Joseph Pariseau

Mother

Joseph Pariseau

Mother Joseph, S.P. (NSHC statue)
Religious, Missionary
BornEsther Pariseau
April 16, 1823
Saint-Elzéar, Quebec, Canada
DiedJanuary 19, 1902(1902-01-19) (aged 78)
Vancouver, Washington, U.S.
Resting placeSt. James Acres
Vancouver, Washington, U.S.

Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart, S.P. (born Esther Pariseau; 16 April 1823 19 January 1902) was a Canadian Catholic religious sister who led a group of members from her congregation to the Pacific Northwest of the United States. There, under her leadership, they established a network of schools and healthcare to service the American settlers in that new and remote part of the country. She was a member of the Sisters of Providence (Montreal).

During her ministry, she became the first female architect in British Columbia. For her contributions to the development of that region, she was honored by the State of Washington as one of the two people allowed to represent it in the National Statuary Hall Collection in Washington, D.C.