The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) have long been committed to the cause of women’s emancipation and the defense of their rights. These commitments have taken various forms in the United States, Manitoba, Ontario and elsewhere in the world.
In Quebec, the SNJM have an active presence in the working-class neighborhoods of Montreal (Centre-Sud, Saint-Michel, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve…) and in several parishes in the dioceses of Longueuil, Valleyfield and Joliette.
It was this work directly in the field, in collaboration with others who share the same values for a more just world, that led several SNJM religious to take part in the Bread and Roses March in 1995. Sister Lise Gagnon was already deeply involved in the Centre-Sud neighborhood, particularly with the Rencontres Cuisines (Kitchen Gatherings) community group “to help poor women break their isolation, take an interest in their civic responsibilities and manage their domestic reality.”
She recalls that the idea at the time was “to get these women to understand, little by little, how the system impoverished them. They discovered that they were impoverished, not poor.
She walked the entire ten-day route with other women. Five sisters took turns supporting her during the walk. The t-shirt that she wore is on display.
“It was a memorable adventure. I’ll always remember the generosity of the people we met in each village, and the enthusiasm and pride of the women walkers who came from all over and from all walks of life,” says Sr Lise Gagnon.