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VIGNETTES
'A PLOT IN THE PLAN OF PROVIDENCE'
(April 18th, 2009 marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of Marie-Esther Blondin,
Mother Marie-Anne, foundress of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Ann)
Two hundred years have passed since the birth of the Foundress of the Sisters of St. Ann, and 151 years since the spirit of Marie-Anne Blondin arrived on Vancouver Island.
Father Jean Paul Regimbal, O.SS.T, in a 1976 address to the Sisters at their Motherhouse in Lachine, referred to their Foundress as the animation of "a plot in the plan of providence", noting that her love and fidelity inspired a legacy in women, enabling them to be able to see, clearly, the drama of life unfolding around them, inside of and outside of the convent walls.
Mother Marie-Anne's early insistence upon the importance of education for all children, regardless of gender, age, race, colour or creed is testament to her prophetic ability, and the acuteness of her instinct. Had she not stood firm against the powers in the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic church of the time, and pressed her vision for education, the circumstances of many Canadian youngsters would have been radically different, as would much of the history of British Columbia.
In the Pacific Northwest, the vision of Mother Foundress was further animated in healthcare and healthcare education, as evidenced in the hospitals, clinics, nursing and other medical training schools throughout British Columbia, the Yukon, and the State of Alaska.
Of enduring significance in this region of Western Canada, is the role of the 'daughters of Mother Marie Anne', who, upon their arrival in Victoria in 1858, set out to be so much more than 'helpmates to men'. Indeed for 151 years, the Sisters of St. Ann have lovingly and selflessly presented the spirit of Mother Marie-Anne to the people of this region, in gifts as gracious and vital as education, healthcare, and social justice.
Father Regimbal summarized his view of Mother Marie Anne by noting that she had a "soul for love alone", an inheritance still at work today throughout the world where the Sisters of St. Ann continue to serve.
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