Amanda Viger was a Canadian nun known for her work in helping people with

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

Early life

Amanda Viger, known as Saint-Jean-de-Goto, was born on July 27, 1845 in

Boucherville Boucherville () is a city in the Montérégie region in Quebec, Canada. It is a suburb of Montreal on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. Boucherville is part of both the urban agglomeration of Longueuil and the Montreal Metropolitan ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

to her parents Bonaventure Viger and Eudoxie Trudel. She completed her secondary studies at the Congregation of Notre-Dame in Boucherville’s boarding school. She was 15 years old when she joined the Religious Hospitallers of Saint Joseph of Montreal and she took her vows on February 2, 1863.

Career

Viger was one of six sisters who moved to

Tracadie, New Brunswick Tracadie is an unincorporated place in New Brunswick, Canada. It is recognized as a designated place by Statistics Canada. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Tracadie had a population of 5,349 living in ...

in 1868 to help people suffering from leprosy, with Viger's focus first on establishing a pharmacy to provide medicines for people in need. She ultimately remained at the facility for 34 years. She also established a school in 1873 where she and other nuns helped to educate children until 1885. From 1888 the children were lodged near the

lazaretto A lazaretto ( ), sometimes lazaret or lazarette ( ), is a quarantine station for maritime travelers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings. In some lazarets, postal items were also disinfected, usu ...

, and Viger helped raise funds for a new school that was completed in 1898. In 1875, she was elected as superior of her community, and she was elected mother superior seven more times. Then, in 1902, she was elected superior of the Hôtel-Dieu of Arthabaskaville which she had a larger building constructed and helped with the financial issues facing the institution. Viger died from cancer on 8 May 1906.

Early life

Career

References

Further reading