 1846, their final vows. The work of teaching may be said to be definitely founded in 1845. It has steadily progressed. The Sisters have about 27,470 children who attended school under their charge in 1913. They have fifty-six establishments and direct twenty-five parochial schools in Canada alone.