Georgina Straus was born to Michael Straus and Mary Barbara Ditner on January 10, 1932, in St. Agatha, Ontario. Her siblings were Wilfred, Gerard, Ralph, Eugene, Jacob, Reta, Adeline, Sr. Christina (CSJ), Sr. Lucy (CSJ), Sr. Michaeline (SSND), Sr. Mildred (SSND), and Lucille Delisle. Before entering the Congregation, she worked as a secretary.
Georgina Straus entered the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton, Ontario in 1951, had her reception in 1951 and received the religious name of Sister Christina, and professed her final vows in 1956. Sister Christina was a Homemaker in Brantford, Ontario from 1953 to 1954. She then went on to study to become a teacher. Sister Christina attained her teachers’ certificates in Ontario and in British Columbia. She also received certificates in Primary Teaching Methods and Elementary Science, Art, Mathematics, and Religious Education. In 1957 she taught Sacristan in Arthur until 1960 when she went on to teach at Francis Xavier School in Stoney Creek. She returned to St. Joseph’s Convent in Arthur where she taught at the Sacred Heart School in Kenilworth from 1971 to 1975. She was also the Local Superior of this mission from 1973 to 1975. She then travelled west and taught at Fort Saint John and Dawson Creek in British Columbia before returning to Guelph, Ontario in 1982 to continue teaching and work in Parish Ministry. From 1996 to 2007 she served as Parish Minister at St. Teresa’s Parish in Elmira, Ontario. After which she moved to St. Joseph’s Motherhouse, Hamilton to continue her Prayer Ministry and her favourite hobby of rug hooking. In 2019 Sister Christina was welcomed into the London Residence where she passed on March 16, 2024. Her funeral was held at Holy Rosary Parish, Burlington.
In London, the health care complex now known as St. Joseph’s Health Centre (originally St. Joseph’s Hospital, St. Mary’s Hospital and Marian Villa), was administered by the Sisters until 1993. St. Stephen’s House, a transition home for alcoholics, was run by the Sisters until 2004. In Chatham, St. Joseph’s Hospital was administered by the Sisters until 1993, and since 1998 has been part of the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance.
In January 1995, the Sisters donated their residence at 430 London Road to St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Sarnia to be used as a hospice. St. Joseph’s Hospice in London came under the direction of the St. Joseph’s Health Care Society whose expertise in operating the ten-bed hospice in Sarnia was integral to their involvement. A residential facility was opened in 2014.
This shift in hospital control came about in 1987, following the election of a completely new General Council of the Sisters of Joseph, when hospital ownership and sponsorship were raised as key issues. The Society was formed in 1993 in response to a decision made by the Sisters to cease direct administration of the health care institutions founded by them by establishing each of their hospitals as separate corporations and having lay people take over the administration. Therefore, they formed the St. Joseph’s Health Care Society to take up the particular role of Sponsor to ensure the ongoing stewardship of the treasure of Catholic health care into the future. The Society is the overall governing body. It connects the hospitals back to the Church to maintain Catholic identity. It has both canonical and civil law obligations. It governs the hospitals and hospices formerly administered by the Sisters in London as well as hospices in Sarnia, and London. The Society also addresses social and health needs and serves as a catalyst to implement solutions.
St. Joseph’s Health Care Society now administers St. Joseph’s Health Care (London, Ont.), St. Joseph's Hospice of Sarnia and Lambton, and St. Joseph’s Hospice of London.
Some important dates in the history of the transfer of hospital administration:
July 6, 1993: St. Joseph’s Health Care Society formed in London.
1985: Bluewater Health Foundation formed.
January 29, 1998: Signing of Strategic Alliance Agreement between St. Joseph’s Health Care Society on behalf of St. Joseph’s Hospital Sarnia and Sarnia General Hospital. Ownership of hospital later transferred to Lambton Hospitals Group.
February 1, 2018: Chatham Kent Health Alliance formed, amalgamating Sydenham District Hospital, the Public General Hospital, and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chatham.
The St. Joseph’s Health Care Society is governed by a volunteer board of directors. The Society approves the appointment of institutional board members, upper management, and auditors and annual audited financial statements.
