This series contains material related to the receptions and professions of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Diocese of London, Ontario. The records are primarily concerned with Sisters who had their receptions and professions in London, Ontario and at the mission in Edmonton, Alberta. This series includes records related to the vows and vow ceremonies, which are the rituals involved in becoming a member of a religious community. These ceremony records include correspondence, invitations, seating charts, guest lists, and forms of vows. The first receptions occurred at Mount Hope which was the Sisters’ first motherhouse in London, and a historical summary of those early ceremonies is present. There are also scripts for speeches and homilies and written accounts. Photographs, prayers, and ephemera including booklets, programs, and newspaper clippings from these ceremonies are also present. One photograph is of the reception of a class of Sisters who had been recruited from Ireland by Sister Julia Moore. One pamphlet is from the 1987 Profession of the Sisters of St. Michael the Archangel of the Diocese of Ekiti, Nigeria. Various lists of Sisters’ ceremony dates, stages of religious life, deaths and withdrawals are also included. The vows present here are primarily in bound volumes, though some are on individual sheets of paper. Many of the volumes have related correspondence, renewals, or scripts for the vows (referred to as forms) tucked or pasted within. The vows are generally formulaic, though some are unique. Some, mainly first vows, list the Sisters’ hometown, age, and parents.

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 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.

This series contains records concerning the involvement of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the London diocese in education in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. There are three yearbooks from St. Patrick’s School where the Sisters worked as principals, teachers, and librarians. The yearbooks contain photographs and information on the students, staff, school activities, St. Patrick’s Church, St. Joseph’s Convent, Norman Byrne’s (chairman of the Separate School Board) reception of the Bene Merenti Medal, and advertisements from local businesses. The school began a mining course for high school seniors in the 1961-1962 school year and it is highlighted in two of the yearbooks. Since mining was so important to the community, with two gold mines located in Yellowknife at the time, one of the yearbooks is titled Au-197 as “Au” is the Latin abbreviation of gold and 197 is gold’s atomic composition by weight.

This sous-fonds contains material created and amassed by Sister Marie Angela Aubert. Sister Marie Angela Aubert was a writer of poetry, articles, poems and more and much of that material is included here. The scripts, records, and correspondence about the over 140 plays she wrote inspired by the Bible are present. A notable inclusion is The Great Adventure, a play written and produced by Sister Marie Angela Aubert for the 125th Anniversary of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London. There is also correspondence with the Bishops of London granting her plays Imprimatur and Nihil Obstat, which means that the content of the plays was found to be in keeping with the teachings of the Church, are of good quality, and can be published. Her work was also included in Fine Lines: 1997 Anthology and Fine Lines II: 1998 Anthology by London & Area Writers. Both books are within this sous-fonds. In addition, there are various serial publications and clippings present which feature Sister Marie Angela Aubert’s poems, plays, reflections on her life and religious experiences, articles on education, and Letters to the Editor. There is also a research paper she wrote on the impact of Christianity in a detention centre. Sister Marie Angela Aubert was the Coordinator of R.C. [Roman Catholic] Jail Ministry Volunteers and the scripts for communion services at Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre are present here, too. The sous-fond also includes certificates, diplomas, transcripts, and teaching licenses presented to and earned by Sister Marie Angela Aubert, including her B.A. diploma from the University of Windsor and B.Ed. diploma from the University of Alberta. Sister Marie Angela Aubert spent much of her life as a teacher. While working at O'Leary High School she got the students involved in the Junior Achievements Program and at Catholic Central High School she supervised the CCH Business Club. Newsletters, administrative documents, correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, correspondence, and an article written by her from these two programs are included in this sous-fonds. There are also invitations, awards lists, and thank-you notes from Sister Marie Angela Aubert’s time at these schools.

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.

This fonds contains the annals of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Pembroke, Ontario. There are annals recording the Sisters activities in Pembroke and at each mission. The annals cover the Sisters activities in Penticton, British Columbia; Barrhead, Alberta; Radville and Regina, Saskatchewan; Bancroft, Barry’s Bay, Calabogie, Deep River, Des Joachims, Douglas, Madawaska, Mount St. Patrick, Ottawa, Pembroke, Petawawa, Renfrew, and Whitney, Ontario; Campbell's Bay, Chapeau, and Quyon, Quebec; and abroad in Peru. Some annals also contain information about contemporary events and the history of the mission locations. In addition to the annals there is relevant correspondence, meeting minutes, news clippings, histories, and photographs about the Sisters and the locations of the missions. There are also the written vows of Sister Mary Patricia, a report on poverty in Peru in 1997, a list of Bishops of the Pembroke Diocese from 1898 to 1993, and publications of The Parish Bulletin from 1976-1980.