Obituary Notice
Back to Élisabeth Bruyère yesterday and today
SISTER ELEONORE THIBODEAU
ONE OF THE FOUNDRESSES OF OUR CONGREGATION
March 10, 1883
If the spirit given by God to each institute is the most precious heritage it can receive on earth, nothing contributes more to preserving it than the memory of those virtues which this spirit caused to burst forth in those who drank at that source.
Imbued with this truth and moved by a well-deserved affection and gratitude, we wish to trace, albeit an imperfect sketch of the eldest among the foundresses of our house in Ottawa, she, who, without rejoinder, brought to bear the greatest influence on our external works of charity.
The memory of our beloved Sister Thibodeau, so intimately linked with that of our late Mother Bruyère, will always remain alive in the heart of those who had the pleasure of knowing her. Yet, this memory could easily be extinguished as her contemporaries disappear. That is why we wish to dedicate these humble pages for the edification of those who will follow us. The examples she has left behind can become an incentive and a powerful encouragement to walk as she did in the pathways of dedication, of charity and of trust in Divine Providence.
Eleonore Thibodeau was born in Pointe-Claire, Province of Québec, on November 15, 1811 and was baptised the next day. From her early age, her faith filled and pious parents formed her for a life of virtue. God had graced her with qualities in view of the calling to which he destined her, for Eleonore was gifted with a magnanimous spirit and a noble and generous heart. At the age of sixteen, she felt drawn to embrace a life of dedication to suffering humanity; she responded to this attraction by requesting admission to the novitiate of the Grey Nuns of Montreal where she was received on July 25, 1828.
The fervour with which this young postulant set to work to form herself to the tasks of a religious and a true Sister of Charity, obtained for her the favour of pronouncing her vows on July 29, 1830. Overjoyed at having become the spouse of Christ and also dedicated to the service of the poor and the disadvantaged, Sister Thibodeau understood more than ever the sublime nature of her calling, and she applied herself to becoming ever more worthy. Henceforth, she would comfort her Divine Spouse in his suffering and ailing members, a service so dear to the heart of every daughter of the Venerable Mother d’Youville.
For fifteen years, Sister Thibodeau was assigned to the pharmacy. For her, it was a duty as well as a joy to bring relief to the sufferings of her sisters, as well as to the sick who would come requesting her help. When our sisters in Montreal undertook home visits to the sick, early in 1844, Sister Thibodeau was among the first assigned to this work, which would bring about so much good.
Already the population of Montreal was feeling the effects of the good will and the tender charity with which Sister Thibodeau brought relief to the disadvantaged, when Divine Providence issued a new invitation to her sense of sacrifice and dedication.
At the request of Bishop Phelan of Kingston, the Community of the Grey Nuns of Montreal had accepted to found a mission in Ottawa, known as Bytown at that time, and Sister Thibodeau was chosen as a foundation stone of this work. In spite of the sacrifice of separation from a beloved and venerated Mother and sisters, in spite of all the challenges easily foreseen in such an undertaking, our dear sister did not recoil and consented to an even more total gift of self.
Chosen for the Bytown Hospital on November 27, 1844, she accepted this assignment on December 4, and, on the same day, was named assistant to Mother Bruyère, the superior of this new house. It was on February 18, 1845, along with Mother Bruyère as superior, and Sisters Charlebois and Howard as companions, that she left the beloved home that had witnessed her birth to religious life and her growth in the virtues of her calling.
No sooner had they arrived in Ottawa than our four foundresses, under the direction of Father Telmon, O.M.I., began the work that we have continued to this day in this town: the upkeep of the hospital, home visits to the needy and the sick, and the education of children. The beginnings were very difficult, yet neither toil, nor fatigue, nor challenges could shake the courage of our mothers, and Divine Providence blessed the numerous daily sacrifices which they took upon themselves.
As the institutions became better established, the foundresses were offered to return to the Montreal mother house, which offer was accepted by Sisters Charlebois and Howard. Our venerated Mother Bruyère and Sister Thibodeau, repressing in their hearts their very legitimate religious affections, remained at their post to continue the mission they had inaugurated.
Sister Thibodeau had had the pleasure of knowing some of the elder sisters who had themselves drawn from the early foundresses of the Grey Nuns of Montreal the true spirit of the community, as entrusted to them by the Venerable Mother d’Youville, a spirit of charity, of simplicity, of humility and dedication for all the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Also, recalling the good examples she had witnessed, and naturally inclined toward charity, the queen of virtues, Sister Thibodeau fulfilled the role of doctor and apostle among the population of Bytown. The zeal, or rather, the heroism of our beloved sister, won her the esteem and the gratitude of everyone.
This town, similar to all such new population centers, was hardly organised, and for some time, had had few doctors. Sister Thibodeau, who had studied the art of Saints Cosmas and Damian, wished to respond to the felt needs and began offering medical care. From everywhere, people came for her services and she offered them with admirable skills and kindness. It would be impossible to count the number of needy families she helped who, otherwise, would not have had the means to pay a doctor. She would also share with them the alms she had received from charitable persons: of a sensitive and compassionate heart, she showed intrepid courage to withstand anything so as to relieve suffering.