The Society is responsible to:
• approve the appointment of board trustees who are committed to the mission and values of St. Joseph’s Health Care Society;
• ensure the provision by board members, staff, and administrators of health and pastoral care services to reflect Roman Catholic values; and
• foster the Catholic Church’s philosophy of health care through sponsorship of a health leadership program.
In 1960, Mount St. Joseph Centre opened to treat emotionally disturbed boys. It was located at 354 King Street West, Hamilton, which was the former site of Mount St. Joseph Orphanage, which had been closed by the Sisters of St. Joseph due to the declining number of orphans in residence. A shift in views occurred in the 1950s, and the Welfare Protection Agency began placing more children into foster homes rather than keeping them in large orphanages.
Mount St. Joseph Centre was a private, charitable, and non-denominational organization, operated by a board of directors. The Sisters of St. Joseph sat on the board, along with professionals and laypersons. Sister Eugenia Callaghan was the Administrative Director of the Centre. Other Sisters worked there as teachers and child care workers. All of the Sisters who worked at the centre had living quarters on the third floor.
Due to its success, more space was eventually needed, and in 1975, boys aged 6 to 12 remained at 354 King Street West, while boys aged 13 to 17 moved to 66 Canada Street, otherwise known as “Canada House”.
Mount St. Joseph Centre’s board of directors defined “emotionally disturbed youth” as children who had difficulty adjusting to everyday life, and thus needed special attention. The boys were described as being in conflict with their families, communities, and themselves.
A child entered the centre after first trying community-based, out-patient counselling services. If this treatment did not prove helpful, then a team of representatives from the Children’s Aid Society, Board of Education, Probation and Court Services, treatment centres, counselling services, and the Regional Children’s Centre met to discuss the child’s case. If it was determined that the child’s needs could be better met by residential treatment, they were sent to Mount St. Joseph Centre. It is important to note that children were never taken away from their parents. Instead, the centre offered a place for boys to live and receive treatment. If the child did not have a family, then the Centre worked with the Children’s Aid Society to find an appropriate family for them.
The therapy was based on everyday positive relationships with staff members. If a boy acted out, he was provided with explanations and clarifications about his behaviour, and encouraged to try new responses. This type of therapy was used to instill self-esteem into the child, as well as re-adjust his thinking about how to better respond to social interactions. The children were encouraged to join community activities, like sport clubs.
In 1967, the Department of Health promulgated the White Paper, which outlined the necessity for residential treatment centres. As a result, Mount St. Joseph Centre was accredited as a Schedule IV institution under the Revised Mental Health Act of August, 1968. This Act provided financial support for children in residential treatment centres, but not for additional educational services. In 1971, it was decided that the Public School Board would assume the responsibility for the educational programme at the centre.
On September 5, 1980, Mount St. Joseph Centre moved from 354 King Street to 69 Flatt Street, Burlington. They subsequently changed their name to Woodview Children’s Centre. The Sisters were not involved with the Centre once it moved.
With a now vacant building at 354 King Street, the Sisters put together a committee to determine what to do with the property. There were discussions about creating a seniors’ day centre and also a pastoral care centre for aging priests. The seniors’ day centre was to be in partnership with Providence House, a facility for the care of the aged, which was an institution which had been founded by the Sisters. It does not appear that these projects came to fruition.
In 1982, the Cool School leased two floors of the former Mount St. Joseph Centre. The school offered alternative education to assist troubled youth and those with learning disabilities. Other tenants included a pastoral counselling centre, St. Joseph Hospital Foundation and a bereavement group sponsored by the Sisters.
The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Diocese of Peterborough was incorporated on May 1, 1893 under chapter 172 of the Revised Statutes of Ontario, 1887. Peterborough, Ontario is located on the traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishinaabeg Peoples.
In 1890, the Peterborough diocese stretched from the shores of Lake Ontario northward, and westward beyond the western end of Lake Superior by a hundred miles or more. Bishop R.A. O’Connor, Bishop of Peterborough, felt a need for a diocesan congregation which would devote its energies to the educational and health needs of his huge diocese. He discussed the matter with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto, with the result that, in 1890, 20 sisters of the Toronto congregation formed a new congregation in the diocese of Peterborough. Mother Austin Doran was elected General Superior.
