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Área de fechas de creación
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1951-2014 (Creación)
- Creador
- Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada (London, Ont.)
Área de descripción física
Descripción física
8.25 cm of textual records
6 photographs : b&w.
61 photographs : col.
84 photographs : negatives, 35-mm
5 photo albums : 18 x 22.5 x 1.75 cm
8 photo albums : 26 x 30 x 3 cm
1 architectural drawing : 33.5 x 42 cm
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Historia administrativa
The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Diocese of London, Ontario was first incorporated on February 15, 1891 under chapter 92 of the Statutes of Ontario, 1870-1. London, Ontario is on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak, and Attawandaron Peoples.
On December 11, 1868, at the request of Bishop John Walsh, five Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto arrived in London, Ontario. Mother Teresa Brennan, Sister Ignatia Campbell, Sister Ursula McGuire, Sister Francis O’Malley and Sister Appolonia Nolan were accompanied by Reverend Mother Antoinette McDonald and were welcomed by Bishop Walsh, Rev. J.M. Bruyere, V.G., and Rev. P. Egan, pastor of St. Peter’s Church. Awaiting the Sisters were sleighs that transported them from the train station to a temporary home at 170 Kent Street.
In accordance with their mission in London, three Sisters began teaching at St. Peter’s School in January, 1869. After classes, they visited the sick, the poor and the imprisoned. They were also mandated to open an orphanage in the future. In order to accomplish these tasks, more Sisters and larger facilities were necessary.
On October 2, 1869, the Barker House at the corner of Richmond and College Street in North London was purchased and the Sisters moved there from Kent Street. The building was named Mount Hope, and it became the first Motherhouse of the Sisters, eventually housing the elderly, orphans, Sisters and novices.
On December 18, 1870, the Sisters of St. Joseph became an autonomous congregation in the London diocese, independent of the Toronto congregation. Sister Ignatia Campbell was appointed Superior General, an office she held until 1902. On February 15, 1871, the congregation became legally incorporated.
On October 7, 1877, an addition was made to Mount Hope. This building stood until it was demolished on August 3, 1980, surrounded by the growing healthcare institutions founded by the Sisters, beginning with St. Joseph’s Hospital which opened at 268 Grosvenor Street on October 15, 1888, and followed by the opening of St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing in 1895, and the construction of a new nursing school building in 1927, which saw its last graduation in 1977. On May 1, 1951, St. Mary’s Hospital was opened, followed by Marian Villa on January 12, 1966. In 1985, the hospital complex was renamed St. Joseph’s Health Centre, and ownership was transferred in 1993 to St. Joseph’s Health Care Society.
But it was not only in London that Sisters saw the need for healthcare and nursing education. On October 15, 1890, they opened St. Joseph’s Hospital on Centre Street in Chatham, Ontario, which remained under their control until 1993. In 1895, they opened St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing, which saw its last graduation in 1970. On October 18, 1946, they opened St. Jospeh’s Hospital at 290 North Russell Street in Sarnia which remained under their control until 1993. In Alberta, they administered St. Joseph’s Hospital in Stettler (1926), St. Joseph’s Hospital in Galahad (1927), the General Hospital in Killam (1930), and St. Paul’s Hospital in Rimbey (1932).
On April 10, 1899, the Sisters opened Mount St. Joseph Motherhouse, Novitiate and Orphanage at the former Hellmuth College at 1486 Richmond Street North in London. The orphans were moved to this new location from Mount Hope, which remained a home for the elderly and was renamed House of Providence on June 3, 1899. The orphanage remained at Mount St. Joseph until it was moved to Fontbonne Hall in 1953 (to 1967). The original Hellmuth College building was demolished in 1976.
Later, on September 14, 1914, the Motherhouse and Novitiate moved to Sacred Heart Convent at Colborne and Dundas Streets in London, with the orphans remaining at Mount St. Joseph. The Sisters lived at Sacred Heart Convent until 1953, when they moved back to the newly built Mount St. Joseph, on the original location of the former Hellmuth College. The new Motherhouse and Novitiate was officially opened on June 29, 1954. It was here that they continued a private girls’ school which had begun in 1950 at Sacred Heart Convent, and was now known as Mount St. Joseph Academy (to 1985). It was here too that they continued a music school which had also begun at Sacred Heart Convent and was now called St. Joseph’s School of Music (to 1982). The Médaille Retreat Centre began here in 1992, and the Sisters also administered a Guest Wing for relatives of hospitalized patients (to 2005). The Sisters departed Mount St. Joseph for their new residence, a green building at 485 Windermere Road in London, in 2007.
