This series is primarily about the general history of the St. Joseph’s Convent Regional House in the Archdiocese of Edmonton, Alberta which was a Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario during their mission in Alberta. St. Joseph’s Convent Regional House was also referred to as the Edmonton Regional House or just Regional House. This series contains historical summaries of the Sisters’ western mission in Alberta, with an emphasis on the planning and closing ceremonies of the Regional House. There is correspondences concerning the preparations and closing ceremonies of the St. Joseph’s Convent Regional House, from June 29 to July 2, 2001, including Minutes from the Committee for Closing of Regional House from March 13 to June 11, 2001. There are also Minutes of the Regional House Council Meetings from 1922 to 1992 covering topics such as the balloting and the results of Community elections, the search for, purchase and sale of the property of the Regional House, as well as the inaugural opening and farewell closing, and the various building construction and renovation projects. There are several lists including a timeline of historical milestones, donated items for the opening of the Regional House, Sisters stationed in the Edmonton Archdiocese, those who took Final Vows, and others who are deceased. This series contains architectural drawings, layout illustrations of the interior and exterior of the Regional House, maps, closing souvenir programs, brochures, and newspaper articles about the closing events at the Regional House. In addition, there are signed guestbooks of visitors to the Regional House, photographs of the Sisters and invited guests celebrating the closing ceremonies, and material related to the creation of In the Spirit of the Sisters of St. Joseph: A Tribute to the Regional House in Edmonton, Alberta, a “Memory Brochure” created by the Lashbrook Group of London, Ontario for the closing of the Regional House. This series has one photo album and two scrapbooks that contain photographs, correspondence, brochures, and prayer cards related to the history of the Sisters from 1961 to 2001, in Edmonton.

This series is a general history of the events and activities of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario’s ministry in the Archdiocese of Edmonton, Alberta from 1922 to 2019. This series covers the founding history of the Sisters in France and the spread and growth of their sisterhood to eastern then western Canada. The series contains historical summaries, chronicles, and lists of the Sisters activities in Alberta. A number of the records are related to the properties, such as real estate insurances, invoices, property estimations, floor plans, and records concerning the leasing, sale and purchase of houses in Edmonton with a focus on two houses, one on 143rd Street and the other on 148th Street. There are business letters, donation lists, newspaper clippings, and a 1958 city map of Edmonton that documents the contribution of the Sisters’ service in education and social work in the parishes of central Edmonton. Highlighted is the Sisters’ volunteer work that supported the homeless people. There is correspondence, newsletters, and letters of recognition of volunteer work that document the Sisters and their partnerships with social welfare organizations such as the Boyle Street Co-op Youth Unit, the Elizabeth Fry Society, and the Edmonton People In Need Shelter Society (P.I.N.S.). There are also reports, pamphlets, and summaries of the Sisters’ activities at some of these organizations. There are also two noteworthy booklets, a Silver Jubilee souvenir booklet covering 1913 to 1938 and the Chronicles of Sisters of St. Joseph, Edmonton, ALTA covering 1922 to1962. In addition, there are photographs of the Sisters at the closing ceremonies of the St. Joseph’s Convent Regional House in 2001, in Edmonton, a news article about Sister Ethel Steinkey going to assist in New York after 9/11 and lists of the burial plots of deceased Sisters in three cemeteries in Edmonton. There are also photo albums that primarily contain photographs, as well as a list of Sisters, printed pictures and a news clipping related to the Sisters of St. Joseph’s western mission at St. Joseph’s Convent (Regional House), in Edmonton, Alberta.

This series contains records of the Sisters’ involvement in Grouard, Slave Lake, and Calling Lake, Alberta. This includes the December 1984 issue of Kinsemanito Centre, a newsletter published by the Aboriginal Catholic Ministries School located in Grouard. The Kinsemanito Centre was a training centre for Catholic Indigenous people interested in pursuing a religious career in ministry. The newsletter topics include the October 7, 1984, ceremony of a new priest who is also a member of the Sagkeeng First Nation, Reverend Father Stanley Albert Fontaine, as well as an announcement of a workshop for men interested in priesthood, students providing commentaries on their studies, and a course outline for 1985. In addition, there are also lists of the two Sisters of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario, Sister Patricia McKeon and Sister Renee Stevens, who delivered classes in Grouard from 1983 to 1987.

The records in this series concern the involvement of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London in the field of education in Edmonton, Alberta. The records are primarily concerned with O’Leary High School, St. Nicholas High School, and the history of the Sisters’ involvement with education in Edmonton, Alberta. The material includes O’Leary High School yearbooks, photographs of O’Leary High School, news clippings, pamphlets, histories, and correspondence. The correspondence is about the establishment of the Edmonton Catholic School District Archives and the history of the Sisters who worked in education in Edmonton, Alberta.

This series includes a variety of textual records and photographs related to the vocational activity of the Sisters of St. Joseph. There are correspondence, newspaper clippings, bookmarks, advertisements, pamphlets, brochures, program outlines, catalogues, registers, photographs, communication records, newsletters, bulletins, memos, minutes, advertisements, bookmarks, and booklets. The materials were created predominantly in London, Ontario and Edmonton, Alberta. The main function of the materials in this series relates to providing information as well as the administration of the formation process.

