Sisters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary celebrate 125 years of service in Maine

The Sisters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary commemorated the 125th anniversary of their arrival in Maine with a Mass celebrated on Saturday, August 17, by Bishop James Ruggieri at St. Margaret Church in Old Orchard Beach.

Joining the sisters for the celebration were Bishop Emeritus Robert Deeley, several priests with whom the sisters have served, sisters from congregations across Maine, and members of the Sisters of Our Lady of Holy Rosary from their motherhouse in Quebec and from as far away as Honduras.

“It was a real gift from God. It was a real grace. It was just so beautiful to have some of our Honduran sisters because I’ve gone to Honduras four times and have gotten to know them,” said Sister Maureen Bellerose, RSR. “We’ve really built up a very close relationship with one another and supporting one another, so it meant every to me to have them here. Then I spent seven years at our motherhouse on our general administrative team, so I got very close to our Canadian sisters. My heart is with all of them.”

During the Mass, Sister Carole Jean Lappa, RSR shared some of the history of the congregation, which was founded by Blessed Elisabeth Turgeon in Rimouski, Quebec, in 1875.

“As an educator, Elisabeth was asked to prepare teachers and to instruct the children. With 13 sisters having taken vows, the Sisters of Little Schools was established. Elisabeth sent the first missionaries out to small rural villages in the large Diocese of Rimouski,” Sister Carole Jean told those gathered.

Blessed Elisabeth entrusted the community to the Blessed Mother, and in 1891, it was given the canonical name of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.

In 1899, responding to a request from the people of Frenchville, the sisters crossed the border into Maine to teach children here. Through the years, the sisters’ service then spread southward.

“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. Msgr. Stefanko, currently the vicar for retired priests, who worked with the sisters when he served in northern Maine, including working to convert their former convent into the Christian Life Center.

“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,” Bishop Ruggieri said. “Thank you for your legacy but also for the seeds of the future that you are still planting, your community is still planting.”

The sisters continue to be active in Maine, serving members of the Hispanic community, many of whom attended the anniversary Mass. Also in attendance were lay associates, who embrace the charism of the sisters.

During the Mass, symbols of the congregation were carried up the center aisle, presented to the bishop, and then placed at the foot of the altar. They included a picture of Elisabeth Turgeon, which was presented by Denise Turgeon Lawsure, who is related to the foundress; Rosary beads, which were part of the sisters’ original habit; a light symbolizing the presence of God and the charism of Blessed Elisabeth; and a plant, reflecting the rootedness of the sisters in the history of Maine and the country.