United States Catholic Catechism for Adults

31 THE SEVENTH

COMMANDMENT: DO NOT STEAL— ACT JUSTLY

YOU SHALL NOT STEAL —CCC, NOS. 2401-2463

MOTHER JOSEPH: A FRONTIER NUN

Mother Joseph was born Esther Pariseau on April 16, 1823, in a farmhouse near the village of St. Elzear, Quebec. In her youth, she learned carpentry from her father, who was a carriage maker. When Esther was twenty, her father presented her to the newly formed Sisters of Providence in Montreal and told the mother superior, “Madam, I bring you my daughter Esther, who wishes to dedicate herself to religious life. She can read, write, figure accurately, sew, cook, spin and do all manner of housework. She can even do car

pentry, handling a hammer and saw as well as her father. She can also plan for others and she succeeds in anything she undertakes. I assure you, Madam, she will make a good superior someday.” This was an accurate prophecy. In 1856, Mother Joseph, as she was now called, and a small band of four sisters set out from Montreal for Fort Vancouver, Washington—a trip of six thousand miles by land and water. It was not an easy journey. Once in Vancouver, the sisters inherited an old, abandoned Hudson’s Bay company building and converted it into a con vent. Mother Joseph built the chapel and the altar with her own hands. The sisters began their works of mercy and evangelization. They visited the sick, cared for the Native Americans displaced by war, attended to orphans, and taught young people. Mother Joseph