Celebrating 125 years of service in the spirit of Blessed Elisabeth Turgeon

Ask a member of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary what first attracted them to the congregation, and a word that you will hear again and again is “joy.”

“I really enjoyed their way of life. They always seemed so joyful and welcoming,” says Sister Juliette Michaud, RSR, who had the sisters as teachers when she was growing up in Frenchville.

“When I think of my vocation and how that all came about, there was the tenderness and openness that I experienced when I first met the sisters and also the joy that I witnessed in them,” says Sister Ann Boyle, RSR.

“It was the joy that they had and also their commitment to the people,” says Sister Mirian Maradiaga, RSR, who was introduced to the sisters in her home country of Honduras. “They were very happy, so that caught my attention because of the joy and the closeness of them.”

The Sisters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary have been sharing that joy since the congregation was founded by Blessed Elisabeth Turgeon in Rimouski, Quebec, in 1875. She had been asked by the bishop of Rimouski to come to his diocese to train a group of women to be teachers. Four years later, she and 12 companions professed religious vows.

In 1899, responding to a request from the people of Frenchville, the sisters crossed the border into Maine to teach children here. The sisters have been serving in the Diocese of Portland ever since, an anniversary that was commemorated this August with a Mass at St. Margaret Church in Old Orchard Beach.

“What a gift for the Church in Maine! What a gift for all those whose lives you have touched over the years! What a joy and privilege it is for all of us to be with you as we gather, first of all, to thank God for your many years of faithful witness and service in many parishes from Frenchville to Kittery in this vast diocese and, secondly, to ask God for His continued blessings upon you in the years ahead,” said Msgr. Paul Stefanko, the homilist for the Mass, who once served with the sisters in northern Maine.

“One hundred twenty-five years in this beautiful diocese of Maine, 60 years in Honduras and, overall, 150. That’s a long time. That is a long time by the grace of God, and I just want to thank you,” said Bishop James Ruggieri, who celebrated the anniversary Mass. “Thank you for your legacy but also for the seeds of the future that you are still planting.”

From Frenchville, the sisters’ ministry expanded southward to other parts of the state. Sister Carole Jean Lappa, RSR, has warm memories of the sisters when they taught at St. Martin of Tours School in Millinocket. She remembers attending Mass on the Feast of St. Joseph one year and then being invited to the sisters’ convent, a visit that would contribute to her discovering her religious vocation.

“Sister Thelma [Bouchard] took us over to the chapel at the convent, and then she said, ‘If you step on a certain square, you’re going to have a religious vocation.’ I’m not naïve enough to believe that, but I guess it was the experience of going in, feeling the warmth, smelling the bread, and just the peacefulness of the chapel,” she says. “I think I was always attracted to their lifestyle.”

Sister Carole Jean entered the community after graduating from high school and professed her vows in 1965. She then returned to St. Martin of Tours School to serve as a teacher, and when the school closed, she became religious education coordinator at St. Martin of Tours Church.

“It was really wonderful,” she says. “I think the parish community really welcomed the sisters.”

Sister Juliette, who also became a teacher, says she decided to join the sisters after traveling to Rimouski to see her sister make her profession. She was living with her parents in Connecticut at the time but says when she was at the motherhouse, she felt like her feet were stuck to the floor.

“It was only when my sister came to get me that I could move my feet. And then I went to talk with the mother mistress, and I ended up staying,” she says.

Sixty-five years later, she says she is still happy.

“I have never regretted any part of it,” she says.

Her service as a sister has included teaching in Frenchville, Millinocket, and Biddeford. She taught second grade, which she says she loved.

“I enjoyed it, oh my goodness, yes. The kids, their brains were just ready to receive everything that you gave to them, and they were full of fun, and I joined in with their fun,” she says.

As a teacher, Sister Juliette says she tried to pass on Blessed Elisabeth’s love for Christ.

“I think, for me, the charism was being passionate and giving the children a good education and a love of Christ,” she says. “I’m hoping that we really gave them a sense of how God is good to us and to have respect for each other, to be caring and loving.”

Sister Ann, who professed her first vows 12 years ago, says she tries to live out the charism of Blessed Elisabeth through the retreats and spiritual direction she offers.

“I think it’s that openness to those I encounter. Also, I think it’s living in today’s reality and listening to their stories and not being judgmental,” she says. “I think, over the years, the tender and caring love of Jesus and Mary has been nourished and has grown within me, allowing me to truly share that with others.”

Sister Ann says she first met the Sisters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary while serving on a Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) team at Holy Cross Church in South Portland.

“I was talking with Carole Jean at one point, saying that I was looking for something, for a group where I could share my own faith experience, and that was when she introduced me to the lay associates in the community. That’s when my journey really began with the sisters,” she says.

Sister Ann describes being a member of the congregation as life-giving.

“I feel a peacefulness within, even with all the chaos that is going on in the world. I feel like I have been called to fullness, to become the woman that God has created me to be and continues to create. I just feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be,” she says.

The Sisters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary have served the people in Maine in many ways. Sister Thelma accompanied those suffering from AIDS at a time when there was much fear surrounding the disease. And Sister Rita-Mae Bissonnette, RSR, was the first layperson in the world to be named as a defender of the bond in a diocesan tribunal. She went on to serve as vice-chancellor, co-chancellor, and then chancellor of the Diocese of Portland.

In 2015, the Sisters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary began a new ministry in Maine, serving members of the Hispanic community. Sister Mirian and Sister Elsa Telón, RSR, are part of a Hispanic Ministry team that is working to serve the state’s growing Latino population. The sisters say they want to share the happiness they have found as members of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.

“All of the things that I saw in the sisters who helped me, I need to teach them, too. I need to be with them, to share with them,” says Sister Elsa, who is originally from Guatemala. “We have to show Jesus to them, present Jesus to them.”

In a show of appreciation for the sisters’ work, many members of the Hispanic community attended the 125th anniversary Mass, including members of the Majano family, who carried rosary beads to the front of the church during the offertory. The rosary was originally part of the sisters’ religious habit. Other gifts presented to the bishop included a picture of Blessed Elisabeth Turgeon, a light signifying the presence of God, and a plant symbolizing the rootedness of the sisters’ charism in the country’s history.

In addition to the United States, the sisters continue to serve in Canada, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, building on a legacy that won’t soon
be forgotten.

“We want to thank God and to thank you for the example you have provided and continue to provide for us,” Msgr. Stefanko said in his homily. “Know that we are grateful for the many ways in which you have borne good fruit and have given example and have witnessed to the presence of God’s life and love at work in your lives these many years.”