Servant of God Bernarda Morin

Bernarda Morin (born Venerance Morin Rouleau; 1832–1929) was a Canadian Catholic religious sister who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Providence in Chile, an autonomous congregation of the Sisters of Providence (Montreal). She was born on December 29, 1832, in Saint-Henri-de-Lévis, a rural village of Québec, Canada, and baptised Venerance Morin Rouleau. She entered the novitiate of the order of the formerly called Sisters of Charity of Providence on May 11, 1850, in Montreal, Canada. Six months afterwards, on November 21, she took the habit. On August 22, 1852, she pronounced her permanent vows. From then, she was known as Sister Bernarda. In October 1852, with 4 other sisters, she is designated to go to Oregon to found an establishment of Providence. Once in Oregon City, they found out that the situation was not favourable to the practice of the Community works. They decided, as a faster way to communicate with their Superiors in Montreal, to sail from San Francisco on March 30, 1853, in a Chilean vessel. After an agitated trip of 78 days, the "Elena" docked in Valparaiso on June 17. Practically incapable of returning to Canada because of health issues, they put themselves at the disposal of the Archbishop of Santiago, Valentín Valdivieso, who missioned them for the administration of an orphanage while expecting the approval of their Canadian Superiors. With the permission of their Superiors, the Sisters of Providence opened a novitiate in Santiago on January 3, 1857. Mother Victoire Larroque, cofounder of the Community of Montreal, served as the Superior. When Larroque died the following month, Sister Bernarda Morin became Superior of the Mother House of Santiago. The congregation received the help of the president Manuel Montt for their support to the abandoned children. On March 12, 1880, Pope Leo XIII decreed that the Chilean province be transformed into an autonomous order, with the name of Congregation of the Sisters of Providence of Chile.