“It is difficult to define, or to label, what the PAS House is… And if it is difficult, it is because since this project was born “we are listening to life and life moves, it changes and it requires that we adapt” if we want to respond to the needs. One could say that PAS has become a school of life and of Christian spirituality.” – Sr. Claire Dupont, founder of Le PAS (Prayer-Arts-Services) 1991
From time immemorial, people have taken steps toward reflection and spiritual growth in order to give meaning to their lives.
Faith education is at the very heart of the founding of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM). This commitment has taken many forms over the years.
After the courses offered in the school program, the Sisters became involved in pastoral activities with children, adults and the elderly. The works and ways of doing things are multiplied in order to adapt to the situation and the needs of the people in the area.
Faith-sharing groups, spirituality centers, retreat houses, spirituality sessions, etc. are being created. The SNJMs are also active in parishes and dioceses, especially in sacramental preparation and liturgical preparations.
Supporting the spiritual growth of all
Pastoral care for young people also takes the form of camp activities. This is the case of the pastoral project between 1972 and 1985 at the Manoir des jeunes in Saint-Jean-de-Matha. During the school year, the team of volunteers, made up of religious and lay people, welcomed students to camps for Christian reflection, Catholic action, scouting and snow classes.
During the summer, camps for young people from poor families are held to offer them stimulating activities. In her 1977 report, Sr. Marie-Thérèse Schinck emphasized the collaboration of many actors, especially in financing. “The financing of these camps is assured for a part, by the students of our independent institutions within the framework of a Lenten sharing, another part comes from the United Way.
Adults also benefit from the support of SNJMs in establishing and maintaining organizations for spiritual growth. Numerous spirituality centers are being established, such as “The Well” in Windsor, Ontario. The project began in August 1990 with the initiative of Sisters Dorothy Dean, Virginia Rocheleau and Antoinette Janisse. “We began to create spaces for reflection, prayer and creativity. This women’s resource center [offers] programs and workshops on wholeness, art, spirituality, mandalas and discovering the power of the right hemisphere of the brain in our lives.”
Even today, the SNJMs are involved in this ministry through the financial support of organizations and the direct involvement of Sisters who provide individual accompaniment or sessions in spirituality centers. It is safe to say that the SNJMs have taken up the torch of Mother Marie-Rose with as much determination as she did. Let us recall that Eulalie Durocher founded a first pious association of the Children of Mary in Beloeil at the end of the 1830s before establishing the Congregation of the Children of Mary at the Longueuil Convent in 1845.
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