Special Profile

Sister Veronique Belcourt

"It’s what you are today, what you want to be;
not who you were yesterday or last year".

This is the motto that guides the actions of Sister Véronique, who took time out of her busy schedule at St. Joe’s Women’s Centre on a bright but windy spring day for this interview, one to be included on the Centre’s new, world wide web site.

Before she talked about her work at the Centre, Sister Véronique questioned the interviewers - why were they here, and what did they hope to gain by putting information about her on this web site? The way she asked question implied that her contribution was not of a significance that warranted this attention. But as you’ll understand by reading further, she is worth this attention - and much more.

Sister Véronique has volunteered at St. Joe’s Women’s Centre, located in the lower level of St. Joseph’s Parish at 151 Laurier Ave. East, since October , 1994, the same year she celebrated the golden jubilee of the taking of her vows with the Sisters of Charity Order. Her superiors sent her here as they felt her previous assignment, managing the Marguerite Centre for Teenage Mothers in Plantagenet, was too much for her, and that her health may suffer as a result.

Three days a week for the past five years, Sister Véronique has worked in the kitchen of St. Joe’s, preparing desserts. Her speciality, according to staff and clients, is pumpkin pie.

Baking pumpkin pie is just one accomplishment in a life with many highlights. The oldest of nine children from the Georgian Bay area, Sister Véronique entered the convent at the age of eighteen. In those days, religious life was one of many options available to young ladies. That year, 1942, there were 54 other young women who joined the same order. Two generations later, career options for women have changed, and this past year, there were only two new women in all of Canada who joined the order. Why did she join? Sister says she just always knew that she would be destined for a life of serving others - it was never a conscious decision, just a feeling she had always possessed.

"My community is dedicated to the poor", she replies when asked about her order. The Sisters of Charity (sometimes referred to as the Grey Nuns) was founded in Montreal by Ste. Marguerite Youville in 1739. "I think the date was December 31st, 1739, but I can’t be positive about that", Sister says. "But this date I am sure of: on February 20, 1845, the Sisters of Charity came to Ottawa and began working with the poor under the direction of Elizabeth Bruyere."

Sister Véronique trained at the old General Hospital in Ottawa in records administration, working her way up to department head of Records Administration at St. Vincent Hospital. She has also been a teacher at the elementary, high school and college level, in Montreal, northern Alberta, and Algonquin College. She spent thirteen years as a volunteer at the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Detention Centre, befriending women who ran afoul with the law.

She recalls people, events and dates with the accuracy and preciseness one would expect of a former school teacher. Sister speaks fondly of women she has known through her work, and wonders what ever became of some of them. "I lost touch with her. I wish I hadn’t", she laments, recalling a women she shared with who was imprisoned awaiting trial on a charge of murder.

In early 1985, Sister Véronique, off regular working hours, was busy visiting the homes of the disadvantaged, cooking and cleaning, with another nun who was a nurse, when her superiors advised her they had received a request from the Plantagenet area to start a home for single mothers. Sister Véronique had stated many times that this service was needed in the area, but never dreamed she would be tasked with setting it up herself. "We worked for a whole year, full time, getting ready and setting up, before we opened on February 13, 1986". This centre is still in operation today. One week later, on February 20, Sister celebrated her last day as a volunteer at the Detention Centre.

When asked how long she will continue this work, Sister Véronique states that as long as her health is OK, she will work. What does she like best? "I really like to help people, and it’s required". Sister cannot foresee a day when centres like St. Joe’s are no longer required - "Maybe in eternity. in a way, it’s good to have poor people. It gives us an occasion to do something to help others. If everybody had as much as I did, we might not be so willing to help them".

And help she does! When she came to St. Joe’s, she was not sure what her role would be. Then she discovered some baking ingredients not being used, because nobody had time to prepare desserts. Now Sister Véronique is in charge of desserts, and tries to make do with what the Centre has, preferring to rely on donated food items as opposed to buying them, as money in the Centre is tight. She likes to bake pies because she knows they are a special treat for many of the women who visit the Centre. Sister Véronique also spends a lot of time sewing for the annual St. Joe's Women's Centre craft sale along with Quality of Life Award fundraising event. Her contribution to our fundraising endeavours helped us rais thousands of dollars.

Sister feels that the Centre’s most valuable function is that the door is always open, and women are always welcome. She also takes pride in the fact that the Centre can provide a decent meal to the clients every day. On her wish list for the Centre, Sister dreams of extra space for the kitchen, and for storage, at the least.

And so, in her understated and giving manner, Sister continues her life-long dedication to helping others. She does not judge the actions of others: It’s what you are today, what you want to be; not who you were yesterday or last year.

Words to live by.