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Become An Associate

“Associate belonging is an officially recognized form of relationship with the Congregation.”

“We recognize the significance of Associate belonging.”

 

(Acts of the 31st General Chapter of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary)

Join Us
Have you been seeking a community in which to explore and live out your spirituality and relationship with the Divine?  Do you want to live in openness to the promptings of the Spirit? Are you willing to serve the needs of the Church and the society of our time? Do you desire to become more actively involved in apostolic work? The community of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) may be the place for you.

For more information

Thank you for your interest in learning about Associates of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary.  If you would like to learn more or feel you may have a call to become an SNJM Associate, please complete the information in the link below.

Become an Associate – contact form

Who are SNJM Associates?

We are women and men who come from all walks of life, who live out our baptismal commitment every day, and who are committed to a life grounded in living out our core values through ministries of presence, hospitality, justice and love. We are individuals called to share our faith and grow spiritually with the Sisters. We are responding to a call to focus our energies on the poor and disadvantaged, and to share in the legacy of the SNJM ministries and charism of Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher. She cared deeply for the poor and felt that the greatest poverty was ignorance, especially a lack of knowing one’s God.

Video: Fire Upon The Earth - The Legacy of the Sisters of the Holy Names
SNJM Core Values

Full Development of the Human Person – cultivating and respecting the talents, abilities and potential of each person, contributing to the development of all aspects of a person’s life

Education in the Faith – creating an atmosphere which invites people to live, develop and express their faith

Hospitality – being a gracious, accepting and welcoming presence for each person

Dedication to Women and Children – seeing, understanding and responding to the needs of women and children

Dedication to Justice – committing time, energy, resources to the pursuit of right relationships of equality, justice and solidarity

Service to People Who Are Poor or Marginalized – reaching out and responding to people who are impoverished, abandoned or living at the fringes of society

Commitment to Liberating Action – seeking with others the freedom needed to live life fully without oppression

Love for the Names of Jesus and Mary – embracing as guide, inspiration and strength the persons and names of Jesus and Mary

Map of Associate Regions
History-The First SNJM Associate

Hermine Paré is considered to be the first SNJM Associate. Her short life began in Lower Canada on March 21, 1823. It was a time filled with major political conflicts involving not only the French and English-speaking populations but also the competing ideologies of Imperialist Britain versus those of the American and French Revolutions.

Rampant disease such as cholera and tuberculosis, coupled with poverty among the thousands of newly arrived immigrants, added to the challenges of her era. Indeed, Hermine’s own father suffered from ill health. Despite the care given by her and her mother, Monsieur Paré ended his own life. This had heartbreaking repercussions for Hermine.

Hermine had developed a deep commitment to prayer, ministering to the sick and manual labor which eventually led to her discerning a call to become a religious. She approached the Sisters of Notre Dame regarding a religious vocation but was denied because of the circumstance of her father’s death. Her request to the Grey Nuns garnered a similar response. At a later date, upon hearing of that congregation’s being sent to the Red River settlement, Hermine applied once more and once again was refused.

Eventually the Bruneau family of Ste. Hyacinthe asked her to consider becoming a tutor and companion for their daughter, even though she was older than Hermine. Hermine accepted and soon was introduced to Eulalie Durocher (later Blessed Marie-Rose) and the beginnings of the SNJM Congregation. Blessed Marie-Rose impressed Hermine with her gentleness and concern for the families of Ste. Hyacinthe. So determined was Hermine to become a Sister that once again she made her request to the newly formed SNJM Congregation. Once again she was denied, her father’s death being cited as sufficient reason for refusal.

Blessed Marie-Rose encouraged Hermine to stay in Ste. Hyacinthe and welcomed her to teach and minister along with the Sisters. Hermine stayed and, in a de facto sense, became our community’s first SNJM Associate. She continued in this capacity until 1846 when she became gravely ill. Finally, on her death bed, Hermine was able to realize her deep desire and was accepted officially by the other Sisters as a Sister of the Holy Names. The era in which Hermine lived was one filled with a multitude of hardships, but she approached each day with faith, courage, and perseverance.

–Norma Steven, SNJM Associate, Manitoba Province

 

Associate Testimony

“When Sister Carol approached me last year and asked me to consider becoming an Associate of the Sisters of the Holy Names I was immediately intrigued at the thought of being in an even deeper relationship with this Congregation. Over the past year I have learned so much more about the SNJM Sisters and Associates and their charism or the Spirit that makes them who and Whose they are. In addition to their dedication to education, they are committed to social justice and have made corporate stands on issues like immigration, human trafficking and sustainability.

Why do I wish to become an SNJM Associate?  Because I wish to continue to grow spiritually in my relationship with God and to continue this journey with the guidance and support of the SNJM Community.”

Carrie McClish, Associate

Associate Commitment Address - Oct. 22, 2017