Césira Parisotto
Césira Parisotto, also known as Mère Anselme and Soeur Anselme-Marie (May 31, 1909 in Asolo – December 16, 1992)[1] was an Italian-Canadian nun known for her charitable works.
Early life
Parisotto took her religious vows as a nun in 1928. She spent six years teaching in Turin, and, in the aftermath of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War,[2] worked at a military hospital[1] in Jimma[2] during the Italian occupation. Sources differ as to her actions after the 1941 defeat of the Italian forces, with some stating that she continued at the hospital until 1943,[1] and others stating she was held in internment camps at Dire Daua and Harar.[2]
After the war, Parisotto emigrated to Canada, arriving as part of a group of ten nuns on September 18, 1949. Under her leadership, the Sisters of Charity of Sainte-Marie ("Soeurs de la Charité de Sainte-Marie") founded several schools, healthcare facilities, and retirement homes in Quebec,[3] as well as summer camps,[2] and a college in Mexico.[4]
Recognition
Parisotto was inducted into the Order of Canada in April 1992,[4] and was also a member of the National Order of Quebec, and of the Patriarchal Order of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem.[1]
In 2025, Parisotto was chosen as the namesake of one of the five new stations on the Montreal Metro's Blue Line.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d Césira Parisotto (1909 – 1992), at L'Ordre national du Québec; retrieved September 17, 2025
- ^ a b c d Mère Anselme Marie Parisotto, SCSM, at Conférence Religieuse Canadienne; retrieved September 17, 2025
- ^ Soeurs de la Charité de Sainte-Marie, at the Quebec Cultural Heritage Directory; retrieved September 17, 2025
- ^ a b Le révérend Soeur Anselme Marie Parisotto (Cesira), at the Order of Canada; retrieved September 17, 2025
- ^ Battle that led to Haiti's independence among names of new Montreal metro stations, by Maura Forrest, in The Financial Post; published September 9, 2025; retrieved September 17, 2025