Henriette Céré

Henriette Céré (Sister Marie Madeleine)
1804-1885

Henriette Céré was born in Longueuil in 1804 to François-Xavier Céré and Ursule Brun whose ancestor had survived the deportation of the Acadians. She was the third in a family of 17 children. Mr. Jean-Marie Cherrier, a future lawyer, provided her basic education. She then attended the convent of the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame in Boucherville.

At the age of 19, she was admitted to the Congregation of the Sisters at Hotel Dieu Hospital . When she caught typhoid fever, she had to return home. At 22 years of age, she was the appointed teacher of all the children on “Rang de la Savane” (country road). She asked her father to build a little school on the family property. Her renown reached the village of Longueuil, where the pastor, Father Manseau invited her to teach at the parish school where she was very successful.

She had always dreamed of becoming a religious. On October 28, 1843, she welcomed into her school two companions: Eulalie Durocher and Mélodie Dufresne. This would be the beginning of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary.

Mistress of the boarding school, Henriette took care of the older girls and had the responsibility of a class of day pupils. Although she was a severe disciplinarian, she respected the children. Drawing on her talent for story-telling, she always knew how to amuse and interest them creatively. She was a marvellous reading teacher. Every day, she taught reading to the professed sisters and the novices. She was partial to the poor, the orphans, the sick, and the underprivileged who lacked either money or intelligence. The vast experience of this woman, so concerned about the scholastic success and moral formation of her pupils, reassured the parents.

On August 17, 1848 with three companions, she participated in the foundation of Saint-Timothée. She organized the house and classes, and took care of embellishing the large convent grounds. She also contributed to the expansion of the convents of Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan and Verchères.

Sister Marie Madeleine (her religious name) suffered grievously at the time of Mother Marie Rose’s premature death in 1849. She venerated her and considered her to be a saint. In 1881, she would know the pain of seeing the death of her other companion of the first days, Sister Marie Agnes, (Mélodie Dufresne).

Periodically, she was afflicted with inflammatory rheumatism. When she retired in Longueuil, she rendered various service. She liked to talk about her past, the pranks of her youth, the beginnings of the community. The sisters showed consideration for her. She died on January 9, 1885, at the age of 80.

On Chambly Street in Saint Hubert, the Henriette Céré Nursing Home, a residence for the elderly, commemorates this compassionate woman. The geographical area corresponds approximately to the “Rang de la Savane” where she once taught.