this blog - Diocese of Victoria

Diocese of Victoria
Bishop Gary Gordon
Communio
Volume 3 / Issue 07 / February 15, 2016
Sisters of Saint Ann gift to Saint Mark’s College
It was a privilege to be present at the
February 5, 2016, launch of the Marie Anne Blondin
Chair in Theology at Saint Mark’s College at the
University of British Columbia.
The Sisters of Saint Ann have donated
$3 million to establish this Chair. This endowment
represents the largest in the College’s history, and
also one of the largest gifts received by a Catholic
theological college in British Columbia.
The Sisters of Saint Ann is a congregation
of women religious founded in Vaudreuil, Quebec,
in 1850. The Endowed Chair memorializes the
Congregation’s founder, Marie Esther Blondin, now
Blessed Marie Anne Blondin.
On June 5, 1858, four Sisters of Saint Ann and
a laywoman arrived in Victoria to begin educating
children of the colony. Their arrival coincided
with the Fraser River Gold Rush, necessitating a
response to ever-changing
needs, including care of the
sick and dying.
In her remarks, Sr.
Marie Zarowny, Province
Leader of the Sisters in
Western Canada, noted how
important it is to have lay
people in leadership who
are well trained in Catholic
theology. Saint Mark’s College, Blessed Marie Ann
through its distance education Blondin
program, will be able to provide such training to
the peripheries in British Columbia.
Our history is rich with the blessings of the
Sisters of Saint Ann, and with this gift, our future is
bright with hope.
Learn more about the Sisters of Saint Ann at www.ssacong.org/eng.
Click here to learn more about Blessed Marie Ann Blondin.
Members of the Sisters of Saint Ann, Saint Mark’s College, and guests at the February 5, 2016, endowment
launch event for the Marie Anne Blondin Chair in Theology. Photo courtesty Saint Mark’s College