Reverend Modeste Demers

Bishop Demers was clear that the mission in Victoria involved the education of the young people in the area, and the care of the sick. These goals were met by the Sisters who, through training and experience became nurses and teachers, and often acted as both. These ideals were part of the calling of Esther Blondin, the reasons she felt the need to dedicate herself to a religious life. Her quiet, often inconspicuous presence in the Convent was surpassed by her drive to educate the poor and heal the ill. She kept in mind her goals despite the struggles and oppositions her determination entaled.

Mother Mary Ann was considered such an exemplary figure, that she is currently undergoing the process required for canonization, so that she may obtain sainthood within the Catholic Church. The steps in this process span years. Mother Marie Anne Blondin was declared "Venerable", sacred by reason of her religious life and heroic virtues, on May 14, 1991. On June 28, 1999, Pope John Paul II signed the declaration approving the "Beatification", the blessedness, of Venerable Marie Anne Blondin. That ceremony by which she will move from being Venerable to Blessed has not yet happened, but is eagerly awaited by the Sisters of Saint Ann.

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