Collection F01-S008 - Collection about the General Council

These records were accumulated by the archivist of the London congregation.

Order was imposed on the records by the archivist.

The records are located at The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Archives.

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.

Permission to study archival records does not extend to publication or display rights. The researcher must request this permission in writing from the Archives.

There is a series and file list available.

No further accruals are expected.

On November 22, 2012, the congregations of Hamilton, London, Pembroke, and Peterborough were amalgamated into one charitable corporation under the name Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada under 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. Before this, each congregation was governed by a General Superior who led a General Council. The first General Council was established in 1870 and was led by Mother Ignatia Campbell, the first General Superior. In 1920 the first Chapter was held and members were elected to General Council by the community. The General Council usually had five or six members with one councilor serving as the General Superior’s assistant. There was also a General Secretary and a General Treasurer, though the General Treasurer was not always a member of the General Council. Sisters in the position of General Superior were referred to as “Mother” rather than “Sister” until 1975.

The General Superiors of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London were:
Mother Ignatia Campbell 1870-1902
Mother Angela McKeogh 1902-1911
Mother Celestine McCarthy 1911-1917
Mother Mechtilde McCarthy 1911-1923
Mother Philomena Hussey 1923-1935
Mother Constance Dunn 1935-1947
Mother Margaret Coughlin 1947-1959
Mother Julia Moore 1959-1971
Mother Mary Brendan Flynn 1971-1979
Sister Katherine McKeough 1979-1987
Sister Theresa Marie Caillouette 1987-1995
Sister Mary Diesbourg 1995-2003
Sister Valerie Van Cauwenburghe 2003-2007
Sister Margo Ritchie 2007-2012 (term extended due to amalgamation with four other congregations)

26-Mar-24

Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Archives, “History of the Congregation,” https://csjarchive.org/about/history-of-the-congregation/3/, accessed 5/19/2023.

Dictionary of Biography of Sisters of St. Joseph of Canada.