The series consists of records kept by the General Superior office for use in the administration of the community in London, Ontario. Material is primarily from the period during which Sister Margo Ritchie held the office, but it also contains material from when Sister Mary Diesboug and Sister Valerie Van Cauwenburghe held the position. This series contains twelve subseries relating to the operations, missions, and activities of the congregation. This includes the Medaille Retreat House, Josephs’ House, the Detox Centre, My Sister’s Place, St. Joseph’s Hospitality Centre, Elizabeth Place, St. Stephen’s House, the Southdown Project, Holy Rosary House in Windsor, the Goderich convent, and the Sisters of St. Joseph in Alberta. There is also material related to the hospitals in London, Sarnia, and Chatham administered by the Sisters and the transfer of operation of said hospitals to the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance and St. Joseph’s Health Care Society. There is material related to the construction of a new residence, especially concerning the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards of the new building, and relocation of the Sisters from Mount St. Joseph to this new residence.

There is also material related to the various meetings of the congregation, from the more informal Community Days to the more formal Assemblies and Chapters. Chapters are formal congregational meetings where major decisions, such as amalgamation and leadership positions were voted on. There are voting records from the 2011 Special Chapter and the 2009 Oneness Project in this series. There are also reports from the Leadership Circle, Chapters, and committees within the congregation. There is also material from the Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Canada, an organization made up of all the Congregations of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada. There is material from the Federation and the London congregation’s systemic justice efforts and the Sisters’ efforts towards concerning the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. There are various newsletters from the Federation and the London congregation. The series also includes administrative correspondence and speeches presented by the General Superior to the congregation.

In summary, the series contains letters, reports, speeches, minutes, voting records, newsletters, pamphlets, prayer books, agendas, meeting minutes, memorandums, postcards, photographs, correspondence, timelines and schedules, inventory lists, legal documents, meeting minutes, executive summaries, budget reports, reports, newspaper and magazine clippings, bursary reports, histories, bulletins, designs for stained glass windows, and property appraisals.

This series contains records created and accumulated by the office of the General Treasurer for the Sisters of St. Joseph in London, Ontario. The records are primarily related to managing the donations given by and to the Sisters and the funding for their ministries, missions, Motherhouses, residences, and outreach projects. In London, St. Joseph’s Hospitality Centre provided food security programs, Medaille Retreat House was a spiritual retreat centre for the Sisters, the Queens Avenue building was a home for women in need, and the Boulee Street house was a ministry to the poor. The Adult Spirituality Centre, St. Joseph’s Manor, the Foster Home on St. Rose Avenue, and Holy Rosary Convent were all in Windsor. St. Joseph’s Manor and the Foster Home were ministries to children in need and Holy Rosary Convent was the main convent for the Windsor Sisters. The Adult Spirituality Centre in Windsor provided spiritual direction and retreats. Another spiritual retreat, Marygrove, was in Aylmer. Outside of Ontario, there are records concerning the Photo History Project at Ataguttaaluk School in Igloolik, Nunavut in which Sister Mary Diesbourg participated, the Sisters at St. Joseph Regional House in Edmonton, Alberta, and the mission in Peru including the collaboration with Heart-Links, a London based charity focused on Peru.

The series includes reports, meeting agendas and minutes, mission statements, budgets, floorplans, funding proposals and requests, grant applications, forms, lists of Sisters involved with specific projects and sites, and correspondence concerning funding, donations, location changes, operations, and testimonials from the public supporting the Sisters’ projects. There are also resolution agreements from the Sisters’ projects. One agreement is with the sole shareholder of a company connected to a property owned by the London congregation, Marygrove, concerning the finances and leadership positions within the company. The other agreement is between the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary and the Sisters of St. Joseph to decide the future of the Adult Spirituality Center.

One of the ways that Sisters could request funding for their ministries from the congregation was through the Apostolic Services Fund. Arrangements for the creation of this fund, outlines of requirements to qualify for funding and funding applications are included.

Not all the material is concerned with finances. Some records pertain to other projects the General Treasurer was involved with, particularly when Sister Loretta Manzara held the office. In 2007, the Sisters moved from Mount St. Joseph to a new LEED certified residence at 485 Windermere Road. in the series includes records related to this transition such as the Sisters’ Statement of Values, reports, pamphlets, news clippings, an issue of London Citylife, and newsletters (one of which was titled Crossing Over). There is also material concerned with the sale of Mount St. Joseph, the former Motherhouse.

At the 2012 Foundation Day, the Annals Project was presented. It focused on a shift from keeping annals to looking at the life of the entire congregation as expressed through Chapter reports. Pamphlets, agendas, meeting minutes, and a report on this project are present. Accompanying this material are annotated photocopies of various reports covering the Sisters’ activities from 1959 to 2011 which were referenced for the project.

Records related to the London Sisters’ involvement in Goderich, Ontario are also present, such as correspondence and pamphlets about their commitment to the area and the 100th anniversary of the founding of the first convent outside London.

The series also includes descriptions of icons painted by Sister Mary Anthony Hartleib, as well as prints of some of her artwork (including on the back of her funeral card), and photographs of artwork by Philip Aziz. Other photographs in the series are from the mission in Peru and of students and elders in the report for the Photo History Project at Ataguttaaluk School.

This series consists of records collected about Mother Mechtilde McCarthy and created by her. The material consists of chronologies; a Form of the Act signed at reception and a Form of the Act signed at final vows dated 1878; a detailed report of a canonical visit by the Bishop of London, Michael Frances Fallon in 1917; correspondence with Bishop Michael Frances Fallon, Dr. Bruce Smith, Mother M. Clare, and George M. Reid; copies of correspondence with Archbishop J. H. MacDonald concerning the governance and separation of the Edmonton community from its founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of London; and a history of the Edmonton community from 1922 to 1953 entitled “Our Western Saga”. The canonical status, governance, and fiscal responsibility of the Edmonton community had been an ongoing issue since its establishment in 1922.