Sisters of
        Saint Ann
                Associates

In 1858, when the first four Sisters travelled from Quebec to British Columbia, a lay woman, Marie Mainville, accompanied them. She is always associated with the pioneer efforts of these women religious, laying the foundations for education and health care in the Canadian West.

Since that time, lay people, working side by side with the Sisters, have always played an important role in the life of the Congregation. 

But it was only at the General Chapter of 1986, that the Congregation approved an Associate Program. Each Province organized how this would be carried out. In Saint Joseph’s Province in the West, the Associates form a gathering of women, men and children who wish to grow in faith, mature in friendship, serve in ministry and share in the charism of Venerable Marie Anne Blondin. 

The Associates live in different regions and are divided into groups or “clusters,” named for rainbow colours. As much as possible, they meet on a regular basis to share, study and support one another. They also gather annually in Victoria for growth in faith and a missioning ceremony. 

A favourite symbol of Venerable Marie Anne Blondin was the tree. She wrote: The deeper a tree sinks its roots into the soil, the greater its chances are of growing, branching out and producing fruit. The logo of the Associates is a tree (representing the Congregation) and an off-shoot from the roots (representing the Associates). These “rooted” Associates are found in B.C., Quebec, the U.S., Haiti, Africa and Chile.

Today, many Associates have come to know the life of Venerable Marie Anne Blondin and share in the spirituality and passionate vision of the Sisters.