Become An Associate

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Full Development of the Human Person – cultivating and respecting the talents, abilities and potential of each person, contributing to the development of all aspects of a person’s life

Education in the Faith – creating an atmosphere which invites people to live, develop and express their faith

Hospitality – being a gracious, accepting and welcoming presence for each person

Dedication to Women and Children – seeing, understanding and responding to the needs of women and children

Dedication to Justice – committing time, energy, resources to the pursuit of right relationships of equality, justice and solidarity

Service to People Who Are Poor or Marginalized – reaching out and responding to people who are impoverished, abandoned or living at the fringes of society

Commitment to Liberating Action – seeking with others the freedom needed to live life fully without oppression

Love for the Names of Jesus and Mary – embracing as guide, inspiration and strength the persons and names of Jesus and Mary

Map of Associate Regions (pdf)

Hermine Paré is considered to be the first SNJM Associate. Her short life began in Lower Canada on March 21, 1823. It was a time filled with major political conflicts involving not only the French and English-speaking populations but also the competing ideologies of Imperialist Britain versus those of the American and French Revolutions.

Rampant disease such as cholera and tuberculosis, coupled with poverty among the thousands of newly arrived immigrants, added to the challenges of her era. Indeed, Hermine’s own father suffered from ill health. Despite the care given by her and her mother, Monsieur Paré ended his own life. This had heartbreaking repercussions for Hermine.

Hermine had developed a deep commitment to prayer, ministering to the sick and manual labor which eventually led to her discerning a call to become a religious. She approached the Sisters of Notre Dame regarding a religious vocation but was denied because of the circumstance of her father’s death. Her request to the Grey Nuns garnered a similar response. At a later date, upon hearing of that congregation’s being sent to the Red River settlement, Hermine applied once more and once again was refused.

Eventually the Bruneau family of Ste. Hyacinthe asked her to consider becoming a tutor and companion for their daughter, even though she was older than Hermine. Hermine accepted and soon was introduced to Eulalie Durocher (later Blessed Marie-Rose) and the beginnings of the SNJM Congregation. Blessed Marie-Rose impressed Hermine with her gentleness and concern for the families of Ste. Hyacinthe. So determined was Hermine to become a Sister that once again she made her request to the newly formed SNJM Congregation. Once again she was denied, her father’s death being cited as sufficient reason for refusal.

Blessed Marie-Rose encouraged Hermine to stay in Ste. Hyacinthe and welcomed her to teach and minister along with the Sisters. Hermine stayed and, in a de facto sense, became our community’s first SNJM Associate. She continued in this capacity until 1846 when she became gravely ill. Finally, on her death bed, Hermine was able to realize her deep desire and was accepted officially by the other Sisters as a Sister of the Holy Names. The era in which Hermine lived was one filled with a multitude of hardships, but she approached each day with faith, courage, and perseverance.

–Norma Steven, SNJM Associate, Manitoba Province