The task facing the new congregation was monumental. It had been arranged that they would assume the Academy, a high school for girls in Lindsay, Ontario, and staff the newly opened St. Joseph’s Hospital in Peterborough, Ontario, as well as the existing houses in Cobourg, Ontario and at the head of Lake Superior. To further complicate the task, the new hospital was to care not only for the sick, but also for 40 of Peterborough’s elderly poor who were at the time residents of the House of Providence in Toronto.
Fifteen new members joined the congregation during the first year, and the foundation prospered, although poverty weighed heavily. With growing numbers, a new residence on the outskirts of Peterborough, Mount St. Joseph, was opened in 1895. In the same year, the new congregation began its teaching apostolate in the city of Peterborough. A House of Providence was established in 1900 to accommodate not only the elderly poor, but orphans of the diocese.
The growing congregation led to the formation of two daughter congregations. In 1921, the 27 sisters in three mission houses located in the diocese of Pembroke were, at the request of Bishop Ryan, formed into a new congregation with the Motherhouse in Pembroke. In 1936, the bishop of Sault Ste. Marie announced the formation of a new congregation for his diocese, and thus 120 Peterborough sisters became founding members of the new congregation.
Through the years, the Sisters have served, primarily in education and health care, in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and in the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. They have also served abroad in Brazil, Honduras, Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania and the Far East.
Mount St. Joseph, the building that served as the Motherhouse since 1895, had become much more than the Sisters currently needed. After prayerful discernment and careful planning, a new Motherhouse, built to the latest environmental standards, was opened in 2009 beside the historic former Motherhouse, which has been repurposed to serve the Peterborough community.
In spite of decreasing numbers, the closing of convents and the handing over of well-established institutions, the Sisters continue to serve in areas throughout Canada. In their response to changing times and their charism of reaching out to those in need, new ministries call the Sisters forth: they network with other groups who share their mission to the most needy, and offer congregational support to some of the most urgent needs of our society, including adequate shelter for the aged, the homeless, women in need and refugees. They are present on boards that struggle to provide adequate housing for the poor, and volunteer in parishes, health care facilities and organizations that respond to current needs. Fostering spiritual growth is the work of two houses in Ontario: St. Joseph’s Villa in Cobourg and the Upper Room Home of Prayer in Ottawa. Sisters are dedicated to raising awareness about ecology and earth literacy. In this time of transition, The Sisters endeavour to be faithful to the same charism that called the first Sisters to risk all for the sake of love.
On November 22, 2012, the congregation amalgamated with those in Hamilton, London, and Pembroke into one charitable corporation under the name Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada by the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Act, a Private Act of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario which received Royal Assent on June 13, 2013.
St. Joseph’s Hospital, London, Ontario is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron peoples. This land is covered by various treaties including the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum and the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796. London currently neighbours the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, the Oneida Nation of the Thames, and the Munsee-Delaware Nation.
St. Joseph’s Hospital was founded in London in 1888 after Dr. W. T. O’Reilly, the Inspector of Prisons and Public Charities, encouraged Mother Ignatia Campbell of the Sisters of St. Joseph to start a hospital. She assigned three Sisters to the task: Mother Aloysia Nigh, Sister Martha Toohey, and Sister Herman Murphy. The hospital was officially opened on October 15, 1888, at the Judge W. P. Street residence. They set up a small chapel within the house and appointed Dr. John Wishart, Dr. William E. Waugh, Dr. William Woodruff, and Dr. James Macarthur as medical staff for the ten-bed hospital.
In 1892, the hospital was expanded to a capacity of sixty beds through a new wing attached to the original building. The hospital now had nine Sisters as staff and began to hire outside help. More physicians also began to practice at the hospital, and further major additions were constructed in 1903, 1915, the Nurses’ Residence in 1927, 1931, 1954, 1964, and 1981.
The St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing, established in 1901, provided training for nursing students and extra staff for the hospital. The program was three years long and granted a diploma in nursing. In 1976, the school was amalgamated by Fanshawe College, and they ceased operations at St. Joseph’s in 1977.
