Timeline
Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher
Founder of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary
The Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary owes its existence to Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher, a woman of extraordinary faith and courage who sought God in all things. Open to the Spirit and conscious of the needs of the Church and of the society of her time, she founded the Congregation for an apostolic mission of education. Her deep love of Jesus and Mary led her to promote education in the faith, with a special concern for the poor and disadvantaged.
After only six years as Superior and Founder, Blessed Mother Marie-Rose Durocher died on her birthday, October 6, 1849, at age 38. In recognition of her many accomplishments during her short life, Pope John Paul II beatified her as a woman for all times on May 23, 1982.
Ten years after the death of Mother Marie-Rose, the Sisters' 1859 voyage from Canada to the Pacific Northwest was the beginning of a global expansion. Today, 1,200 Sisters and 600 Associates minister worldwide. Some 600 Sisters and 400 Associates live and work in the U.S.-Ontario Province, which encompasses the United States and Ontario, Canada.
