Blessed Esther Blondin
Blessed Esther Blondin (born April 18, 1809 AD in Terrebonne, Quebec, Canada; died January 2, 1890 AD in Saint-Jacques-de-la-Motte, Quebec, Canada) was a Canadian religious sister and foundress who established the Sisters of Saint Anne (Soeurs de Sainte-Anne) in 1850, a congregation dedicated to the education of children in rural Quebec. She suffered greatly from opposition within her own congregation but remained faithful until her death. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 29, 2001. Her feast day is January 2.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Esther Blondin
| Blessed Esther Blondin | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | January 02 |
| Profession | Catholic religious sister; foundress of the Sisters of Saint Anne (Soeurs de Sainte-Anne, SSA, 1850); first Superior General of the congregation; educator of rural Quebec children; woman of suffering accepted in union with Christ; Canadian Catholic of the 19th century |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Sisters of Saint Anne (Soeurs de Sainte-Anne, SSA); Quebec Catholic educational tradition; Canadian Catholic heritage; 19th-century Catholic Canada |
| Patronage | Canada; Quebec; the Sisters of Saint Anne; teachers; rural schools; educators; those who suffer unjust treatment; those who endure suffering within the Church with patience; women religious founders |
| Attributes | Religious habit of the Sisters of Saint Anne; book (education); January 2 feast; rural Quebec landscape; cross of suffering |
| Birthplace | Terrebonne, Quebec, Canada |
| Death Place | Saint-Jacques-de-la-Motte, Quebec, Canada |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; died January 2, 1890, at Saint-Jacques-de-la-Motte (later Saint-Jacques, Montcalm County, Quebec); Blessed Esther Blondin founded the Sisters of Saint Anne in 1850 to educate rural children of Quebec; she served as first Superior General; she then suffered decades of opposition and humiliation within her own congregation, being demoted to an ordinary position and treated with great severity by a new chaplain (Father Gastineau) whose authority over the congregation brought about a reversal of her leadership; she bore this suffering with patience and became an exemplar of the spirituality of suffering accepted in union with Christ; beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 29, 2001 |
| Primary Shrine | Saint-Jacques, Quebec, Canada; feast January 2; beatified JPII April 29 2001 |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; January 2 feast in Canada and with the Sisters of Saint Anne |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Esther Blondin was born April 18, 1809, in Terrebonne, Quebec. She had difficulty learning to read as a child but overcame this to become a teacher. She joined the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (Soeurs des Saints-Noms de Jésus et de Marie) briefly before beginning her own work.
Recognizing the need for education in the rural areas of Quebec, she founded the Sisters of Saint Anne (Soeurs de Sainte-Anne) in 1850, at Vaudreuil, Quebec. The congregation was dedicated to the education of rural children. She served as its first Superior General.
However, she soon faced opposition from the congregation's chaplain, Father Louis-Marie Gastineau, who effectively stripped her of authority and demoted her to an ordinary position. She endured nearly four decades of marginalization and suffering within the congregation she had founded, bearing it with patience and without bitterness.
She died January 2, 1890, at Saint-Jacques, Quebec.
She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 29, 2001. Her feast day is January 2.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Terrebonne, Quebec, Canada
Death location: Saint-Jacques-de-la-Motte, Quebec, Canada
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Feast day
January 2
Veneration
Blessed Esther Blondin (1809–1890) was a Canadian Catholic sister who founded the Sisters of Saint Anne in 1850 to educate rural Quebec children, then suffered nearly four decades of unjust marginalization within her own congregation, which she bore with patience; beatified John Paul II on April 29, 2001. Feast January 2.
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