The SNJM Water-Ecology Committee has selected, for its latest communication, the theme of the healing power of water. In addition to the main article, the theme of water in relation to climate change and indigenous peoples is addressed.

We discover the impacts of the recent earthquake in Haiti where the lives of thousands of children and families are now at risk, just because they don’t have access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene. The return of certain diarrheal diseases could have disastrous consequences on an already vulnerable population. At the same time, we present hopeful initiatives to help children in particular.

Water is an important element in the culture of First Nations. The lyrics of the proposed song clearly reminds us of this. We also realize that the problem of non-access to potable water is still very much alive given 32 communities are still subject to 45 water quality advisories in Canada. South of the border, a recent survey reveals that the racial divide is clearly seen in terms of access to drinking water.

This new communication is very extensive. It provides several links to deepen the various aspects mentioned. To be read in one of the three languages: English | Español | French

The Water Ecology Committee is composed of Sisters Josephine Chudzik (Manitoba), Mary Annette Dworshak (U.S.-Ontario) and Yvonne Massicotte (Manitoba) and the following SNJM affiliates: Dorothy Guha (Qc), Pat Iwata (OR) and Sharon West (FL).

UNANIMA International recently published its fall newsletter. In her introduction, the Executive Director highlights some good news and many important upcoming events.

On the occasion of the International Day Against Homelessness, this issue includes a summary of UNANUMA’s most-recent recommendations on homelessness and displacement. The International Day for Tolerance and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women are also mentioned.

In the section on activities at the UN, the NGO reports on its participation in major events including the High Level Political Forum last July, in which progress on sustainable development goals (SDGs) was discussed in one of the presentations. Another presentation focused on the impacts of COVID-19 and the worsening social inequalities in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Another event, in conjunction with the Coalition of Religious Groups for Justice, provided a perspective on the role of religious NGOs in achieving SDGs.

UNANIMA’s newsletter is full of information with links to learn more and testimonials. It is available in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese. Read on…

Marie-Rose Center is re-opening its doors to the public this September after being closed for 18 months due to the pandemic. However, it will be necessary to make an appointment by phone and to present proof of vaccination in order to respect certain sanitary instructions specific to the place.

Located mainly in the Congregation House (former Convent of Longueuil), Marie-Rose Center offers a unique museum space that includes the original chapel (1846), the historical rooms where the foundress, Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher, lived, the museum, an archive exhibition room and the Foundation House.

These numerous attributes allow visitors to dive back into parts of the history of Longueuil and Quebec by looking at the customs of the time, the social issues around education, without forgetting to meet visionary women who did not lack courage. At the same time, visitors discover the particularities and beauty of 18th and 19th century heritage buildings.

The photos were taken before the pandemic.

The museum space of Marie-Rose Centre is so rich in content that some people prefer to opt for a targeted visit and come back later to discover another aspect. It is also possible to have a global visit that presents all the aspects in summary summarily. In any case, you should allow at least one hour to enjoy the guided tour.

An outdoor tour of the built heritage is also offered on request to discover this historic site of Old Longueuil. However, weather conditions must be taken into account.

This new formula of opening to the public by appointment only will be in place, until further notice. Those interested in visiting the museum space at Marie-Rose Centre should call 450 651-8104, ext. 0, to make an appointment and for information. MRC is located at 80 Saint-Charles Street East, in Longueuil.

The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) are pleased to announce the election of their new Congregational Leadership Team at the 35th General Chapter, held from July 18-28, 2021.

In addition to Sister Linda Haydock, elected to a second term as Congregational Leader, are Sister Mary Haupt and Sister Susan Wells, as General Councillors. The three elected members will select another General Councillor. Their five-year term of office will begin this November.

The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) and the SNJM affiliates are about to enter into their General Chapter in a whole new way. The pandemic has led the organizing committee to turn to technology to hold the 35th General Chapter, which has the theme “The Call of Our Lives!”

For the first time in their history, all SNJM sisters will be able to attend the Chapter of Affairs sessions from July 18 to 23. In addition, affiliated persons and invited partners will be able to participate. This openness to people from community and religious groups outside the congregation is a new approach for the SNJM, demonstrating its commitment to collaborating with others.

During the first week, a few special events are planned including lectures by Elena Lasida, renowned sociologist and economist from the Catholic University of Paris on Monday, July 19 and Sister Pat Murray, IBVM, Executive Secretary of the International Union of Major Superiors (IUGS) on July 22.

A live concert by Robert Lebel is planned for July 25 to celebrate the start of Chapter elections, which will be held from July 24 to 30. Only delegate sisters can participate in the elections, which will conclude with the announcement of the new leaders of the Congregation for the next five-year term.

Throughout the 35th General Chapter, sisters, SNJM affiliates and partners are invited to share their comments and questions via the dedicated Chapter website. Similarly, over the course of this Chapter year which began in October 2020, sisters were invited to share their experiences of the Chapter, and to dedicate a personal space of ritual prayer in communion with all sisters, during this time of profound spiritual transformation.

In its June publication, UNANIMA International highlights concerns around major themes such as Environment, Homelessness and Human Trafficking.

In her reflection, the Executive Director focuses on the environment, noting that this is the beginning of the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration. She makes the links between environmental and social justice and highlights some of the steps that everyone can take to help protect the environment.

The newsletter also highlights the organization’s latest efforts in producing a brand new document dedicated to homelessness entitled “The Intersections of Family Homelessness and Human Trafficking”. Links are provided to the document and to presentations given at the launch, including one on human trafficking.

The news section covers current issues, including homelessness and the NGO Committee for Social Development, which will have an important meeting in July.

There is also information on advocacy related to Haiti and Aboriginal issues, as well as regular intern columns and community testimonials. Read on.

