In 2012, on the civic level, Jeanne Mance was recognized as the founder of Montreal, equal to the founder Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve, by the City of Montreal.
The Centre Jeanne-Mance was created during the third centennial of Montreal and the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal in 1942. The primary goal was to have Jeanne Mance recognized by the Catholic Church. A propaganda committee to work on the cause of Jeanne Mance’s beatification was then created in 1943. Its activities were diverse and included the creation of leaflets, exhibitions, kiosks and conferences.
In 1945, a historical commission for research into the writings of Jeanne Mance was created. It was composed of the archivist of the congregation, Sister Maria Mondoux, rhsj, and the historian and biographer of Jeanne Mance, Marie-Claire Daveluy.
The Centre Jeanne-Mance was officially established in 1957. It benefited from the support and advice of the Founders Committee of the Church of Canada which was founded in 1942 by the bishops of Quebec. Since 1992, the Founders Committee has no longer been under the control of the bishops.
The Centre Jeanne-Mance aims to promote her name and work widely in Quebec, Canada, the United States, France and elsewhere, and to maintain historical relations with her birthplace, Langres, in France.
Its first director was Sister Marie-Louise Allard, rhsj. The centre’s staff welcomed the requests it received: prayer intentions, favors obtained, tributes of recognition, books, brochures, leaflets and visits to the crypt of the RHSJ Motherhouse Chapel, where Jeanne Mance is buried.
Four directors have succeeded one another at the Centre Jeanne-Mance:
- Marie-Louise Allard, rhsj, from 1957 to 1977
- Donalda Savard, rhsj, from 1978 to 1982
- Thérèse Payer, rhsj, from 1983 to 2017
- Monique Lanouette Beaucage, RHSJ Associate, from 2017 to 2021
An annual bulletin was published by the Centre Jeanne-Mance from 1982 to 2021. This bulletin reported on the events and steps taken to promote the life and work of Jeanne Mance, the evolution of the cause for beatification and the testimonies received for this purpose during the previous year.
Thanks to the involvement of the Centre Jeanne-Mance and the immense work of historical research carried out during the 20th and 21st centuries, interest in Jeanne Mance is growing. A woman of leadership and action who was neither married, nor a widow, nor a nun, Jeanne Mance not only founded the second hospital in North America, the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal, but also played a crucial role in the founding of Montreal.
Since then, historians, academics, history and feminist studies teachers, politicians, artists in literature, visual arts, cinema and the media have taken up this extraordinary and avant-garde modern woman recognized as the founder of Montreal. The general public has access to her story and can now discover it, as evidenced by the rich documentation available.
Several notable events have taken place in recent history, including:
In 2014, on the religious level, a first step in the cause of beatification was taken: Jeanne Mance was declared Venerable by the Catholic Church.
In 2020, on the medical front, Jeanne Mance was posthumoustly inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.
In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Centre Jeanne-Mance closed its office in 2021.
In 2025, the Centre was reborn online through the new website of the Centre Jeanne-Mance of the Congregation of the Religious Hospitallers of Saint Joseph, and remained under its responsibility.
As a filmmaker and specialist in Jeanne Mance, Ms. Annabel Loyola was given the mandate to be the resource person for the promotion of Jeanne Mance in cultural, historical, educational arenas and with the media.
Sister Mariette Chainey, rhsj, was designated to respond to the spiritual dimension. This included welcoming visitors who wished to entrust their prayer intentions and pray at the crypt of the Religious Hospitallers of Saint Joseph near the remains of Jeanne Mance, collecting the favors obtained through her intercession and receiving donations. She is also in charge of relations with the postulator residing in Rome for the cause of beatification of Jeanne Mance, as vice-postulator.