Origin of the Name

The station was named for Cesira Parisotto (1909-1992), also known as Mother Anselme, an Italian-Canadian nun and charity worker. Born in Italy, she came to Quebec in 1949. As the director of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of St. Mary, she founded several charitable institutions in Quebec, including the Hôpital Marie-Clarac, a convalescence and rehabilitation hospital in Montréal-Nord, as well as a primary and secondary school and two seniors’ residences. In 1993 she was made a Grand Officer of the National Order of Québec, having accepted the nomination shortly before she died.

Cesira Parisotto is one of the first three women commemorated by the name of a Montreal metro station (other than a saint, queen, or land developer’s relative), along with Mary Two-Axe Earley and Madeleine Parent.

The station’s name was announced on September 9, 2025. New names were chosen for most of the stations in the blue line extension in order to increase representativity in Montreal toponymy, and because three of the four stations were at intersections with streets that already had stations named for them (Pie-IX, Viau, and Langelier); although this station was at Boulevard Lacordaire, which had no such conflict, it was given a commemorative name as well. Among other reasons, Cesira Parisotto was chosen as this station’s namesake as a prominent member of Montreal’s Italian community, many of whom live in Saint-Léonard near this station.

A street in Montréal-Nord, Avenue de Mère-Anselme (adjacent to the hospital she founded), was already named for her.

Temporary name during the planning stage: Lacordaire.