During the terrible epidemic of 1847, our dear sisters went to care for the victims of the typhus, often at their own peril. At the forefront, one always found our brave Sister Thibodeau, whose striking charity at that time was never forgotten.
Yet, her mission was even more extraordinary. Bytown was growing very quickly and received many new people whose morals were questionable. Sister Thibodeau undertook to launch a reform and began a clear crusade against vice. She would visit families whose behaviours were disorderly, would reprimand them, never ceasing to call them back to order until there was a total change. She was not deterred by their hostility or their injurious responses. Not one to be easily intimidated, she would not recoil from threats; she was the valiant woman par excellence, and for several years played the role of peacemaker in Bytown. At that time quarrels stemming from drunkenness, or from national or religious bigotry, were daily occurrences. No sooner did the news reach Sister Thibodeau than she would present herself. Her very demeanour in itself brought the fights to an end, and thanks to her power of persuasion, order would be re-established. She had been seen stepping into the middle of a conflict where hardier men had not dared venture and yet, no one laid a sacrilegious hand on her. She was obeyed like a mother.
Twenty years after the arrival of our sisters in Ottawa, that is, in 1865, Sister Thibodeau, inspired more than ever with a holy dedication to the needs of the unfortunate, wished to establish a special home for orphans. Totally preoccupied with this undertaking and on fire with the desire to see it brought to reality, our dear sister approached Bishop Guigues of Ottawa, requesting his authorisation. His Excellency felt that such a service would not be self-sustaining and spoke in this vein to the valiant religious. Yet, he would allow her to begin. The Bishop offered his blessing to the one whose courageous charity he admired, and he even added the contribution of one dollar.
Without delay, Sister Thibodeau founded St. Joseph Orphanage, entrusting it all to Divine Providence, since in order to maintain this institution, she had no other recourse but public charity. Later, when the orphanage was well on its way to becoming prosperous, our beloved foundress would say to us and to all who admired the development of this house, “Well, I began my orphanage with one dollar and Bishop Guigues’ blessing.”
Divine Providence rewarded her extraordinary trust and supported her energy and her activity by answering her fervent prayers. When she no longer had the strength to continue her ministry to the sick and the needy, and other sisters, formed by her example, had replaced her in these ministries of charity, Sister Thibodeau maintained a vital interest in all our works, but she would give particular attention to her dear orphans among whom she would love to spend her days. Even in her last illness, when she was confined to the infirmary and could only see the home of the orphans at a distance, this loving mother would follow all the activities of her dear family from her room, keeping them ever in mind. (At that time, the Orphanage was located in that wing of the mother house which extends along Sussex and Cathcart streets.)
The life of our beloved sister, within the community, was no less active and edifying. Until 1856, she was the assistant to our venerated Mother Bruyère, but this title did not prevent her from taking on the most humble tasks and, in that way, she served as a model for her sisters who thought highly of her and loved her as a mother.
For many years, Sister Thibodeau, served as pharmacist; if her charity was marvellous toward persons on the outside, can one believe that she would have been otherwise when she cared for her sisters and returned them to health, as well as the girls for whom she had the love of a mother? Even when she no longer had the care of the pharmacy, she never ceased to be concerned about the health of our sisters and she would gladly share her extensive experience with those who had replaced her. She made it her duty to form the young sisters who were assigned to help her and wished that all of them would be filled with the spirit of our holy calling and be full of zeal for the works that flowed from it.
Our dear sister hoped that this beautiful simplicity, which is a distinctive trait of a Grey Nun, would be perpetuated among us, and she herself was a perfect model of this virtue.
We cannot omit speaking of her love of prayer. If the works she undertook were successful, this success should be attributed in large measure to her fervent supplications, it would seem. She invoked Divine Providence with much trust, as well as the Blessed Virgin Mary and our Venerable Mother d’Youville, including also the glorious Saint Joseph and good Saint Ann. Most particularly in her latter years, when she could no longer work as in the past, our dear sister dedicated a major part of her day to numerous practices of piety and devotion. When she could no longer pray on her own because of her illness, she would ask her nurse to recite the prayers for her.
As a testimony to her devotion for the Queen of heaven, here is a special consecration she had written between the crossbeams she herself had drawn: “I, Marie Eleonore Thibodeau, a poor servant, choose today and forever, Mary, Mother of my Jesus, as my Superior and my special Mother.”
Dated May 10, 1841, around this cross one could read: “To Jesus and to Mary forever.”
There is one event in the life of the one we are concerned about at this moment which needs to have a place in this brief text. It had been fifty years since the day, when responding to the heavenly invitation, our dear Sister Thibodeau had offered her total gift at the holy altar: July 29, 1880, was the fiftieth anniversary of her religious profession, that is, her Golden Jubilee. On this day, she wished to ratify her initial consecration by renewing her vows. She was no longer that young virgin, rich only in her hopes and saintly dreams; her hair had grown white under the burdens of the years and more so under the burden of her work. Only her vows had not aged. This memorable day was a feast day for the entire Community. The sisters gathered numerous around this respected elder; those who were prevented from doing so, either because of distance or circumstances, sent their best wishes with the promise that they would be united wholeheartedly with the joy of the family. Congratulations came from our sisters in Montreal, Quebec and Manitoba, all of whom could appreciate her valour. Sisters Brault and Pinsonneault from Montreal, the former being our Mother Thibodeau’s blood sister, made us very happy by their presence on this extraordinary occasion.
