Sister Claudette Chénier: a Tribute to One Great Providence Woman
Versatile, very well organized, after leaving the General Administration, Sister Claudette held various positions, such as community coordinator, volunteer with the sick, presence with incarcerated women, local secretary and finally linguistic editor for the needs of the Communications Office of the Providence International Centre.
1942 – 2025
Yes, all Providence women are exceptional, that is an indisputable fact, because their sense of self-sacrifice is always alert. However, Sister Claudette Chénier – or sister Claude-René, using her religious name — excelled in several fields. Born in Ville Saint-Pierre, on the Island of Montreal, on June 25, 1942, she was the oldest of a family of 3 children. While she was preparing for her degree in nursing at the Nursing School of the Hôpital général du Christ-Roi (now the Verdun Hospital) in Montreal in 1962, sister Claudette met the Sisters of Providence, and soon joined the community in 1963, pronouncing her perpetual vows in 1971. In the meantime, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the Université de Montreal in 1969. Yet, as early as 1966, she was already working as a nurse at Sacred Heart Hospital in Montreal. Attentive and meticulous, Sister Claudette was always aware of new scientific discoveries to better help her patients. She served in various Providence charities with the sick and was appointed care manager and then care director in more than one Providence hospital.
It was in 1982 that she began to work as secretary on various boards of directors, in the General Business Office and then in the General Administration, becoming provincial councillor-secretary of the former Elisabeth Province in 2002, and in the same year, she was elected General Councillor-secretary, a position she held for two consecutive terms, i.e. 10 years. During this period, Sister Claudette succeeded in implementing several methods aimed at improving the efficiency of those working in the General Administration and at the same time facilitating the work of the people assigned to the various provincial secretariats. Frank, straightforward, but also fair and with a big heart, Sister Claudette spoke, wrote and interpreted the 3 official languages of the Congregation. She knew every detail of the tasks to be done and, if needed, she could do them all by herself. A proud worker, she was familiar with the functions and potential of the software used to carry out the different secretarial tasks. She liked to say that “Providence rises before us” and that “There is no coincidence, there is only Providence.” She loved her work very much and did it to perfection. As a result, she expected nothing less from her employees. However, she was understanding and benevolent towards the disadvantaged and the suffering. Versatile, very well organized, after leaving the General Administration, Sister Claudette held various positions, such as community coordinator, volunteer with the sick, presence with incarcerated women, local secretary and finally linguistic editor for the needs of the Communications Office of the Providence International Centre, for more than 4 years, a position in which she earned for herself the kind and much appreciated nickname of “Eagle eye”! It was in 2021 that she joined the Providence Pavilion where she enjoyed receiving visits from her companions and former co-workers. She left this world for her eternal rest on February 10, 2025. Let us thank Providence for the gift of Sister Claudette’s life and for all the good she has done for the Providence family.
Providence International Centre Communications Office