Throughout its history, St. Joseph’s Hospital has been host to many medical innovations and some firsts. The hospital’s first department of radiology, making use of X-rays, opened in 1916, and the medical staff was organized into official departments/specialties in 1922. In 1967, the neo-natal intensive care unit opened, followed by the Family Medical Centre in 1969. The Detoxification Centre, for patients suffering from alcoholism, opened in 1973. 1982 saw St. Joseph’s be the first hospital in Canada to capture a human image using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and shortly afterwards in 1983 the Research Institute was established (renamed the Lawson Health Research Institute in 1987). In 1985, St. Joseph’s Hospital became St. Joseph’s Health Centre when it amalgamated with Marian Villa and St. Mary’s Hospital, and in 1997 Parkwood Hospital joined as well. The London and St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospitals joined as well in 2001, and St. Joseph’s changed its name once more to St. Joseph’s Health Care London.
The role of the Sisters of St. Joseph in the hospital has changed over the years, from its founding in 1888. With the retirement of Sister Mary Doyle as executive director in the hospital’s hundredth year, 1988, the role of executive director began to be filled by laypeople. In 1993, the Sisters decided to step back from direct administration of the hospital and formed the St. Joseph’s Health Care Society to provide for its leadership. As of 2025, there are still Sisters actively involved in the Society.
The Sisters of St. Joseph had come to Port Arthur in 1881 to take charge of the parish school. Almost immediately they became aware of a need to care for men seriously injured while working on the railway construction. On an informal basis, some of these men were cared for in the convent. In 1882, Fr. Hamel, S.J. offered land adjacent to the church for a hospital. In 1884, in consultation with the Bishop and town officials, it was decided that the Sisters would open a hospital. In 1883, an addition to the convent provided a chapel and two classrooms. Sister Monica, who had come from Toronto as a housekeeper, became the chief hospital worker. Even while the hospital building was under construction, areas of the convent and school were used to care for the sick and injured. The new building was finished in November, but was used by the school children until May of 1885 because the hospital furnishings and equipment had to arrive by ship after the ice melted and it was felt it would be too disruptive to move the patients in the cold of winter. In 1885, the "Ladies Aid" was formed to support the Sisters in their work in the hospital, providing both financial and social assistance.
When the hospital first opened, conditions were very primitive because of the lack of proper supplies and equipment. Most patients could not afford to pay anything, and public funds for the indigent were very difficult to obtain. Sr. Monica would go with a companion up and down the railway line soliciting donations for the hospital and St. Vincent's Orphanage in Fort William.
In 1890, when the Peterborough Congregation was formed, St. Joseph's Hospital was one of the original houses which formed the new Congregation. In 1900, a 3 storey addition was completed, along with a one floor addition to the original hospital. Much of the cost as covered by Sister Monica's begging trips. In 1902, the nursing sisters took up residence in the hospital, and a chapel was opened in the hospital, leaving St. Joseph's Convent for the school and music Sisters. 1905 was another important year in the growth of the hospital, as another three storey addition was opened, and a School Of Nursing began training qualified staff. The first graduates completed their studies in 1907.
In 1909, the Silver Jubilee of the hospital was celebrated. The hospital matured in 1918 with the opening of a modern wing including X-ray, clinical laboratory and pediatric departments. The hospital could now care for 150 patients. Like all similar health care facilities, St. Joseph's Hospital rose to the challenge of the 1918 outbreak of influenza. Sr. Monica's soliciting trips of funds for the hospital and orphanage continued into the 1920's.
In 1922, the hospital was accredited with an 'A-1' rating. In 1925 both the Congregation and the City of Port Arthur honoured Sister Monica on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee. In 1928, the original convent and south wing were demolished, and an addition completed which included sunrooms, central power house and a steam laundry. The design of the addition meant that all parts of the hospital were connected to each other easily. In 1928, a nearby home was purchased as a residence for nurses in training.
In 1934, the 50th anniversary of the hospital was celebrated with a special mass celebrated by Bishop David Scollard (Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie) and the unveiling a monument and statue of St. Joseph in recognition of the Sisters' contribution, especially Sister Monica who had devoted herself tirelessly to the hospital from its inception until her death in 1931. In 1935 a larger home was purchased for the nurses' residence, and the kitchen was renovated and expanded.
