The founders of the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph: the Venerable Marie de la Ferre and the Venerable Jerome Le Royer.
The Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph were founded in La Fleche, France, on May 18, 1636 by Jerome Le Royer de la Dauversiere and Marie de la Ferre.
Jerome was called by God to form a Congregation, initially known as the Daughters of St. Joseph; to establish a colony in New France on what became the Island of Montreal; and to found a hospital there.
Painting of the Venerable Jeanne Mance, founder of the Hotel-Dieu, Montreal
In 1642, after a decade of planning, Jerome Le Royer’s vision to found a colony in New France became a reality as the first group of colonists arrived at the site where the city of Montreal is today.
Among the group was Jeanne Mance, foundress of the Hotel-Dieu of Montreal and the first lay-nurse in North America.
Stained glass window depicting the arrival of Sisters Catherine Macé, Judith Moreau de Brésoles, and Marie Maillet, in Ville-Marie (Montreal), along with Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve and Abbé Guillaume Vignal on October 20th, 1659.
Sisters Catherine Macé, Judith Moreau de Brésoles, and Marie Maillet, arrived in Ville-Marie (Montreal) on October 20th, 1659.
These first RHSJs in New France took over the care of the sick at the Hotel-Dieu from Jeanne Mance, who remained the hospital’s administrator until her death.
The Hotel-Dieu Hospital in Montreal as it would have looked around the time of the founding of the Hotel Dieu in Kingston
The Hotel-Dieu and the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph grew over the course of the following 200 years, expanding along with the city of Montreal.
Eventually, the RHSJs in Montreal were in a position that they were able to expand outside of Montreal, answering the call to serve the poor, the sick, and the needy in Kingston.
