Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart, born Esther Pariseau in 1823 in Quebec, entered the convent of the newly founded Sisters of Charity in Montreal at age twenty. In 1856, she led a group of members from her congregation to the Pacific Northwest to establish schools and healthcare to the settlers flocking to that new and remote part of the country. During the 46 years from the time she arrived in Vancouver, Washington, until she passed away in 1901 she had been instrumental in establishing 29 health care institutions, schools and orphanages in the Pacific Northwest. Though most of the original structures no longer exist, most of the institutions which she founded are still in existence, continuing the work that she envisioned more than a century ago.
Her influence and her presence was noted in 16 places in Washington, four places in Montana, two places in Oregon, one place in Idaho and two buildings in British Columbia. She was known as a stickler for detail. For example, during the construction of Scared Heart Hospital in Spokane, Mother Joseph, then 63 years old, lived with another sister "in a rough shack next to the construction site so she could oversee the work," even climbing ladders to inspect rafters and bouncing on planks to test their support.
She was known for successfully raising $2000 to $5000 when she went fund-raising to the mining camps whereas in the ordinary small town she could collect perhaps $18 to $20. She surely was a mover and a shaker.
Did you know there is a statue of Mother Joseph in the Washington, D.C. capitol?