In 1936, at the initiative of Bishop Hubert Dignan, the Congregation's houses in the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie formed a branch Congregation, and so St. Joseph's Hospital became part of the new Congregation, continuing to give compassionate health care for many years.
Bishop Thomas Dowling (Bishop of Peterborough) purchased ‘St Leonard's Grove' in Ashburnham and on October 14, 1888 laid the cornerstone for a Catholic hospital in Peterborough. At the request of Bishop Alphonsus O'Connor (who had succeed Bishop Dowling as Bishop of Peterborough), five Sisters from the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto came to Peterborough in 1890 to set up the new hospital. These Sisters were part of the group which in August 1990 formed the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peterborough, shortly before the official opening of the hospital. The first retreat for the new Congregation, which ended with the election of Reverend Mother Austin Doran as the first Superior General, was held at the new hospital. A few days later, on August 20, 1890, Bishop O'Connor presided over the official opening of the 25 bed facility and declared that it was "open to all denominations", unlike Peterborough's other hospital (Nicholls Hospital) which was restricted to Protestants.
The following year forty aged, blind and destitute people (including orphans) who were being cared for by the Toronto Congregation arrived at the hospital. The former stable was renovated to accommodate the men and boys, and the women and children occupied the top floor of the hospital. The crowding and the unsuitability of the accommodations led to the opening of the House of Providence in 1900.
In 1894, three Sisters came from Lindsay to staff the Lake Street School (Sacred Heart School), the first teaching Sisters in Peterborough. They resided at St. Joseph's Hospital until Mount St. Joseph opened in 1895. St. Joseph's Hospital was incorporated as a charitable institution in 1894. In 1898 during an outbreak of typhoid fever which swept Peterborough, the hospital played an crucial role in caring for those afflicted with the disease.
Electric lighting was installed in 1900, making the care of patients much easier.
The hospital continued to grow with the opening of a major addition in 1908. This new wing included an operating room, sterilizing facilities, twelve additional patient beds, an isolation ward, space for a laboratory and accommodation for both Sisters and nursing students. It also boasted the first elevator in Peterborough. In later years this addition and the original building were referred to as 'C Wing'. These earliest sections were demolished in 1969.
In 1909 the first baby was born at St. Joseph's Hospital - at the time most births happened in homes.
In 1911 a steam laundry was opened to service the enlarged hospital.
After one of the Sisters had received training at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, an X-ray Department was established in 1913 in what had been the isolation ward. The X-Ray machine was purchased through the efforts of the three city parishes. The following year the Clinical Laboratory was opened, the first of its kind in Peterborough.
The hospital played a major role in responding to the disastrous fire at their neighbour, Quaker Oats Company, in 1916. In order to deal with the wave of injured, help was received from willing hands from House of Providence, Mount St. Joseph and St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. Two years later the hospital responded vigorously to the Spanish Influenza epidemic which struck Peterborough.
1922 saw a number of major achievements: a second addition ('A Wing') with sixty additional patient beds (including obstetrical, medical and surgical units) and an operating room and the awarding of a ‘Certificate of Approval' by the American College of Surgeons.
In 1944 Bishop John MacDonald (Bishop of Peterborough) transferred ownership of the hospital from the diocese to the Congregation.
St. Joseph's Hospital Auxiliary was formed in 1946 to assist the Sisters in meeting patients' needs.
The years after World War II were busy times as a number of important additions were completed. 1947 saw the opening of a Nurses' Residence, with a tunnel connecting it to the hospital. The same year a new power plant and laundry was opened. In 1950 a major addition ('B Wing') opened with 75 additional beds, Dietary Department and a Business Office. The cafeteria was completed in this section in 1952, as was the fourth floor of the Nurses' Residence.
