It is with great sadness that the Sisters of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame announce the passing of Sister Louise Côté (S. S.-Claire-des-Anges) at Résidence Bon-Secours in Montreal on May 1. At the age of 90 years and 10 months, Sister Louise Côté had more than 70 years of religious life. During this beautiful and long life for which we give thanks, Sister Louise held many positions in service of the Congregation – first as devoted teacher and later as Councillor and Bursar – before being elected Superior General from 1974 to 1984. She was also president of the Canadian Religious Conference (CRC), and Councillor and then Secretary General of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) in Rome.
During this time of confinement, the sisters of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame de Montréal in Central America have been involved in different activities. Their daily work is dedicated to education, accompaniment (psychological and spiritual), the formation of pastoral workers and catechists, accompaniment of families, alternative education projects, the teaching of preventive and alternative health strategies.
During this pandemic, the sisters of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame are also living in confinement and adapting to this new reality in a spirit of service and solidarity. We asked some of them to describe their new everyday life.
Mother House
This time of confinement is particularly intense for me for several reasons. The disruptions we are experiencing bring me back to the things that are essential: being close to God and to others. Most of my current commitments are carried out thanks to various means of communications: online teaching, accompaniment via Skype® or by phone, writing biblical commentaries in an effort to rekindle our living flame, etc. While the Mother House, where I live, is usually a place where people from everywhere meet, we are now a handful (13 sisters) who together assume a good part of the domestic tasks.