The first statue of Saint Joseph of the Sisters of Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire (Rimouski)

In 2024, we celebrate the 400th anniversary of Canada’s dedication to Saint Joseph. Many religious institutes and congregations in Quebec have a deep affection for him, often tracing it back to the very beginnings of their existence. We have invited them to share with us the role that Saint Joseph plays in their history.

On Sunday, October 12, 1879, Monsignor Edmond Langevin, the vicar general, blessed the statues of the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph in the community chapel. These two statues were a gift from a citizen of Rimouski, Aquilas Bégin, brother of Cardinal Louis-Nazaire Bégin, Archbishop of Quebec, and Désiré Bégin of Rimouski, a farmer, notary, and school inspector.

In the congregation’s chronicle, there are frequent mentions of prayers celebrated before this statue, including the “Seven Sorrows and Seven Joys of Saint Joseph,” recited on Wednesdays, when the mysteries of Jesus’ hidden life are remembered.

In the winter of 1903, a postulant, tasked with cleaning the chapel, accidentally knocked over the statue of Saint Joseph, shattering it into a thousand pieces. The sacristan collected the fragments in a bucket and took them to the laundry room to be discarded. The statue was deeply missed; it was so beautiful and represented the image of a great benefactor of the Institute. So much so that no one dared lay a fratricidal hand on the remains, which lay there for three days. Finally, Sister Marie de Sainte-Jeanne-de-Chantal (Amélie Plamondon) went to the laundry room, looked at the pieces, picked them up one by one, examined them, and gathered the crumbs. The head, separated from the body, was intact. She repaired everything, recreating the feet, hands, arms, and shoulders. After a thousand and one precautions, she stood the statue upright: it was painted and installed in the chapel on Easter Day. To be honest, it still bore many scars on the neck, back, and shoulders, but the most obvious ones had been skillfully concealed.

In 1907, during the move to the new convent, the statue of Saint Joseph left the old church of Rimouski for the motherhouse, where it can still be found today. He continues to watch over us.

Even today, every evening at Vespers, we recite this prayer: Saint Joseph, our guide and our good father, help us in all our needs.

Sisters of Notre-Dame du Saint-Rosaire, Rimouski.