Sister Fernande Dumont

Sister Fernande Dumont, s.g.m. (1922-1998) Born to farming parents in Bécancour, the young Fernande leaves school at the age of 14 to work on the family farm. After joining the Grey Nuns in 1944, she is a gardener at the  Saint-Joseph during the summer and spends the winter months spinning and weaving. Over the years, […]

Métairie Saint-Joseph, A Poultry Farm

A Poultry Farm Sisters Claire Lauzier, s.g.m. and Fernande Dumont, s.g.m., busy taking care of the turkeys, 1946. Photography: author unknown. Grey Nuns of Montréal’s Archives, Métairie Saint-Joseph (Nicolet)’s Fonds, L054-N5E Sisters Claire Lauzier, s.g.m. and Fernande Dumont, s.g.m., busy caring for the little chickens, 1946. Photography: author unknown. Grey Nuns of Montréal’s Archives, Métairie […]

Métairie Saint-Joseph, Development

Development Dévelop-pement Various modifications and improvements on the farm demonstrate its successfulness and the Nuns concern for good management practices: better lodging for the farmer and his family, the construction of an ice-house and a larger stable-barn provided with electricity, expansion of the henhouse in 1918, acquisition of 130 acres of neighboring land and outbuildings […]

Saint-Charles Farm, A Model Farm

A Model Farm The numerous buildings onsite in 1952 underline its scale: a convent for the Nuns, two stone houses, eight dwellings for employees and their families, a cattle stall, three grain silos, a pigsty, a slaughterhouse, a chicken coop, an apiary, a horse-stable, a granary, sheds, a greenhouse, a soap factory, a cannery, barns, […]

Châteauguay, The Farm and Livestock

The Farm and Livestock The Nuns at the Châteauguay farm diligently apply technical and theoretical knowledge acquired from Provincial government agronomists and the Trappist Monks of Oka. Successive directors manage the farm with the goal of continually increasing production. Although very fertile, a major challenge is that sections of arable land are prone to annual […]