Madeline Thibeau, RSCJ

Birth: September 9, 1926
Profession: July 19, 1955
Death: November 17, 2023

Religious of the Sacred Heart Madeline Thibeau, RSCJ, died November 17, 2023, at Caritas Residence, Halifax. Daughter of John Henry Thibeau and Margaret Anne Boudreau, Sr. Thibeau was born in 1926 in Thibeauville, Nova Scotia. Madeline was the sixth of nine siblings in a house of eleven children. Knowing from age five that she wanted to be a nun, Sr. Thibeau decided on being a Religious of the Sacred Heart after meeting an RSCJ from River Bourgeois while on retreat in Halifax. She entered the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1947 at the Sault au Récollet in Montreal. She professed first vows there in 1949 and her final vows in 1955.

Her ministerial work began in the RSCJ Infirmary in Montreal where she learned to work with the elderly. This ministry was followed by three years as first cook in the Society’s school in Winnipeg and eight more years in the same role at the school in Vancouver. From 1968 to 1973, Sr. Thibeau studied social work at both Dawson College and Concordia. This led to a year of working with blind children at the MacKay Centre in Montreal, and for several years with a group of people who had cerebral palsy. She had a time of renewal in Belgium in early 1975 when she joined a group preparing for final vows in Europe. Sr. Thibeau considered this a wonderful experience that included an extensive tour of France to learn about the history of the Society of the Sacred Heart.

Upon her return, a job in the social work department of the Douglas Hospital was waiting for her, thanks to her studies and her ability to speak French. After working there for over seventeen years, she worked as the co-superior of the Sophie Barat retirement home and infirmary in Montreal. Again, her facility in French was a help when speaking with the French Canadian workers. Her last ministry as superior ended in 1999. Madeline then found herself living in small communities in Halifax, which she described as “the best-fed in the Province.” 

Sr. Thibeau moved to Caritas residence in 2014 where she was known for her stories, her good nature, and her knitting. For years and years no matter where she was living, Madeline knitted socks for homeless men, and she wove love and faith into each sole. It is for that faith and certain hope in the goodness and the nearness of God that she will be remembered most readily by the many who loved her and were shaped by her selfless love so freely offered. Madeline is survived by one sibling, Veronica, as well as nieces and nephews, especially Janine Durning.

Her funeral was celebrated by Fr. Albert Cosgrove at a private service for sisters, Associates, and family at 10 a.m. on Friday, November 24, 2023, at Caritas Residence. 

The Religious of the Sacred Heart wish to thank the Sisters of Charity of Halifax for their gracious welcome and loving support at Caritas Residence and all of the medical and support staff who cared for Sr. Thibeau.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Society of the Sacred Heart, United States-Canada, 4120 Forest Park Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63108.