This series documents the activities of the Alberta mission of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario. There are annals and historical summaries, reports, promotional materials, pamphlets, event programs, newspaper articles, correspondence, lists of Sisters on missions in western Canada, a photograph, and a digital video disc. These items showcase a legacy of mission work undertaken by the Sisters in pastoral care, education, and healthcare in the Archdiocese of Edmonton. There is a historical summary of mission activities from 1972 to 1983, authored by Sister Catherine Cunningham. Topics in this summary include teaching in the Edmonton catholic school district, social and cultural events in the region, celebrations, trips, retreats at Sylvan Lake, and the placement of new Sisters in the west. In addition, there is a compilation by Sister Cunningham titled, 50 Golden Years in Canada’s Golden West, with topics on the convents in the parishes of St. Bride’s and Sacred Heart in Alberta, Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, and Maple Ridge in British Columbia, as well as in Alberta hospitals at Rimbey, Killam, and Galahad. The compilation also contains newspaper articles on the Sisters’ professions at the Sacred Heart Convent in Edmonton with photographs of the Sisters and clergy. There are lists of names of the London Sisters who were stationed in the west and a 1926 photograph of the first group of Sisters to go west. The series also contains records on the Catholic Sisters’ Legacy Recognition Project conducted by the Catholic Bishops of Alberta and the Northwest Territories. This includes the unveiling of the statue Service Through Christ, a 2011 Annual Report by Covenant Health, and the film A Legacy of Service – A Film in Honour of the Countless Women Religious Who have Served in the Province of Alberta for over 150 Years, directed by Eric Spoeth.

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.

This series contains a history of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario’s activities in St. Brides, Alberta. History of St. Bride’s Settlement, Alberta, is a written history authored by Sister M. Winnifrid Downs covering 1927 to 1956. It was an assignment submitted on July 31, 1956, for a history summer school course at the University of Alberta. The essay topics include immigration policies, the original and later settlers, and the development and progress of St. Brides, with 47 photographs, maps, land plot diagrams, a pamphlet, a list of pioneer families who arrived in St. Brides in 1927, and a letter with an envelope to Sister Mary Winnifrid in Edmonton from Father MacDonell in Inverness-shire, in Ireland, on vows taken on April 14, 1956. There are also lists of of Sisters who taught or were missioned to St. Brides from 1934 to 1964, as well as correspondence about collecting information to create a history of St. Brides, and newsclippings on the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of St. Brides Parish. There are printed pictures and photographs of the Sisters poised in from of St. Brides Convent in the mid-1950s, and photographs of the condominium residence of Sister St. Bride and Sister Rose Ellen in Edmonton. In addition, there is a photograph of a wooden and metal engraved plaque that was awarded to the Sisters for their fifty years of service in St. Brides from 1927 to 1977.

This series primarily contains the financial and legal documents of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario, for the Sylvan Lake property in the Summer Village of Birchcliff, Alberta. Documents include official appraisal reports, property surveys, purchase and sale of land records, a subdivision land map, drawing of a diagram for the construction of a garage and extension for storage. There are also invoices and receipts for the building, repair, and maintenance of the Sylvan Lake cottage, as well as correspondence with construction contractors. There is a report authored by Cuthbertson Sandall Chartered Accountants titled, Summer Village of Birchcliff Financial Statements, Year Ended December 31, 2001. There is also a folded and certified land survey plan indicating the subdivision plots by the City of Red Deer Land Surveyor, Mr. J. C. Horn, dated July 2, 1974. In addition, there are photographs of the landscape and the interior of the house. There are also two photograph albums, one created by Colin George Arthur and Lorna Mae Arthur and the other by the Sisters.

This series contains records concerning the involvement of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Pembroke with St. Joseph’s Hospital in Barrhead, Alberta. The records cover the establishment of the hospital, the administration and operation of the hospital, the transfer of the hospital, and the Sisters’ involvement with the Catholic Hospital Association and the Alberta Hospital Association. Materials include financial records, agreements for the purchase and sale of property, annals, memoirs, pamphlets, booklets, newsletters, lot maps, hospital floor plans, hospital bylaws, correspondence, and photographs. The major topics within the correspondence include establishing and operating the hospital, finances, the purchase and sale of property, construction and renovations, Catholic hospitals and medical ethics in Alberta, the changing role of Sisters in the hospital, and the relinquishing of ownership of the hospital. The photographs are of the hospital and Sisters at various events and locations.

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.