Sister Madeleine Juneau, , (10 November 1945 – 26 June 2020) was a Canadian

museologist Museology (also called museum studies or museum science) is the study of museums. It explores the history of museums and their role in society, as well as the activities they engage in, including curating, preservation, public programming, and ed ...

and teacher. A

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

, she was a member of the

Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal The Congrégation de Notre Dame (CND) is a religious community for women founded in 1658 in Ville Marie (Montreal), in the colony of New France, now part of Canada. It was established by Marguerite Bourgeoys, who was recruited in France to creat ...

. Juneau was the recipient of the Medal of the Quebec National Assembly (2011), Thomas-Baillargé award from the

Ordre des architectes du Québec A suite, in Western classical music, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes; and grew in scope so that by the early 17th century it comprised up to f ...

, awarded jointly with the Congrégation de Notre-Dame (2012),

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal () or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. There are four versions of the medal: one iss ...

(2012), and the Officer of the

Order of Montreal The Order of Montreal () is a Order (distinction), municipal order awarded to residents of the city of Montreal, in the province of Quebec, Canada, since 2016. The honour succeeds the former Great Montrealer, which was conferred from 1988 to ...

(2019).Dévoilement des récipiendaires de l'Ordre de Montréal 2019, Communiqué de presse, Ville de Montréal, 11 April 2019

Biography

Madeleine Juneau was born in

Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures () is a city in central Quebec, Canada, on the Saint Lawrence River, adjacent to Quebec City. The town was founded in 1691 by three families (Desroches, Racette, Couture). It was merged with Quebec City on January 1, ...

, 10 November 1945. She was one of eleven children and seven of them were boys. In 1966, Juneau became a religious of the Congregation of Notre-Dame. She taught in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

and then, from 1972 to 1982, in

Hearst, Ontario Hearst is a town in the district of Cochrane, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Mattawishkwia River in Northern Ontario, approximately west of Kapuskasing, approximately east of Thunder Bay along Highway 11. At Hearst, Highway 583 extend ...

. From 1984 to 1997, she was the director of educational services at

Maison Saint-Gabriel The Maison Saint-Gabriel Museum is located in Montreal, Quebec and is dedicated to preserving the history, heritage and artifacts of the settlers of New France in the mid 17th century. The museum consists of a small farm, which has been administe ...

in Montreal, a historic site owned by this religious community. She became its Executive Director in 1997.

Open to the public since 1966, Maison Saint-Gabriel was primarily an interpretation center for the work of the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame. In the early 1990s, Maison Saint-Gabriel welcomed some 6,000 visitors per year. It has become a place of interpretation of rural life in

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

where the

King's Daughters The King's Daughters ( , or in the spelling of the era) were the approximately 800 young French people, French women who immigrated to New France between 1663 and 1673 as part of a program sponsored by King Louis XIV. The program was designed ...

are highlighted as well as the cultural landscape (housing, cooking, daily life). In 1998, the number of visitors increased to 35,000. Various popular education initiatives were added: creation of a historical spice trail, reconstitution of a 17th century

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is an Early Modern English, archaic English term for a medicine, medical professional who formulates and dispenses ''materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons and patients. The modern terms ''pharmacist'' and, in Brit ...

's garden, organization of auctions on the premises, recitation of tales, presentation of and lectures in a

tavern A tavern is a type of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that ...

. In 2009-2010, the museum was expanded at a cost of with the transformation of the Jeanne-Le Ber residence, home to the nuns, into the Catherine-Crolo Pavilion, a visitor reception pavilion, including a boutique and

herbal tea Herbal teas, technically known as herbal infusions, and less commonly called tisanes (UK and US , US also ), are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. Often herb tea, or the plai ...

room, an animation area, a restaurant and conference rooms. Presently, the site attracts more than 75,000 visitors per year. Classified as a historic monument in 1965, the House was designated a National Historic Site by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada in 2007. It received six in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010 in the category of Tourist Attraction of less than 100,000 visitors, in the Montreal region. Juneau has served on the boards of directors of the Regroupement économique et social du Sud-Ouest, the Chambre de commerce du Sud-Ouest de Montréal, and the Société historique de

Pointe-Saint-Charles Pointe-Saint-Charles (; also known in English as Point Saint Charles, and locally as The Point, or "PSC") is a neighbourhood in the borough of Le Sud-Ouest in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Historically a working-class area, the creation o ...

. She served as President of the (Board of Montreal Museum Directors) for six years. She was a member of the

Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal The Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (until 2016: Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal) () is an association of businesses and businesspeople in Greater Montreal. In its own words it serves to "act as the voice of Montréal's busin ...

, and a member of the . She was also a member of the board of directors of the Association du tourisme religieux et spirituel du Québec, founded in December 2018. She died in

Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...

on 26 June 2020, aged 74.

Awards and honours

In 2013, Juneau received the Prix Gérard-Morisset, one of 14 annual prizes awarded by the

Government of Quebec The Government of Quebec (, ) is the body responsible for the administration of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. The term is typically used to refer to the executive of the day (i.e. Minister of the Crown, mini ...

in recognition of an outstanding career in the scientific and cultural fields. This award was given to her in recognition of the role within Maison Saint-Gabriel, in the conservation of its architectural and historical heritage, and in the knowledge of Montreal's heritage. On November 28, 2016, Juneau received from

David Johnston David Johnston or Dave Johnston may refer to: Politics *David Johnston (governor general) David Lloyd Johnston (born June 28, 1941) is a Canadian academic, author, and statesman who served as the 28th governor general of Canada from 2010 to ...

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...

, the Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Museum Programs - Living History! for her exhibition "The Canadian Horse, a breed apart", presented at Maison Saint-Gabriel in 2015 on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the Canadian horse. On June 22, 2017 in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

Premier of Quebec The premier of Quebec ( (masculine) or eminine is the head of government of the Canadian province of Quebec. The current premier of Quebec is François Legault of the Coalition Avenir Québec, sworn in on October 18, 2018, following tha ...

Philippe Couillard Philippe Couillard (; born June 26, 1957) is a Canadian business advisor and former neurosurgeon, university professor and politician who served as 31st premier of Quebec from 2014 to 2018. Between 2003 and 2008, he was Quebec's Minister of H ...

decorated her as a Knight of the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec ( French: ), also known as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governor Jean-Pierre Côté granted royal assent to the (Natio ...

, and the following day, June 23, at

Rideau Hall Rideau Hall (officially Government House) is the official residence of the governor general of Canada, the representative of the monarch of Canada. Located in Ottawa, the Capital city, capital of the country, on a estate at 1 Sussex Drive, th ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, she received the

Meritorious Service Cross The Meritorious Service Cross () is a State decoration, decoration that is, within the Orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, Canadian system of honours, one of the two Meritorious Service Decorations gifted by the Monarchy of Canada, Canadia ...

- Civil Division from David Johnston, which recognizes an action that has been performed with exceptional professionalism and from which Canada has benefited significantly.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Juneau, Madeleine 1945 births 2020 deaths People from Capitale-Nationale Museologists Canadian women academics Place of death missing 20th-century Canadian nuns 21st-century Canadian nuns Knights of the National Order of Quebec