The Life of Venerable Sister Margaret BourgeoisAnonymous
History
The Life of Venerable Sister Margaret Bourgeois
Anonymous
Bourgeoys, Marguerite, Saint, 1620-1700
Despite the sorrow and humiliations she had already experienced
regarding this chapel, she set to work again with renewed energy to
effect its completion, but in order to proceed with suitable solemnity,
M. Souart ordered a solemn procession to be made to the place, on the
29th of June, 1673, being the Feast of the Apostles SS. Peter and Paul.
A great concourse of people attended Vespers after the procession, and
M. Souart, the celebrant, put a crucifix in the place destined for the
altar, and the next day laid the corner-stone, in the name, and as the
agent of M. de Faucamp. Sister Bourgeois labored indefatigably to
procure and disburse the necessary funds, a portion of which she had
received in France, as we have seen, the remainder being contributed in
Ville-Marie. The Sisters themselves assisted generously out of their
private funds, and others donated materials or labor which was
equivalent. The interior decorations were quite elaborate, and in due
course of time the church was finished to the satisfaction of every one.
It was the first _stone_ church erected in Montreal, and was consecrated
under the title of "Notre Dame de Bon-Secours." Mass was celebrated in
it for the first time on the Feast of the Assumption, 1675, this day of
Mary's glorious triumph being selected as its principal Festival. The
work being thus happily completed, Sister Bourgeois, in the hope of
making it contribute more effectually to the glory of God, requested the
cure and church-warden of the parish to accept the new monument of piety
for public use, and make it a perpetuity of the parish, in order to
promote devotion to the Mother of God. The donation was of course
accepted with gratitude, and confirmed by an ordinance of M. de Laval,
dated November 6, 1678. Some years afterwards, by a new arrangement,
dated January 17, 1700, La Fabrique gave the Sisters suitable lots for
free sepulture, and the unrestricted use of the Chapel of the Infant
Jesus, for their private devotional exercises, which act was approved
and confirmed by M. de St. Vallier, the second Bishop of Quebec, during
one of his pastoral visitations in 1719. This church of Bon-Secours
served for many years as a convent chapel to the Hospitalieres of the
Hotel-Dieu, when their hospital and convent was burned down in 1734, and
when they were obliged to lodge their sick in the houses adjoining the
church, until their re-establishment, which did not take place for three
or four years.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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