Émilie Tavernier was born on February 19, 1800 in Montreal. Her mother died in 1804 when Émilie was four and her father died in 1814 when she was fourteen. She then lived with her aunt Marie-Anne Tavernier and her husband Joseph Perrault. She attended a boarding school run by the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame.
In 1823 she married Jean-Baptiste Gamelin. Within five years, all three of her children by this marriage died as did her husband. These events led to her interest in doing charitable works. She joined Confraternity of the Public Good, which arranged work for the unemployed, and the Ladies of Charity, a group aimed at relieving poverty and destitution through home visits and the distribution of alms.
On 29 March 1844, canonical status was granted on the new religious congregation, the Daughters of Charity, Servants of the Poor, later to become known as the Sisters of Charity of Providence. Émilie Tavernier Gamelin and six other novices became religious sisters and Gamelin was elected Superior General of the new congregation becoming Mother Gamelin. On September 23, 1851 Émilie Tavernier Gamelin died of cholera.
In 1970, the congregation officially was named the Sisters of Providence. Today the Sisters of Providence serve in Canada, United States, Chile, Philippines, Argentina, El Salvador, Cameroon, Haiti and Egypt. In 2001 Émilie Tavernier Gamelin was beatified by Pope John Paul II.
A life-size bronze statue of Émilie Gamelin was created in 1999 by Raoul Hunter. Émilie Gamelin is shown wearing the habit of the Sisters of Providence including a rosary on her left side and a crucifix around her neck. She is carrying a basket of food in her left hand and her right hand is open palm up. She stands on the tiles of the Berri-UQAM Metro Station located in Émilie Gamelin Square.
A nearby plaque is inscribed in French:
Le monument
Vêntue du costume de sa communauté mère
Émilie Gamelin est représentée en pleine action,
portant à son bras un panier de vivres
destiné à soulager la faim et la misere des
oubliés de son temps.
Le mouvement accentué de sa démarche rappelle
son grand dynamisme et sa générosité
envers autrui. Mere Gamelin n'est pas représentée
sur un socle élevé, elle se trouve plutôt
parmi les passants. Son sourire témoigne de
son ouvertture et de sa sympathie.
La statue symbolise l'apport de mère Émilie
Gamelin à la vie sociale du Montréal de son
temps et d'aujourd'hui. Elle commémore le
bicentenaire de sa naissance (19 févier 1800-2000).
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The monument
Dressed in the costume of her parent community,
Émilie Gamelin is represented in full action.
On her arm is a basket of food
to alleviate hunger and poverty of
the forgotten of her time.
The movement, accentuated by her approach, is remembered
for its great vitality and generosity
toward others. Mother Gamelin is not represented
on a high plinth, she is rather
among those passing by. Her smile testifies to
her openness and her sympathy.
The statue symbolizes the contribution of mother Émilie
Gamelin in the social life of the Montreal of its
time and today. It commemorates the Bicentenary of her birth (19 February 1800-2000).