English | French | Español

In an official statement, the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) appeal to Pope Francis to apologize to the indigenous peoples of Canada, as he did in Bolivia in 2015.

The international congregation of Catholic teaching sisters joins other faith-based organizations that have spoken out since the recent discovery of the remains of 215 children in the cemetery adjacent to the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia.

While expressing deep sympathy to the members of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, the SNJM is “more aware than ever that this type of situation brings back the pain of colonial history in Canada and around the world. ”

Already committed to “decolonizing our minds and hearts, fighting racism and building just relationships,” SNJM’s have taken concrete action, including sending a letter of support for Bill C-15 to the Senate of Canada in May 2021 to urge senators to approve it.

Source photo: Faith in the Declaration

Are you aware of the many tasks accomplished by the archivists in the Central Archives Department (CAD) of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM)? If you ever visited the Archives at the Congregational House, you may have seen the archivists searching for documents in boxes in the vault; in the processing room, filing the archival fonds of a sister or of a school; in the researcher’s room, accompanying a student or historian in their research, or planning the next exhibit together.

All of this, of course, was prior to March 2020 when we were hit by the pandemic and all the lay employees of the SNJM General Administration were forced to work from home. But how do you telecommute when you are used to dealing with paper documents kept in the archival vault? It is amazing the different tasks archivists can do at a distance:

• transcribe chronicles;
• digitize photographs and SNJM publications;
• enter the assignments of the sisters into the computer;
• research information to answer email requests;
• produce statistics for Rome or for the SNJM Leadership Teams;
• develop and use procedures for the management of digital archives.

Data entry into the SNJM Central Archives Service is not new.

You might be wondering how it is possible to carry out one’s mission from a remote location? In fact, for a long time the staff of the CAD has been working on computers that are an integral part of a network connected to a server dedicated to the Archives. In the late 1980’s, Sister Claire Laplante, the director of the Archives at the time, purchased a mini computer for her department. Over the years, the Archives Department continued to develop computer tools, in particular databases, to help the archivists know and quickly find specific documents, books and objects kept on the premises. Among other things, a specialized archival program facilitates the detailed description of the archival fonds through a form. Computer entries completed by interns and Sisters (archival assistants) has made possible the creation of a large number of inventories. The largest and most important of these, called Gesboite, lists the contents of the approximately 3,000 boxes held in the vault. By using the information contained in the written registers of all of those who entered the Congregation, the archival assistants were able to build up a database with the family and religious information of the 7,200 professed sisters and the 3,000 candidates and novices who left the Congregation before making profession.

The Central Archives also holds textual and photographic documents produced in digital format by the Sisters and by the SNJM General and Provincial Administrations. These electronic records must be classified and preserved in the same manner as paper records. However, the staff has the responsibility to ensure that all files are migrated to the most current format that will guarantee the long-term preservation of the information.

Despite the technological advances and the use of finding aids that facilitate working from home, the lay archivists did return to the Archives department from time to time last fall, following all the sanitary measures put in place. On the one hand, in order to respond to certain research requests it was necessary to consult the files in the vault, since the majority of these documents, due to their age, format or size, cannot be digitized and therefore are not accessible remotely. On the other hand, it was necessary to continue the classification of the archival fonds received in recent months. The Sisters who work in the Archives and who live at the Congregational House were able to continue their work as usual.

Long before the pandemic, Sister Lucille Potvin and researchers have checked documents in the presence of an archivist.

During this International Archives Week, created to highlight the importance of archives for the preservation of the individual and collective memory, it is essential that we pay tribute to the patient and invaluable contribution of the Archivists and Archival Assistants of the SNJM Central Archives Department. For more than 30 years, these visionary members of the Congregation built up an array of digital tools that allow today’s archivists to continue to enhance the rich heritage of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary.

Members of the Congregational Leadership Team (CLT) participated in the campaign to support the passage of Bill C-15 in the Canadian Senate. This bill, which is expected to be passed in the House of Commons shortly, addresses the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). It will ensure that UNDRIP is applied in Canadian law and will encourage “the federal government to work with Aboriginal peoples to develop a national plan of action with specific priorities and timelines.”

The current campaign aims to get Canadian Senators to pass Bill C-15 before the summer recess. Failure to do so could mean a delay of several months, or even years, if the persistent rumours of a Canadian election in the fall prove to be true. The initiators of this campaign want to prevent Bill C-15 from suffering the same fate as Bill C-262, which died on the order paper in 2019 after three years.

In their communication to the Senators, the CLT notes that their “support for Bill C-15 is an expression of our commitment to reconciliation in humility and in the spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #48. This call calls on all faith communities in Canada to formally adopt and abide by the principles, norms and standards of UNDRIP. Our support for Bill C-15 is part of a broader effort to decolonize our minds and hearts, to combat racism and to build just relationships.”

The national campaign is the work of a coalition of Canadian faith-based organizations under the name Faith in the Declaration who are working together to support the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted in 2007. The organization has tabled a briefing paper for the pre-study of the bill by the Senate of Canada’s Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples.

In its latest newsletter, UNANIMA International highlights work on the important issue of homelessness and the links to human trafficking. The newsletter includes an article on webinars held on the topic of homelessness and the Sustainable Development Goals. Links are provided to view them. The UN News section discusses the work of the NGO Committee on Social Development and the Working Group on Mining. It also presents the outcome of the 59th Commission on Social Development.

The newsletter also features an article on the tragedy related to mining in Brazil and its impact on housing for many people. A tragedy that is experienced even more cruelly in this time of pandemic. The publication also reports on an initiative by a religious community in the Philippines to prevent human trafficking.

Available in English | Español | French