In section: Marie-Rose Durocher

Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher

Eulalie Durocher, a woman for our time and place, was born at St-Antoine-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada, on October 6, 1811.  She was a woman of faith, a woman fully alive, a woman of compassion and a woman of action.  She worked hard for the families of her day to counteract ignorance, both religious and intellectual, that was prevalent among them.

As a lay person, a committed Christian, she led a simple life.  She participated actively in the life of her parish and visited the poor.  She founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, a Congregation which has continued into this 21st century. Under the religious name of Soeur Marie-Rose she consecrated herself to education, especially religious education of children.  She died on October 6, 1849, and was beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 23, 1982.

Ever alive, Marie-Rose…

Simone Perras, SNJM, April 2004

What remains of you
is more than a body worn out by service,

more than bones polished by years of wear and tear.
It is more than a name engraved on a tombstone
or written in our history books.
It is more than a picture or a relic,
however cherished they may be.

What remains of you
is an unassuming radiance on our milieu.
It is protection for our families.
It is a look of tenderness on our children.
It is a presence to call on.

What remains of you
is an élan of active love.
It is complete trust in the person.
It is a grace of a serene life,
of peace to invoke for our world.

What remains of you
is the joy of welcome and of gift.
It is the ardent love for Jesus and Mary.
It is a profound faith in God.
It is the invitation to pray to God; to bring God
to others through the simple gestures of our lives.

Woman, happy and free,
Blessed Marie-Rose,
You are ever alive!

Other articles in the section Marie-Rose Durocher
The Most Beautiful School Yard in the World
Mother Marie-Rose on an intergenerational walk
A Convent Over Time
A Convent Over Time
Tribute to Marie-Rose Durocher and to the SNJM’s in St-Lin
In Beloeil, the Closing of the Bicentennial of the Birth of Mother Marie-Rose
A New Painting of Mother Marie-Rose
Eulalie Durocher Commemorative Garden
Duty to remember and give thanks to the SNJM’s
Marie-Rose Durocher - Ever Alive