Sisters of Ste-Anne hold unique garage sale before giving up Montreal convent

MONTREAL – The Montreal-area Sisters of Ste-Anne are hosting a unique garage sale this weekend as the religious organization prepares to leave its 110-year-old convent.

Sister Celine Dupuis says the mother house in the Lachine borough has hundreds of rooms and is far too big for the remaining members of the religious organization, whose average age is 87.

Thousands of people have attended the sale to browse through items including artwork, furniture, household goods and plants.

Dupuis said she has been pleasantly surprised to see the most popular items were religious statues and crucifixes, which quickly sold out.

The sisters will spend two more years in the mother house before moving to a smaller house that will be built for them nearby.

They have decided to sell the massive building to a community organization, which will transform it into affordable and social housing.

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Sean Mott

After spending most of his life on the East Coast and earning a Bachelor of Journalism (Honours) degree from the University of King's in Halifax, Sean Mott decided to strike out west to start his reporting career in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. He recently moved to Lake Country and he covers everything from crime to local art to everyday absurdities in Kelowna.