Délia Tétreault

On June 3, 1902, Délia Tétreault laid the foundations of her great work by opening an "Apostolic School" in a modest dwelling in Côte-des-Neiges, Montreal, with the help of two companions, Ida Lafricain and Joséphine Montmarquet. The purpose of this school was to train young women wishing to dedicate themselves to foreign missions.

In 1904, during an audience in Rome, the Archbishop of Montreal, Mgr Paul Bruchési, presented this nascent work to Pope Pius X. The Sovereign Pontiff warmly encouraged the initiative by declaring: "Found, found, Monsignor! All the blessings of heaven will descend upon this Institute to which you will give the name Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception." Thus was born the first Canadian religious congregation entirely devoted to foreign missions (ad extra).

On August 8, 1905, Délia pronounced her perpetual vows and took the name Sister Marie du Saint-Esprit. In 1909, the first missionary dispatch materialized with the departure of six nuns for Canton, China, to care for lepers and open schools. Under the impetus of the foundress, the congregation developed rapidly and opened numerous missions in Asia (Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong) and in Canada.

Délia Tétreault did not limit her action to her own congregation. She actively collaborated in the foundation of a seminary for missionary priests in Canada. Thanks to her efforts with the Canadian bishops, the Foreign Missions Society of Quebec was officially founded on February 2, 1921.

To support the missions financially and spiritually, she used significant means of communication. In 1920, she launched the missionary magazine Le Précurseur. Furthermore, in 1917, Mgr Bruchési entrusted her with the relaunch of the Holy Childhood work in Montreal (known today as Mond'Ami), aimed at raising awareness of the missionary cause among school-age children. She also set up aid works for Chinese immigrants in Canada, notably in Montreal and Vancouver.

In 1933, Délia Tétreault suffered a cerebral congestion that left her paralyzed. Despite the illness and suffering, she remained fully lucid and continued to spiritually guide her community through prayer and thanksgiving. She passed away on October 1, 1941, in Montreal, at the age of 76.

Upon her death, the popular fervor was immense. Her body was laid in state for four days at the congregation's motherhouse, where nearly a thousand people came to pay their respects. The newspapers of the time headlined: "A saint has just died." Her cause for beatification was officially opened in 1958 in the Archdiocese of Montreal.

The diocesan process on the heroic nature of her virtues took place between 1985 and 1987. After the examination of the Positio by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues on December 18, 1997, thus conferring upon her the title of Venerable. Her cause is currently underway, awaiting the recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession to pave the way for her beatification.

The spirituality of Délia Tétreault is deeply rooted in thanksgiving (the Magnificat) and abandonment to the Holy Spirit, under the patronage of the Virgin Mary. She conceived of mission not as a simple activity, but as an overflow of the love of God received in prayer.

Her legacy continues today through the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (M.I.C.), a congregation that has become international and intercultural, present in many countries around the world. The Délia-Tétreault Museum, located in Laval (Quebec), traces her life, her work, and the history of the missions she inspired.