Sheaf of Memories
“Some events that cannot be grouped under a title belong to that invisible thread without which history would be incomplete. As the veneration of the Eucharist is an integral part of the spirit of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame, Corpus Christi is a day of jubilation. On June 3, 1858, the procession was held indoors for the first time, thanks to the bishop’s authorization. This tribute to the Lord would become a tradition.
That same year, the sisters abandoned an old practice that could no longer be maintained. Mother Bourgeoys wore her veil tied. It was customary to keep it on when going to church, receiving Holy Communion, reciting the Office and accompanying the Blessed Sacrament. Tradition reveals that the sisters frequently needed to go out for visits to the Farm in Pointe-Saint-Charles, to church or to wash clothes by the water. In a Mandate addressed to the Community on April 23, 1843, among other orders, Msgr Bourget asked the sisters never to wear their veils tied when leaving the house. For reasons unknown, they continued to do so until 1858, when Mother Sainte-Madeleine, the superior, decided it was time to comply with the bishop’s wishes.
On January 12, 1860, the sisters received visible protection from the heavens. A waterspout dug up the lake at the foot of the large woods in the north-western part of Île Saint-Paul. The lake was eight acres long, seven to eight rods wide and quite deep in many places. More than fifty trees were uprooted and swept away by the river; the ice was broken completely over a long distance. Two sisters from Pointe-Saint-Charles had just crossed the river to have lunch on the island. They had noticed that the ice crackled under their feet with a strange sound, but they did not think they were in any danger. As soon as they set foot on land, they were startled by a frightful crash that sounded like a bolt of lightning. Chunks of ice rose and banged together, dragging large trees torn from the shore into the channel they had just crossed.
When calm returned, they rang the bell and stood on the shore to reassure their companion, who was a director at Pointe-Saint-Charles. Around three o’clock, they went all the way to the Victoria Bridge to find a way back. God protected their return just as He had delayed the moment when the waterspout would fall on the water. ”
Excerpt from: Histoire de la Congrégation de Notre-Dame de Montréal, Volume X, S. Thérèse Lambert CND, S. Sainte – Marie-Médiatrice, 1969.