The last Christmas: Nuns prepare to vacate Ottawa convent

After more than a century, the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are packing their bags and preparing for what will be their last Christmas in the place some have called home since they were teenagers. 

The convent on Oblats Avenue in Old Ottawa East has been a staple of the community since it was built in 1915.

At its peak, more than 200 students attended a boarding school run by the nuns there.

Sister Suzanne Brulé

Sister Suzanne Brulé joined the convent after finishing Grade 10 at the school. 

"We used to have a rink in our yard, and we would go and skate every night. And then we had this waltz music, and that was pretty special, too. Those were good times," she said.

Now, after nearly 60 years of service, the former teacher lives in a nearby apartment. But to her, the convent has always felt like home.

"It's funny because I wouldn't have seen myself in any other congregations," Brulé said. "There was something here that appealed to me, and this is where I wanted to be."

The sprawling property is now in the middle of a construction zone. The developer, Domicile, purchased the building in January 2014 and construction on the Corners on Main project started in 2016.

"Due to numerous safety and environmental concerns, the convent will likely be replaced," said David Renfroe, a consultant working with Domicile.

Renfroe said the developer is considering different options for the site, including condos.

Brulé said the sale was necessary because the upkeep of the building was proving too costly, and the number of sisters is dwindling. They looked at options to join other congregations in Ottawa, but decided they wanted to stay together as much as possible. 

A group of about 25 older nuns has already moved to a nursing home in St. Isidore, Ont., about 75 kilometres east of the convent, and about 30 more will move to a retirement home in nearby Casselman, Ont., in mid-January.

Sister Annette Smart

Sister Annette Smart, 78, said the move will be difficult.

The self-proclaimed "city girl" also spent her teen years attending school at the convent. She's lived at the convent for 30 years. 

"It's very challenging and it's a little bit scary because we don't know what's going to happen at the other end," Smart said.

"But the good news is that we're going to be all together. The group of nuns are all going to the same place."

Smart said the saddest part is saying goodbye to the chapel where she spent hours praying and celebrating milestones with her friends, and where they would gather after Christmas carolling.

"We would go from house to house where our sisters were in different houses in Ottawa, and then we'd end up here in the chapel and have supper together. That was one of our special moments."

Sister Lucille Arsenault​

For Sister Lucille Arsenault, leaving Old Ottawa East won't be easy. But she's looking forward to meeting new people in her new home. 

"We know it's the last Christmas, we know it's the last New Year ... but we're happy," she said. "We're happy to be going to a nice place with good people."

Tables and chairs now sit empty in the convent's cafeteria, where the sisters say it was once difficult to find a place to sit. The corridors are equally quiet, and boxes sit in the bedrooms waiting to be packed with belongings.

It's clear the next chapter is near.

For the remaining Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a new chapter is about to begin.