BEAUMONT – The new Catholic school in Beaumont will be named École Mother d'Youville School after the founder of the Grey Nuns.

The St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Schools' (STAR) board of trustees approved the name at its May 20 meeting.

The 600-student École Mother d'Youville School will be located at the Place Chaleureuse site in Beaumont and is slated to open in September 2017.

St. Marguerite d'Youville (1701-71) was a French Canadian widow who founded the Grey Nuns in 1737 to provide a home for the poor. St. John Paul II canonized her in 1990.

John Tomkinson, chair of the STAR board, said "Mother d'Youville honours not only the French Catholic heritage of Beaumont, but also carries special meaning for women, motherhood, marriage and religious life.

"As founder of the Grey Nuns, she is a beacon of charity and selfless service, and will serve as an inspiration for our students, staff and Catholic community."

Tomkinson noted that it is fitting that the first Canadian-born canonized female saint will be the patron of Beaumont's new Catholic school as the first school in Beaumont is named after Canada's first Canadian-born male saint, St. André.