On September 4, 1873, St. Joseph’s Convent opened at 131 North Street in Goderich, Ontario, followed by other convents in Ontario, including Ingersoll (1879), St. Thomas (1879), Belle River (1889), Windsor (1894), Sarnia (1906), Kingsbridge (1911), Seaforth (1913), St. Mary’s (1913), Woodstock (1913), Kinkora (1916), Paincourt (1923), Maidstone (1930), Leamington (1932), Delhi (1938), Tillsonburg (1938), Simcoe (1938), Langton (1939), West Lorne (1957), and Zurich (1963)
The Sisters also opened missions in other parts of Canada, including in Alberta: Edmonton (1922), Wetaskiwin (1929), St. Bride’s (1934); and in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories Yellowknife (1953), and in British Columbia in Haney, now Maple Ridge (1956), and Rutland (1970). Branching even further afield, Convento San Jose was opened in Chiclayo, Peru in 1962.
Over the years, as well as their service as teachers in the separate school system, as music teachers, as healthcare workers, as nursing educators, in providing care to orphans, and in providing parish ministry, pastoral care, and administering spiritual retreats, the Sisters were also involved in social service ministry. In Windsor, they opened the Roy J. Bondy Centre on September 13, 1970 which was a receiving home for the Children’s Aid Society, withdrawing in 1982 but continuing to provide residential care for disabled children afterward. In London, they opened Internos, a residence for teenage girls attending school and later for troubled teens (to 1979). This was followed by the opening of St. Joseph’s Detoxification Centre on September 13, 1973 (to 2005) and St. Stephen’s House, an alcoholic recovery centre on February 1, 1982 (to 2000). Loughlin House in London opened as a residence for ex-psychiatric female patients in 1986 (to 1989), followed by the Home for Women in Need at 534 Queens Avenue in 1979 (to 2004). Later, St. Josephs’ House for Refugees was opened in 1987 (to 2005), followed by St. Joseph’s Hospitality Centre, a food security program, on February 2, 1983.
On November 22, 2012, the congregation amalgamated with those in Hamilton, Peterborough, 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.
Historial de custodia
Alcance y contenido
This series contains records that document the history of the Community House mission at the corner site of Queens Avenue and Williams Street in London by the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario. Different groups of Sisters of St. Joseph lived together in a housing complex on a site that comprised two addresses, 534 Queens Avenue and 471 Williams Street. The records document the activities of individual Sisters assigned to a range of ministries and various community outreach projects that operated within the house. These activities were in the fields of education, health care, social services, and pastoral work. There are short essays, summaries, and visual records that document the seven iterations of the Community House at 534 Queens Avenue: Fontbonne Hall Home for Children, Madame Vanier Children’s Services, Internos, Withdrawal Management Service of the St. Joseph’s Detoxification Centre (also known as Detox Centre/Clinic), Women’s House (also known as Women’s Residence, Home for Women in Need, Home for Women in Transition, and the Women in Transition House), Streetscape, and My Sisters’ Place (also known as My Sister’s Place). There are records that document the ministries of the Sisters in their service of establishing and managing each of the seven community outreach projects undertaken at the Community House.
This series also contains the chronicles of Fontbonne Hall Home for Children, Madame Vanier Children’s Services, Internos, and the St. Joseph’s Detoxification Centre (Detox Centre), lists of Sisters stationed at the Community House, speeches authored by Sister Nancy Wales, correspondence regarding the administration of the various community projects, promotional pamphlets advertising the types of social services the Sisters offered at the Community House, and newspaper articles related to the official opening and closing events of the different social programs. There are invitation cards related to the farewell celebration of the Community House, artworks portraying the Community House and surrounding landscape, and an architectural blueprint plan of the property.
In addition, there are photo albums and loose photographs and negatives. These photographs depict the interior and exterior of the Community House. The photographs also depict the Sisters of St. Joseph interacting with staff members, professional colleagues, and guests who are participating in various activities and attending events at the Community House such as: celebrations, holidays, committee meetings, spiritual retreats, day trips, and regional outings.
Área de notas
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Origen del ingreso
These records were accumulated by the Sisters of St. Joseph London, Ontario.
Arreglo
Original order was maintained.
Idioma del material
Escritura del material
Ubicación de los originales
The records are located at The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Archives.
