Sister Jeanne C. (Sr. Marie-Lucienne) Bouchard

Born in South Attleboro, MA, Sr. Jeanne was the daughter of the late Arthur and Blanche (Gagnon) Bouchard. She was the 8th of nine children, five girls and four boys.  Her family was very devoted to their Catholic faith and attended Our Lady of Consolation Church in Pawtucket RI.  The children went to the parish school with the Sisters of St. Chretienne as their teachers.  From a very young age, Jeanne loved to learn, and after school would ‘teach’ the lessons to her younger sister Claire.

At 13, drawn by a desire to serve the Lord and become a nun, Jeanne went to Salem to the Juniorate at St. Chretienne Academy.  She left for the Novitiate in Giffard, Quebec and pronounced her first vows on August 15, 1950.  After a year of normal school, she began her teaching mission.  This would encompass 60+ years in Grades 6,7 and 8 at the Academy in Salem and in parish schools in Rumford, ME, Pawtucket, RI and Attleboro, MA. From 1971 to 1997, she was the 8th grade teacher at Our Lady of Consolation, her alma mater.  Sr. Jeanne was totally devoted to her students and was noted for her precision in her lessons and her strict expectations of her students.

Sr. Jeanne was always very close to her family, and enjoyed her vacations visiting Claire with her brother, Father Lucien.  She had supported him in ardent prayer during his many years as an Oblate missionary priest in Borneo and later in Laos.  His devotion to God’s people led him into dangerous situations, and he suffered from malaria.  Yet the family knew God was his strength and his joy.  Jeanne would glow when she talked of his missionary experiences.

In 2011, Sr. Jeanne moved to our retirement residence in Marlboro.  This was not easy for her as she had loved living in a parish setting.  She had always been very private, and now she spent most of her time in her room reading and praying.  She faithfully joined her Sisters at Mass each morning, and would make the Way of the Cross after lunch.  Even when she could no longer read, her rosary was constantly in her hands.

In recent years, with her memory failing, she needed care at Bethany Health Center in Framingham with the Sisters of St. Joseph.  Fr. Lucien, would visit her regularly, and was able to be with her just before her death on January 29th.  As her hold on this life weakened, we know that the Lord welcomed Jeanne into the joy of His Kingdom:  “Come, blessed of my Father!’  If simply giving a glass of water to one of the Lord’s least ones will be richly rewarded, what must be the eternal reward for Jeanne’s lifelong dedication to God’s children?  Jeanne was a faithful daughter of Madame de Mejanes, who founded our congregation, and now we can pray to Jeanne to watch over her Sisters, but especially this new generation of children who are being taught by our Sisters of St. Chretienne in Africa.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, February 9, 2022, at 10:30 AM at the Sisters' residence, Alliance Health at Marie Esther, 720 Boston Post Road East, Marlborough, MA. Visitation will be held from 9:30-10:15 prior to the funeral Mass. A service will be held on Thursday, February 10,2022, at 10:00 AM at the Notre Dame Cemetery Chapel, 359 Daggett Avenue, Pawtucket, RI 02861.

The Sisters wish to thank our nurses from our former residence at 197 Pleasant Street in Marlboro and the nursing staff at Bethany Health Center who cared for Jeanne with compassion during the years of her illness.

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