Woman of Valour

A Woman of Valour is the biography of Marie-Louise Bouchard Labelle, a French-Canadian woman who found love with a priest thirty-three years her senior. Against all social convention, they lived, produced three children, and built a life together after fleeing their village.However, after several years together, Bouchard's husband ultimately chose to return to the priesthood, abandoning his family as a result. Through interviews and documentation, Claire Trépanier tells Bouchard's story of survival while highlighting the history of women's stature in Canada, and raising a question about the celibacy of Catholic priests.

ForewordAcknowledgements
Preface
Family Trees
Family of Georgianne Tremblay and her two spouses
Family of Marie-Louise Bouchard Labelle and Joseph Ray
Prologue

CHAPTER ONE: From Les Escoumins to Hanmer (1891-1906)
Marie-Louise Bouchard
Marie-Louise Labelle
Arrival in Hanmer
Life of Hanmer's First Settlers
Marie-Louise's Education
Primary School
Tough Love
And What of the Future?
Spiritual Life in the Hamlet

CHAPTER TWO: The New Arrival (1858-1906)
Father Joseph A. Roy
The Francophone Catholic Clergy in the Canadian West
Wolseley, Saskatchewan
Vernon, British Columbia
Hanmer, Ontario (August 1906)
First Meeting with Marie-Louise

CHAPTER THREE: The Turning Point (1906-1916)
Regular Meetings with Marie-Louise
Presbytery Maid?
Against All Comers
Flight
Impact of Their Departure

CHAPTER FOUR: Family Life (1916-1928)
New Identities
Ottawa
Rideau Park (May 1917)
Life as a Couple
Daily Life
Intellectual Life
Spiritual Life
First Return to Hanmer (November 1920)
Birth of Lorne
1921-1926
Gertrude's First Communion
Facing Facts
Synchronicity
The Big Decision (1928)

CHAPTER FIVE: "Widow" with Three Children (1928-1935)
Heartbreak
Unexpected Visits
Living Day to Day
Free to Explore Life
Napoléon's Visit
The Crash, 24 October 1929
Family Ties
Homeowner
Impact of Joseph's Departure
Religion after Joseph's Departure
The French-English Question
Life During the Great Depression
Bank Street (1930-1932) and Sunnyside Street (1932-1933)
Stanley Avenue (1933-1935)
Social Life
Convalescent Home
Kiosk

CHAPTER SIX: Living from Hand to Mouth (1935-1944)
James Street (1935-1936)
Lisgar Street (1936-1937)
Nepean Street (1937-1939)
Rideau Street, Corner of Chapel (1939)
Slater Street (1940)
Central Avenue (1941)
Acquaintance Changes (1942-1944)

CHAPTER SEVEN: Nanny (1944-1965)
Grandmother
Sewing and Knitting
In the Kitchen
"Breaking Camp"
Mother-in-Law
Jake and the Kid
God
Back to Ottawa (1957-1965)
Ogilvy's
Cinema
The Countess of Ségur
A Busy Room (1962-1965)
The Secret

CHAPTER EIGHT: Return to Her Roots (1960-1964)
Graduation (1960)
The Two Gossips
Inner Peace
The Trip to the Yukon

CHAPTER NINE: Old Age, Humour and Tenderness (1965-1970)
A Time to Relax
Always Keeping the Secret
Reminiscences of Long Ago
The Bloomers
The Braid
Thieves

CHAPTER TEN: Living in Peace (1970-1973)
Housewarming
A Time to Enjoy Life
Artist
A Time to Die

Epilogue
Postscript
Appendices
Appendix One: Arrival in Hanmer
Appendix Two: House in Hanmer
Appendix Three: Landowner
Appendix Four: Amour Immaculé / Immaculate Love
Family Documents
List of People Interviewed
List of People Who Helped Me in My Research
Abbreviated Chronology
Notes
Bibliography
Index