For the community mass, our humble chapel had taken on its best decor and the singing was worthy of the solemnity. At the time of communion, our good Father Gaudet who was the celebrant, offered touching words to our beloved sister, then she renewed her vows before receiving the Eucharistic Lord, to whom she had just renewed her eternal fidelity.
The unbounded dedication of our dear foundress to the good of others, and the numerous forms of service she rendered to the town of Ottawa were too well known and appreciated for this celebration to go undetected outside the community. The clergy and the population, Protestant as well as Catholic, sought to express their gratitude and esteem for the one whom all considered a benefactor. A pontifical mass was celebrated at the cathedral by Bishop Duhamel who, in his paternal kindness, had interrupted his visitation of the diocese in order to be present in Ottawa and participate in the solemnity. Appropriate sermons in French and in English were given by Father Gaudet and Father Dawson. Both rendered homage to the constant and courageous work of the one being honoured. Our Father Gaudet could most particularly speak with knowledge of the situation, since he had directed the community in the early years of the foundation when our mothers lived with so little and sought to be present to all the needs.
On the evening of the Jubilee celebration, a representative group of Catholics from the town came to make a presentation, both in French and English, along with an offering. The Bishop of Ottawa made a donation of two hundred dollars, to be added to the jubilee basket of our Mother Thibodeau. This donation was destined for her favourite work, the Orphanage.
At the Orphanage, there was a pleasant evening gathering during which the dear children expressed in several ways their love and gratitude for their benefactor and cherished mother.
Our late Mother Bruyère, from her place in heaven, must have gazed with pleasure upon this family gathering, and listened to the testimonies offered to the one who, for so many years, had been her companion in her labours, and who, under her guidance, had worked in all humility for the development of the Institute she had established. It would seem that once this earthly acclaim had been offered, she longed for her beloved daughter and companion to join her in the heavenly homeland to share her reward as she had shared her labour.
During the summer of 1880, Sister Thibodeau’s frail health caused much concern, in spite of the special care and the many prayers for her well-being. She became weaker, such that by the end of 1881, she was totally bed-ridden in the infirmary. By February, 1883, one could no longer live in illusion, the last of our venerated foundresses would be taken away from us by the angel of destiny. On the twenty-second of this month, she was given the last sacraments by Father Gaudet, in the presence of Mother Phelan and all of our sisters, who made it a special duty, at this painful moment, to offer to God fervent supplications for the one they so rightly venerated. Our beloved sister languished for several weeks in sufferings which she endured with her habitual strength of spirit. She found her solace in the prayers that were being offered at her bedside constantly, as she had requested.
Finally, on March tenth, at nine o’clock in the morning, she left us, in total serenity, to appear before the God to whom she had dedicated her entire life. We are certain that she was well received, for is it not a fact that those who helped those in need, the sick and the orphans will hear the following words from the Supreme Judge: “Come, blessed of my Father, take possession of the kingdom which has been prepared for you.”
In her final moments, our beloved sister had been assisted on her death bed by Father Gaudet, our chaplain, who recited the prayers for the dying, by our Mother Superior and all the sisters in the mother house. Bishop Duhamel had entered the house at that very moment and came to join his prayer to ours. Our dear sister thus had all the consolations that our holy religion can make available in this solemn but fearful hour.
As soon as the body had been prepared for the wake and the news had spread throughout the capital, persons of every social class, rich and poor, Protestants and Catholics, came to pay their respects to the one who had been a discrete counsellor for so many, and a true friend for each one.
Besides the funeral that was sung in our chapel, the local citizens, in the name of the entire population, requested another at the basilica and took it upon themselves to organise it. This ceremony was held in the midst of a large gathering from all social classes. Bishop Duhamel officiated and the sanctuary was filled with clergy. Choirs from the various churches in Ottawa came together to sing with organ accompaniment.
After this service, the funeral procession made its way to Notre Dame Cemetery, with the Community preceding the casket, followed by the personnel from St. Joseph Orphanage. The crowd took up the rear.
The Montreal community was represented by Sisters Brault and Thibodeau, sister and niece of the dear departed, the Grey Nuns of Québec, by Mother St. Louis, Superior General, and Sister Marie-du-Bon-Secours.
The funeral was impressive, but the people could not do enough, it would seem, to honour the one who had spent her entire existence at the service of suffering humanity.
Sister Thibodeau had lived 70 years, 3 months and 24 days, of which 54 years, 7 months and 14 days in religious life.
R. I. P.
Taken and translated from: "Nécrologies des Soeur Grises de la Croix", Tome 1, 1850 to 1909, Mother House, Ottawa, 1932, p. 137 - 144