Serie 0006 - Chapeau Annals

On August 25, 1921, the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Pembroke was founded. Reverend D. H. Harrington, at the behest of his pastor, Father Renaud requested the Sisters open a mission in Chapeau, Quebec. Mother Vincent Carroll, first Superior General of the Pembroke Sisters, accompanied by Sister Dorothy Clancy, arrived at Chapeau on August 27, 1921, to establish St. Joseph’s Convent. This was the first mission of the Pembroke Sisters. Chapeau is a small village on the Ottawa River situated on L'Isle-aux-Allumettes (Allumette Island) in the Pontiac Regional County Municipality of Québec on the traditional, unceded territory of the Anishinàbeg Algonquin people.

The Congregation was deeply involved in the educational efforts and parish community of the local region until the closing of St. Joseph’s Convent of Chapeau in 1999. Initially, the convent accommodated student boarders. The vestry of the church served as an educational and cultural centre for young girls. The Sisters developed an English high school course of studies in line with Ontario high school entrance examinations with help from Mr. Millette, Registrar of McGill University. Since 1924, at St. Joseph’s High School, the Sisters taught first year to fourth year pupils and by the mid-1930s the area flourished with twelve schools in the parish. The Sisters also organized and hosted a teachers’ convention at the convent in 1934. It was a three-day event for 35 teachers and the first of its kind in Pontiac County. In 1936, the Québec department of education took over St. Joseph’s High School and instigated a Québec high school course program. Up to this time, the school had been completely bilingual, but Inspector Allard then instituted the division of French and English classes.

Chapeau Normal School, a women’s teacher training centre, was established under the directorship of the Sisters of St. Joseph and opened on October 1, 1940. For 29 years it operated as a private educational institution under the jurisdiction of the Québec Department of Education. The Sisters taught English speaking students from Ontario and Québec. During the first 15 years, about 300 student teachers were prepared to enter the teaching profession. By 1955, important changes to the school were made: it became an English-speaking institution, male students were admitted, enrollment doubled, revised courses became a two-year diploma, the lay replaced the clerical administration, and the name was changed to St. Mary’s Teachers’ College.

The reform of education in the Province of Québec resulted in the publication of the Parent Report and brought a complete restructuring of teacher education to be affiliated with universities. In May 1968, after a series of meetings, the Congregation agreed to terminate operations in Chapeau once assurance was given that a shift to Hull, Québec would create a better future for English language teacher education. The graduation ceremony in June 1969 was the last held and saw the closing of a chapter of educational history. In the last 14 years, some 412 English speaking students graduated, of which the graduates of the institution were recognized for their superb preparation. This ministry was unique to the Pembroke Sisters, as no other mission of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada provided teacher training.