Nun, music teacher, composer.
Born at Ste. Agathe on 24 November 1912 to Alexina Anne Campeau (1889-1964) and Josaphat Dorge (1883-1976), the eldest in a family of fourteen, she attended Ste. Agathe School and then completed her secondary studies at St. Joseph’s Academy in St. Boniface. On 24 July 1930, she entered the Novitiate of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, in Outremont, Quebec.
On 26 August 1932, she made her religious vows, and returned to Manitoba as Sister Josaphat-de-Marie. Having excelled in music, she began her career as a music teacher and went on to educate students at various schools in Winnipeg and Manitoba: Sacré-Coeur, St. Joseph’s Academy, St. Mary’s Academy, St. Jean-Baptiste, Flin Flon, Ste. Agathe School, and Holy Cross School. While teaching, she pursued her studies and obtained the Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music (LRSM) from the School of Music at London, England, and became an Associate of the Royal Conservatory Music (ARCT) from the Toronto Conservatory of Music. She also earned certificates in Gregorian Chant and Composition from the Universities of Chicago and McGill (Montreal), and took courses in liturgical singing and organ playing.
During her years as a piano teacher, she would take on the role of choir director at both the school and the parish church. Under her direction, her students participated with great success at recitals and music festivals. She was often invited to be adjudicator at music festivals in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and was called upon to give workshops and to accompany various choirs on special occasions.
She worked for many years at the diocesan level in St. Boniface and at the St. Boniface Cathedral, serving on committees and giving support to liturgical committees in various parishes. She enjoyed composing music for Sunday psalms and sent them to many parishes on a regular basis. Two books of her compositions, Psaumes et acclamations and Psaumes de tous les jours, were published. She also wrote texts and music for community events. During her later years at Résidence Despins, she continued to enjoy playing the organ or the piano, and playing cards.
She died at Winnipeg on 11 December 2008 and was buried in the St. Boniface Cemetery. She was identified posthumously by the Nellie McClung Foundation as a Manitoba Woman Trailblazer (2021).
Birth registration [Marie Ange Agathe Dorge], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 13 December 2008.
“Josaphat Dorge,” Vanderhooft Family Tree, Ancestry.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 29 November 2024
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