Sister Noëlla Gautreau

Sister Marie-Noëlla Gautreau was born on December 25, 1929, in St-Jean-Baptiste parish, Lynn, MA. She was the 10th of 11 children born to Alfred Gautreau and Marie-Rose Cormier. Her father's patience, sense of humor and calm were easily recognizable in Noëlla, as were her mother's devotion, great piety and sense of justice. Little Noëlla was also influenced by her older sister Liliane, twelve years her senior, whom she considered her second mother. Noella was lucky enough to receive all her academic training at the local parish school. She remembers the sacrament of Confirmation at the age of 11 as a great spiritual experience. Noëlla had long thought about religious life in an apostolic community, and she knew the Sisters of Sainte-Anne well since two of her sisters preceded her there. However, she worked for two years at General Electric before asking to be admitted to the Lachine novitiate. She brought with her the legacy of a close-knit family, where love, security and strong spiritual values reigned. She entered the novitiate on August 7, 1950, and professed her vows under the name Sister Anne Marie de Jésus on August 6, 1952.

Apart from nine years teaching at St Thomas' School in Hudson, Sister Noëlla almost always had at least two ministries. After two years of study at Paxton and graduation with a Bachelor of Arts with a maior in Education, she was appointed superior and teacher at Holy Rosary School in Terrebonne Heights, then principal and teacher for two more years. Appointed superior of the Queen of Angels Province in 1972, She was also a student, earning a Master's degree in psychology and counseling before her term ended in 1978. After a year of study in Rome, she spent ten years as superior and teacher at Montreal's Académie Sainte-Anne, where she was even director for two years. From there she moved on to the Institut Reine-Marie de Montréal, a school run by the Sisters of Presentation of Mary, where she taught English in class and/or in private lessons. Local coordinator in the St-Eugène community, she also volunteered with Father Emmett Johns ("Father Pops*), in an organization dedicated to the well-being and education of young people, in an effort to secure a more promising future for them, an organization later known as Le Bon Dieu dans la Rue, A tireless and sought-after animator, she returned to Christophe-Colomb as leader of the two local communities there, before taking on this role at the Saiant Anne Couvent community, while continuing her volunteer work.

When the convent closed in 2010, she chose to live in Christophe-Colomb, where she happily provided a wide range of services to the community and to CASA (Centre d'alphabétisation Sainte-Anne). She taught English to some of the religious referred to her. In 2020, the sale of the Christophe-Colomb residence led her to the Motherhouse on June 15.

Her precarious health brought her to the Pavillon in December of that same year, where she continued her mission of prayer and welcoming people and events. In faith and hope, she awaited the coming of her Master. He beckoned to her on October 13, 2023. Her funeral was celebrated in the chapel of La Maison d'Esther on October 19, 2023, and her body was buried the same day in the Lachine cemetery in the section reserved for the Sisters of Saint Anne. May she rest in peace and pray for us.

"I rejoiced, alleluia, when I went to the House of the Lord". (Ps 121)