Obituary Notice
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SISTER AURÉLIE LAMBERT
in religion
SISTER SAINT AURÉLIE (Coadjutrix)
August 15, 1909
Sister Aurelie Lambert was the daughter of Louis Lambert, blacksmith, of Bourbonnais, Illinois, and of Anastasie Landry, of St. Leon, diocese of Montreal.
Steeped in the principles of Christian faith from an early age, this dear sister made this her daily rule of life, one which was not spared trials, as we shall soon see.
Having felt early on an attraction for religious life, young Aurelie sought out the Sisters of the Cross, established in Morris, Illinois. Since the only language used was English, she was extremely lonely and only remained there a few months. Returning to her family in Bourbonnais, she dedicated herself more than ever to religious devotions and to the practice of good works: visits to the poor, help to the sick, assisting her neighbours. These were her sources of delight. A generous soul, she was always ready to offer assistance.
At about the same time, Mr. Chiniquy, a priest well-known for his preaching on abstinence, was invited by the Pastor in Bourbonnais to offer a retreat to the parish. Everyone gathered at the church and at the confessional; Miss. Lambert was not among the least ardent, for she and her family were well acquainted with the famous missionary and admired him. Chiniquy spent several months in the area and won the esteem and the trust of the people such that, when the news was spread that he was an apostate, that he was preaching a doctrine which was contrary to the Catholic faith, this came as a thunderbolt to everyone, and priests who had to be sent to correct the errors that had been visited on Bourbonnais struggled to dissuade the people. Even if this unfortunate heretic was denounced in Bourbonnais, the people there who felt he was being maligned, would travel to the neighbouring parish of St. Ann where he was pastor to assist at his mass and hear his preaching.
The Lambert Family was also present. Finally, they began to notice the strange behaviour of this priest whom one had seen, for example, offering Holy Communion under both species; it was too late, the excommunication had been proclaimed, not only against Chiniquy, but against all who had remained loyal to him and had gone to his parish to hear him. This was a terrible ordeal for all, especially for young Aurelie, who found herself refused entrance into the church, for the names of those who had been excommunicated were displayed boldly at the main entrance to the parish church. Acknowledging the error of their ways, they hurried, the following Sunday, to perform the public penance that had been imposed on them.
In recalling this painful memory, our dear Sister Saint Aurelie admitted never having undergone a deeper humiliation in her entire life. “I was so warm kneeling there, at the altar rail,” she would say, “that the section of my silk dress at the knees remained stuck to the freshly varnished floor. You may not believe it, but it is the truth.”
This account would make us laugh and give us an opportunity to tease her regarding her excommunication.
The late Father Brunet, O.M.I., who had been among those who denounced Chiniquy, had become the target of hatred and some of Chiniquy’s friends conspired to have him put into prison at Kankakee, where the heretic resided. Our dear Aurelie, learning of this sad state of affairs, would assist this zealous priest in his narrow and damp cell. She provided a comfortable bed for him, as well as a small stove and table on which she would set the meals she herself prepared or those the Sisters of the Congregation would send through her. Out of the kindness and generosity of her heart, she sought to help this good Father who had been so cruelly treated. Finally, after several months in detention, through some clever stratagem, Catholic friends succeeded in helping him escape.
One can only surmise the joy of this young girl, this future Sisters of Charity, who already lived out her future calling with such dedication.
In spite of the fact that society offered her many advantages because of her family’s affluence and privileged position, Miss. Aurelie Lambert chose to present herself to our community requesting her admission. Our mothers received her on April 9, 1864, at the age of 28 years, 2 months, and 12 days. Her humility led her to choose the rank of a serving sister (coadjutrix) rather than a choir sister, which she would have been free to choose since there were no obstacles. She was admitted to religious profession on March 19, 1866.
Generous and earnest, she undertook her spiritual journey seriously, as early as the Novitiate; she sought to temper the liveliness of her character which she felt could be excessive, something with which she struggled her entire life. She corrected her faults with a great spirit of faith. She was gracious with everyone! As a rule, her expression was smiling and one would spend pleasant recreations with her, only in passing, it is true, because her free moments were few. She had such a love of work that she would hurry to perform her own tasks so that she could then help the other sisters in the kitchen or the laundry or the garden, etc.
For this sister, everything was always fine in terms of food or clothing, to hear her tell it; she always had more than she needed, so much so that after her death, the sister in charge of the wardrobe could not give away any of her clothing, since it had been mended to such an extent. She sought to practice all forms of penance: sleeping on the hard floor, making numerous signs of the cross with her tongue on the floor, when she thought no one was looking; spending her sleepless nights, praying or knitting, sitting on her bed. In her final years at the mother house, she would spend most of the night hours kneeling in front of the crucifix in the dining room. How often the night nurses found her there, her arms outstretched in the form of a cross!
Sister St. Aurelie served very effectively either as cook or supervisor of housework at the mother house, at the General Hospital, at the smallpox sheds and in many of our houses. She spent nine years in all at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Boarding School; she was eight years in Buffalo from 1877 to 1885; she spent three years in Hull; nine years at Our Lady of the Rosary from 1892 to 1901. From this last mission, she returned to the mother house where she supervised the domestic workers.
Everywhere, she was the same, enjoying good health, even in her final years, and she spared herself in no way and took on the most demanding tasks. She felt it was her right and would explain it thus: “I am strong, and hard work is good for me.” Her cleanliness needs to be stressed here. No one had to be concerned about those areas that were entrusted to her, for furniture and floors would shine. How could she sustain the burden of all this hard work with so little sleep? Only the Divine Master who sees everything understood what remained a mystery for us.
In any case, our dear sister fell victim to rheumatism which was a source of great suffering, yet never succeeded in slowing her down. Finally, on August 9, 1909, she was led to the infirmary after a fainting spell. She received the sacraments of Penance and Extreme Unction. She regained some strength in the ensuing days, but she knew she would not live much longer. The night before her death, one sister asked if she felt better. She responded, “Oh, no! I cannot feel better because I will die, but death is beautiful, yes, it is so beautiful!” and her face was radiant as she spoke these words which made a deep impression on those who heard them. How could she fear death after a life that had been so full? Bed-ridden, she kept a constant dialogue with her Divine Spouse or with her good Mother in heaven for whom she had such a tender devotion. How often we saw her fingering her rosary beads!
R. I. P.
Taken and translated from: "Nécrologies des Soeur Grises de la Croix", Tome I, 1850 to 1909, Mother House, Ottawa, 1932, p. 406 - 409.
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