The Sisters of Charity (Hôtel-Dieu de Nicolet) also known as the Grey Nuns of Nicolet, were founded in 1886 by members of the Sisters of Charity of Saint-Hyacinthe, who themselves were founded by members of the original Sisters of Charity of Montreal. In 1886 Sister Aurélie Crépeau and a small contingent of Grey Nuns from Saint-Hyacinthe came to Nicolet to found the new congregation and establish a new hospital, the Hôtel Dieu de Nicolet. The Sisters’ mandate was a continuation of Grey Nuns of Montreal’s: to help the poor, the old, the infirm or disabled, orphans and women of all walks of life. In 1941, the Grey Nuns of Nicolet merged with the Grey Nuns of Montreal.
The Sisters of Charity were involved in teaching in the Residential School System in Alberta. The schools were often underfunded and overenrolled and former students have reported cultural, emotional, physical and sexual abuses. The Sisters taught at two residential schools: Sacred Heart Residential School (Peigan) in Brocket, Alberta and at St. Mary's Residential School (Blood) in Cardston, Alberta.
During the 1990s, the public became more aware of the impacts of residential schools. This led to an increase in litigation against the Government of Canada, which culminated in the creation of the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) in 2006. IRSSA outlined the process by which residential school litigation was carried out in addition to creating the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). The Sisters of Charity (Hotel-Dieu de Nicolet) were named in IRSSA.
[1800-01-01 - 2015-12-31]