Disponibilidad de otros formatos
Restricciones de acceso
Some material within has identifying information for vulnerable individuals utilizing services at 534 Queens Avenue. Files F01-S053-01-01, 03, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and F01-S053-03-03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, and 12 are restricted to protect the privacy of living people for 120 years. The Archives reserves the right to restrict access to the collection depending on the condition of the archival material, the amount of material requested, and the purpose of the research. The use of certain materials may also be restricted for reasons of privacy or sensitivity, or under a donor agreement. Access restrictions will be applied equally to all researchers and reviewed periodically. No researcher will be given access to any materials that contain a personal information bank such as donor agreements or personnel records, or to other proprietary information such as appraisals, insurance valuations, or condition reports.
Condiciones de uso, reproducción, y publicación
Permission to study archival records does not extend to publication or display rights. The researcher must request this permission in writing from the Archives.
Instrumentos de descripción
Series and file list available.
instrumento de descripción generado
Materiales asociados
Acumulaciones
No further accruals are expected.
Nota general
In 1951, the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario purchased a large Victorian styled house at a corner lot on Queens Avenue and Williams Street in London. The former private home was originally built by Charles N. Spencer in 1856. It served as a Community House the Sisters that moved on September 1, 1951. On May 1, 1953, the Congregation remodeled it into a 41-room orphanage under guidance from the Ontario Department of Public Welfare and Child Welfare Branch.
On September 11, 1953, the Fontbonne Hall Home for Children, named after the foundress of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Mother St. John Fontbonne, officially opened. Fontbonne Hall served as a convent, orphanage, and a licensed nursery school for children aged 2-6 years who were wards of the Children’s Aid Society. In 1953, the Mount St. Joseph Orphanage in London closed due to changes in government policy and children were transferred to Fontbonne Hall for continued care under the Sisters. In March 1959, there was a red measles outbreak.
On September 3, 1964, Bishop Gerald Emmett Carter of the London Diocese established the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of London and assembled a new Board of Directors for Children’s Services. The Catholic Charities managed the financial operation of Fontbonne Hall and, in conjunction with the Children’s Services of Middlesex County, the Committee on Childcare administered the programming.
The property at 534 Queens Avenue was leased to on July 15, 1965. The Catholic Charities transformed Fontbonne Hall into a psychiatric residential treatment centre for children with emotional trauma. It was named the Madame Vanier Children’s Services in honour of the humanitarian work of Madame Pauline Vanier, the viceregal consort of Canada. The children’s treatment centre was managed by the Child Welfare Division of the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of London and funded by the Mental Health Division of the Provincial Department of Health, the Provincial Department of Social and Family Services, the London United Community Services, and the Children’s Aid Society. In November 1966, the Sisters of St. Joseph relinquished their work due to prevailing unsatisfactory operating conditions and spaces deemed unsuitable for such childcare. By June 1967, all Sisters had been withdrawn, and teachers assigned by the London Board of Education filled their vacancies. In 1971, the lease expired with the Catholic Charities and their contract was terminated. Madame Vanier Children’s Services moved to another location and the Sisters of St. Joseph reclaimed the house to start their next project.
From September 1972 to 1979, the Queens Avenue Community House was converted into Internos, a home to assist and accommodate up to 23 teenage girls coping with social and family pressures. The aim was to provide guidance, spiritual care, and a home for the teenage girls. The girls were referred to the Internos program from parents, teachers, health care professionals, and counsellors. The first group of appointed staff included Sister Marguerite Sullivan, Sister Patricia Hogan, Sister Marie Thérèse, and Sister Mary Eileen Marchant. The house had a total of 57 rooms, four of which were used by the St. Joseph’s School of Music, where Sisters taught from Monday to Friday.
In January 1979, the Sisters oversaw extensive renovations in the next phase of their new projects. The house at 534 Queens Avenue expanded with new additions to provide a rehabilitative medical clinic and substance use withdrawal treatment program. The St. Joseph’s Detoxification Centre (also referred to as the Withdrawal Management Service, Detox Centre, or Detox Clinic) was operated by the Sisters in new rooms attached to the house with the entrance being at 471 Williams Street. The project was open for men for the first six years and then also opened to women experiencing addiction and complex health issues. On October 31, 2005, St. Joseph’s Detoxification Centre moved to Wellington Street, and the Salvation Army Centre of Hope took over the management.