The 1960's saw major changes to the facilities. A Cancer Clinic was opened in 1961 on the first floor of the Nurses' residence. The A Wing (built in 1922) was renovated in 1963 to bring it up to modern standards. It was designed to accommodate the nursery and Paediatric Department. A major addition ("D Wing") was completed in 1964, including 113 additional beds, new X-Ray Department, new Laboratory Department, new Surgical Suite, Emergency Department, Admitting Department, Physiotherapy Department, Medical Records Department, Pharmacy, Central Supplies, Morgue, Medical Library, Tuck Shop, Administration Office and an extension to the Dietary Department. In 1965 renovations to create a new Intensive Care Unit were completed. The Chapel was renovated in 1966. In 1969 the original hospital and most of the 1908 wing (except the chapel) were demolished, as they were no longer suitable for modern patient care.
In 1970 Mr. Leo Doiron became the first lay administrator of St. Joseph's Hospital.
In keeping up its tradition of offering the best in patient care, a Nuclear Medicine Department was opened in 1971.
The Laundry Department was folded in 1972, as the hospital become one of the founding members of Kawartha Hospital Linen Services, a co-operative venture of area hospitals. In 1973 a Teen Volunteer Program was begun to allow interested young people to provide assistance to staff and patients, while giving them valuable experience of hospital work.
The 1970's saw the beginning of rationalization of functions with Peterborough Civic Hospital, as Obstetrics were moved to Civic, and Orthopaedic services were centralized at St. Joseph's. This specialization led in 1974 to the formation of a Department of Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine and in 1977 to the opening of a Prosthetic/Orthotic Workshop and the Adult Rehabilitation Program. Also in 1977 The Cancer Clinic was re-organized and expanded in conjunction with Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, so that Peterborough area residents did not always have to travel to Toronto for diagnosis and treatment. The following year an Audiology Department, Back Care Program and Orthopaedic Clinic were opened.
From 1978 to 1981 the Canadian Hearing Society operated a Hearing Handicapped Centre in part of a house owned by the Sisters of St. Joseph (Medaille House) to support the work of the Audiology Department.
In 1982 a Joint Boards Committee was formed with Civic Hospital to formalize on-going planning of Peterborough area medical care and other issues of mutual concern.
A Palliative Care Program was initiated in 1983 to train volunteers who would assist the dying and their families. In the same year the Paediatric Ward was closed, as all services for children would be offered at Civic.
In February 1984, St. Joseph's Hospital assumed responsibilty for ownership and operation of two small Red Cross "outpost" hospitals in Haliburton and Minden. In April 1996 this responsiblity was transferred to Haliburton Highlands Health Services.
St. Joseph's Hospital of Peterborough Foundation was founded in 1985 to fund-raise for major hospital capital projects.
In 1986 a Day Hospital was opened to offer minor surgical procedures. The chapel was refurbished in 1989.
The Centennial of St. Joseph's Hospital, along with the Centennial of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peterborough, were celebrated in 1990 with a variety of special events.
In 1991 the Cancer Clinic was moved to Civic Hospital.
Because of growing concerns about the ability to provide and finance hospital care in Peterborough, St. Joseph's Board of Governors met with the Civic Hospital Board of Governors along with representatives from the City and County of Peterborough in 1992. These efforts to provide the best possible medical care in times of financial stress continued throughout the following years, leading to an evolution of the roles of the two institutions. In 1992 the hospital's name was changed to St. Joseph's Hospital and Health Centre, since it was no longer a general hospital.
In 1993 the phasing out of emergency services at St. Joseph's began, with the Emergency Department closed from midnight to 8:00AM. A number of services were consolidated at St. Joseph's including orthopaedics, ophthalmology, urology, dentistry and general rehabilitation.
The Emergency Department was closed in 1994, and renovations were made to accommodate more Day Surgery. In the same year, the Oncology Centre for cancer treatment was transferred back to St. Joseph's. It was now operated in co-operation with Kingston Regional Cancer Centre and Ontario Cancer Research Foundation.
In 1995 a new Palliative Care Centre was opened, providing a multi-disciplinary approach to palliative care in a home-like setting. Also in 1995, all the health care facilities owned by the Congregation were transferred to the sponsorship of the Fontbonne Health Care Society. This is a Public Juridic Person committed to carrying out the vision of the Sisters of St. Joseph in the hospital as well as Marycrest Home For the Aged and Marycrest at Inglewood.
