Montrealers flock to Sisters of Sainte Anne garage sale as nuns prepare for big move
After more than 110 years at their convent in Lachine, the Sisters of Sainte Anne are planning to move to a smaller building, and that means paring down their odds and ends.
The nuns are holding a public sale this weekend featuring a vast array of items, from furniture to tableware and art created by the nuns themselves.
There are also a number of religious statues, kitchen utensils, glassware, textiles and more.
More than a hundred people lined up Saturday morning, waiting for their turn to peruse the goods.
Some of the larger pieces of antique furniture will be sold at an auction next month.
Sister Madeleine Gaudet said it's bittersweet seeing all those previous items go.
"It's a big step, but it's not always easy," she said.
Gaudet said that she takes comfort in knowing that their belongings are going to new homes.
"It will be a relief because we always said, 'What are we going to do with all this?'" she said.
The nuns are planning to move into a new building that will be constructed not far from their current location in 2020.
Their building has become too big for the current number of nuns, many of which are in their 80s, to maintain.
Their building, built in 1909, will be donated to community organizations once the nuns leave.
Martin Duchesne, who organized the sale, said that the nuns aren't selling everything they have — just downsizing.
"There are some things that need to be liquidated, and some that need to be conserved," he said, adding that some objects will be kept for archival or museum purposes.
The sale takes place at the convent, located at 1950 Provost Street in Lachine, Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
