Sister Rose-Aimée Gamache

Sister Rose-Aimée Gamache, s.g.m. (1877-1957) Coming from a farming family in Témiscouata, Rose-Aimée Gamache is originally a teacher in the Rivière-du-Loup region where she is inspired to create school gardens. Entering the Grey Nuns in 1920 at the late age of forty-two, she obtains the following year a diploma in agriculture from the École Supérieure […]

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, […]

Saint-Charles Farm, Animals, Women and Men

Animals… An impressive number of livestock is raised on the farm. In 1946, there are 150 Holstein cows including 90 dairy cows, 300 Yorkshire pigs, 3,000 chickens, 1800 hens and 60 draft horses. Sister feeding hens, 1945. Photography: author unknown. Grey Nuns of Montréal’s Archives, Saint-Charles Farm (Montréal, Côte-de-Liesse)’s Fonds, L071-F Hen, undated. Photography: author […]

Châteauguay, Women and Men

Women and Men The continual development of the farm is only possible thanks to the hard work of the Nuns and hired farmhands, who all live onsite. A house is built to lodge the farmer and his family: the Vallée and Chagnon families were employed for generations. Among the noteworthy Nuns who worked there are […]