Élisabeth Bruyère Monument

Fundraising efforts were responsible yet again for another world-class development at Beechwood. This time it was through the dedicated and earnest fundraising efforts of the Bruyère Project Steering Committee that a monument was unveiled May 30, 2007 as part of the City of Ottawa’s 150th anniversary celebrations and the 160th anniversary of the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa.

In Honour of a Life Dedicated to the Welfare of Others

As the main feature in Beechwood’s Station of the Cross section of the Cemetery, this stunning monument was sculpted by Canadian artist Achim Arthur Klaas and honourably dedicated to two remarkable French Canadian women: Élisabeth Bruyère and St. Marguerite d'Youville. St. Marguerite d’Youville was the foundress of the Grey Nuns of Montréal, and was the first Canadian-born woman to be canonized. Élisabeth Bruyère was a member of the Grey Nuns and was chosen by the congregation to found the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa. Élisabeth Bruyère is also recognized in Ottawa for her pioneering work in establishing the first bilingual schools of (the then City of) Bytown, a General Hospital, an orphanage and a home for the elderly. Her work in helping the sick, the poor and immigrants in Bytown and its surrounding rural areas is well known.

In keeping with the objectives of The Beechwood Cemetery Foundation, it is hoped that the Élisabeth Bruyère / St. Marguerite d'Youville Monument will become a tool to educate school children and the public about the many benevolent contributions made by the Sisters of Charity.

Beechwood is proud to have been selected as the site for this Canadian heritage monument. The Foundation is grateful to the committee members who raised $164,000 for the monument. It is also grateful to all of the donors, particularly the Francophone community, whose generosity made this possible. It has indeed been a wonderful community effort.

The Élisabeth Bruyère Project Steering Committee

  • Denise Beauchamp – Regional President FAFO
  • Anita Bourdeau – SCO Associate
  • Gaëtanne Brochu – Financial Consultant
  • Trèva Cousineau – District 1 Administrator; Richelieu International
  • Lorraine Douglass – Nurse
  • Michèle Guay – Executive Director; FAFO
  • Barbara Lavictoire – Teacher
  • Lucie Lecomte – President; Richelieu Club Ottawa, and History Advisor
  • Michel Prévost – Chief Archivist; University of Ottawa
  • Robert Robinson – SCO Associate
  • Marie-Simone Sioufi – SCO Associate

Click here to view the Élisabeth-Bruyère / St. Marguerite d’Youville Monument website

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