Further rationalization of services was carried out in 1996 as the ICU (Critical Care Services) were consolidated at Civic. Also in 1996, the hospital became a separate corporation, known as St. Joseph's Health Centre. In the same year, the hospitals in Minden and Haliburton were transferred to the community-based Haliburton Services Board.
An important step in the co-operation between St. Joseph's Hospital and Civic Hospital occurred in 1996 with the formation of the Peterborough Hospitals Joint Services Agreement. Initially this involved Pharmacy, Diagnostic Imaging and Laboratory Services. In subsequent years it expanded to include Human Resources and Financial Services. The two hospitals also submitted a Joint Operating Plan to the Ministry of Health. This plan proposed that St. Joseph's become the Regional Chronic Care Centre, while all acute care was to be available at Civic.
An innovative program was begun in 1997 in the former Nurses' residence. A Complementary Care Centre was opened, offering services such as massage therapy, therapeutic touch, yoga and other complementary services. St. Joseph's was the first hospital in the province to offer these types of services.
The Ministry of Health sent a Special Investigation Team, led by Dr. Barry Smith, to review the operations of St. Joseph's and Peterborough Civic Hospital because of media reports of problems providing timely, efficient care.
In 1977 the District Health Council issued a report after considerable discussion and debate which recommended the transformation to St. Joseph's Continuing Care Resource Centre to offer Chronic Care, Rehabilitation, Geriatric Assessment, Palliative Care, and a variety of non-acute ambulatory out-patient services. Civic Hospital would become the regional Acute Care Facility.
On March 12, 1998, despite the overwhelming support of the community for the recommendations of the District Health Council that Peterborough retain two hospitals, the Health Services Restructuring Commission decreed that all hospital services in Peterborough be located at Civic Hospital and that St. Joseph's be closed by the year 2000. In spite of outcry in the community, this decision saw the end of St. Joseph's Hospital. A major tribute was hosted by the Peterborough community later in 1998 to thank the Sisters of St. Joseph for their 108 years of hospital care.
The building continued in use as the 'Rogers St. Site' of the Peterborough Regional Health Centre until June of 2008, when new hospital building was opened.
Sister Mary Anthony Hartleib (nee Mary Anne Lenore) was born in Stratford, Ontario on February 10, 1924. She was the daughter of Charles Henry Hartleib and Loretta Durand. Her stepmother was Mary Hartleib of Waterloo, Ontario. Mary Anne Lenore Hartleib joined the congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario and received the habit on July 2, 1965. She made her final vows on May 30, 1971 in the Chapel at Mount St. Joseph. She was given the religious name Sister Mary Anthony. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in art and theology at the University of Windsor in 1969, and then studied at Althouse College in London, Ontario. Sister Mary Anthony received a permanent teaching certificate in 1972, a supervisor’s certificate in art, and a teaching certificate in art and English. From 1970 until 1981, she supervised the art department at Mount St. Joseph Academy in London. She was appointed assistant bursar at Mount St. Joseph, but continued with art and the teaching of ceramics until 1985 when her art work took a new turn. Always interested in the spiritual, Sister Mary Anthony turned to iconography. She spent two years studying Chinese water colour painting, followed by three years of iconography. She was a scholar, a skilled teacher of art, and a passionate advocate of the way icons open the mystery of the sacred. Sister Mary Anthony became well known as an iconographer and maintained a studio in the Sisters’ residence after Mount St. Joseph Academy closed. For several years, she shared her knowledge of iconography with the seminarians at St. Peter’s Seminary in London. The community of the Sisters of St. Joseph moved to 485 Windermere Road in 2007, where Sister Mary Anthony occupied her own art studio. Three of her icons, including that of the Blessed Trinity, were placed in the Chapel at the new residence. After a very short illness, Sister Mary Anthony died in the care centre at the Sisters’ Residence on June 23, 2008. Her funeral Mass of Resurrection was celebrated in St. Joseph Chapel in the residence at 485 Windermere Road. Father Frank O’Connor of St. Peter’s Seminary was the main celebrant. Sister Mary Anthony was buried in St. Peter’s cemetery in London.