From 1977 to 1979, the Sisters of St. Joseph adapted the house for their next mission, a Christian Community for post-high school adult women. This project was known as the Women’s House, Women’s Residence, Home for Women in Need, Home for Women in Transition, and Women in Transition House. It was administered by the Sisters of St. Joseph from 1980 to 2004. The female residents were either discharged from the London Psychiatric Hospital (LPH), Western Ontario Therapeutic Community Hostel (WOTCH) Community Mental Health Services or were awaiting an alcohol or chemical addiction treatment program. In 1980, the Sisters provided professional counselling and life skills training for 35 women aged 16 to 65 who were in residence for different durations of up to 6-months. Overtime, there was an increase of female clientele who were elderly, from a racialized group, or experiencing/recovering from multiple simultaneous addictions, mental health disorders, homelessness, criminal charges, sexual assault, and intimate partner abuse, and children kidnapped by a spouse to live overseas. The Sisters maintained a practice of inviting former female residents back for social, cultural, and seasonal gatherings. The Sisters also started a daytime centre where previous residents were welcomed to visit anytime. The Sisters of St. Joseph worked in collaboration with local organizations such as the Mission Services of London, Rotholme Family Shelter, Women’s Community, Salvation Army, YWCA, London Police, health and social welfare agencies, correctional services, hospitals, and emergency departments. In July 1982, the Women’s Information Sharing Exchange (WISE) was formed, a monthly meeting group comprised of female members from various agencies that kept each other aware of available resources.
On November 1, 1999, the Sisters started Streetscape, an emergency overnight shelter for women experiencing homelessness and complex mental health issues who were considered “too disruptive” to access other shelter systems. Streetscape operated in the basement of the Community House and was open November to March from 9:00 pm to 7:00 am. The project was managed by the Streetscape Steering Committee comprised of Sisters and staff with the London East Mental Health Services, London Inter-Community Health Centre, Consumer and Survivor Community Support Services (Can-Voice), Youth Action Centre, and the London Coffee House. The Ministry of Health funded overnight workers to stay with the women. On March 20, 2001, the Streetscape Steering Committee dissolved the program, but the demand and need for shelter resulted in Streetscape remaining open and doubling its capacity. In May 2001, the program was transferred to the Community Mental Health Program of the Mission Services of London.
On October 11, 2004, the Sisters of St. Joseph began My Sisters’ Place, also referred to as My Sister’s Place. This was their final project at the Queens Avenue Community House in a partnership with the Women’s Mental Health Addiction and Action Research Coalition of London and the Western Ontario Therapeutic Community Hostel (WOTCH) Mental Health Services. The Sisters granted the use of their property rent-free for a year and financed staff wages until March 27, 2005. My Sisters’ Place was a daytime drop-in centre for women facing housing crises, coping with mental health issues, and/or struggling with addiction. The transitional support program at 534 Queens Avenue offered support for up to 60 women a day, Monday to Friday. It provided a hot lunch, shower, laundry, computer access, a daytime crash bed, social activities, healthcare check-ups, mental health counsellors, and referrals to other services. On November 2, 2005, My Sisters’ Place moved to King Street when the Community House at 534 Queens Avenue was sold. The Sisters vacated the house on December 7, 2005, and held a farewell event of thanks and remembering on December 11. In 2009, My Sisters’ Place moved to Dundas Street and is now run by the Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services.
London, Ontario is situated on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron Nations, and land specific to Treaty 2 (McKee Purchase of 1790), Treaty 6 (London Township Purchase of 1796), Treaty 21 (Long Woods Purchase of 1819), Treaty 29 (Huron Tract Purchase of 1827), Nanfan Treaty of 1701, Two Row Wampum Belt Treaty of 1613, and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum of 1701.
Nota general
Some content within this record group contains language which may be offensive, derogatory, or harmful. This language does not reflect the values of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada. We want to acknowledge that this content exists and the harm it has done and can do, but do not want to erase it from the historical context.
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This project has been made possible in part by Library and Archives Canada’s Documentary Heritage Communities Program.
By Lyllie Sue, December 2024.
Idioma de descripción
Escritura de la descripción
Fuentes
City of London, Ontario, “City of London Land Acknowledgement,” https://london.ca/city-london-land-acknowledgement, accessed 2024/10/10.
Government of Ontario, “Map of Ontario treaties and reserves,” https://www.ontario.ca/page/map-ontario-treaties-and-reserves#, accessed 2024/10/10.
Janisse, Jacqueline, pers. comm., December 6, 2024.
Manzara, Loretta, pers. comm., December 9, 2024.
Wales, Nancy, pers. comm., December 10, 2024.