Our History

Elisabeth Bruyère – Yesterday and today

Introduction

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We offer you a history of the Congregation, beginning with the works initiated by Elisabeth Bruyère, servant of God, up until those of today.  This research has been done in collaboration with the Archives of the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa, utilising the information found in the texts of Sister Paul-Emile, s.g.c. – Mother Elisabeth Bruyère:Her Life and her Work and The Grey Nuns of the Cross of Ottawa, General Movement of the Institute 1875 to 1967, as well as the volume of Mr. Emilien Lamirande – Elisabeth Bruyère, Foundress of the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa.

We will consider the two main axes of our works, namely the care of the poor, related to the Youvillian charism and education, a particular Bruyère trait.

We begin with the axis care of the poor which stems directly from our Youvillian sources.

Elisabeth Bruyère, a teacher since the age of 16, decided to enter the Grey Nuns of Montreal rather than a teaching congregation. What drew her to a Congregation that had not chosen education?

A letter, dated May 18, 1839, addressed to her cousin Julie Dulong, gives us an insight into her love for the poor.  She wrote:“This sensitivity to the poor which forms the character of good and great souls.”

Elisabeth entered the Grey Nuns of Montreal on June 4, 1839.  She lived one year as a postulant and took the religious habit on May 18, 1840.  The religious habit is a visible sign of detachment.  Elisabeth lived one year of novitiate and made profession on May 31, 1841.  From June 1 she was entrusted with the care of the orphans until February 8, 1845 when she accepted to become the superior of the new foundation in Bytown.

In professing as a Grey Nuns of Montreal, Sister Bruyère committed herself to live according to the Primitive Fundamental Commitments taken by Mother d’Youville and her companions and integrated into the constitutions of the Grey Nuns of Montreal in 1781.  The following two commitments pertain to the care of the poor:

“ 2°  To dedicate our time, our days, our work, our very life, without reservation, to the work, and to put all proceeds in common so as to provide for both the poor and ourselves.”
“ 3°  To receive, feed and care for as many poor as we can support through our own resources or through the alms of the faithful.”

On February 8, Sr. Bruyère accepted to become the Superior of the founding group for Bytown.  The annals of the Grey Nuns of the Cross, 1845 (page 21) give us a glimpse of Elisabeth’s attitude in the face of this request:

“If I accept, it is only in order to serve my Community.  I was never against the foundation in Bytown, but I do not feel within me a calling to the missions.  However, if my Superiors do not consider that I have sufficient reason to refuse, I leave the decision to their prudence; as for myself, I hold on to obedience, even if it should cost me my life.”

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Part 1:  1845 to 1876, the beginnings at the time of Mother Élisabeth Bruyère

Élisabeth Bruyère accepted the mission to Bytown.  A mission for which the annals of the Grey Nuns of the Cross, 1845 (page 6, December 1844) give us the impression that she showed great interest during the preparations for a fund-raising bazaar for the Bytown mission: 

“The sister in charge of the orphan girls, Sr. Bruyère, stood out among the others, with her zeal and interest for this foundation.”  She herself said to one of the foundresses “I do not know why, but I feel a mother’s heart for the foundresses for Bytown.”

It was only on February 8, 1845 that Sr. Bruyère accepted to be part of the group of foundresses, as their Superior!

On February 19, 1845, Sister Bruyère left Montreal with her foundation companions:  Sisters Éléonore Thibodeau, Rodriguez and Saint Joseph, as well as Élisabeth Devlin, postulant, and Mary Jones, aspirant.

The group arrived in Bytown on February 20, 1845.

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A – Axis: The care of the poor, in line with the Youvillian charism
                  B – Axis:  Education, a particular Bruyère trait      (to come)

The letter of obedience from Bishop Bourget, February 12, 1845, placed the emphasis on the spirit that must be maintained in this new mission:

“My very dear Daughters, may the Lord fill you with the spirit of your Venerable Foundress.  Never forget that you are going to preach in a far away land, through your practice of the religious virtues.”

In a second letter, on February 15, 1845, Bishop Bourget gave some advice to the new foundresses.  Here is one which will help us understand the importance of their attachment to the mother congregation:

“7°  Maintain, with the Mother House, tender and most intimate relations. Take all possible means so that time and distance will not diminish this union.  See this foundation that you are beginning as a branch that must always remain united to the trunk so as to receive the sap which will produce life-giving fruit in its time.”

His letter ends with his wishes for the maintenance of the Youvillian spirit:

“These are the main regulations I ask you to meditate; they will assure the prosperity of the new Establishment of charity entrusted to you by Divine Providence. Never forget that our Lord built his Church on the poor Manger of Bethlehem.  Fear not, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom, by entrusting this work of mercy to you.”

The bond that must be maintained with the Youvillian charism is clear.  Élisabeth Bruyère will keep alive the love of the poor in all these works.

Within the axis of the care of the poor we also find the domain of assistance to those in need, which, today, we might call social services, and the domain of health care.  In Élisabeth Bruyère’s time, these two domains were often combined into one.  We have chosen to consider them separately.

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1 - Social Services : Assistance to those in need  
                  2 - Health Care      (to come)