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| Our History | ||||
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YOUVILLE RESIDENCE + the Grey Sisters Marguerite Youville, founder of the Grey Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, was born in 1701 in the Quebec village of Varennes. Despite a life marked by trials and sadness, she devoted herself to charitable works — reaching out to the poor, the outcast, sick, elderly and orphaned. Her work inspired others, and so grew the Grey Sister Community as we know it today. In Vancouver during the Great Depression, the need for such support was great, and so when four Grey Sisters came here to open St. Vincent's Shelter, 15 needy men were admitted immediately. During the hard years that followed, long lines of hungry and homeless men were served hot meals and given clothes and other necessities as the shelter's work grew. After the original Downtown Eastside location became too small to handle the increasing community needs, the 152-bed Youville Residence was opened in 1969. To this day, the residence and its staff strive to be the contemporary expression of Marguerite's spirit of charity within the community. Marguerite Youville was canonized by the Church on December 9, 1990. Learn more about the history of the Sisters and Youville Residence... |
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