House of Providence/Marycrest Home For the Aged (Peterborough, ON)

In 1890, at the direction of Bishop Richard O'Connor, the residents of House of Providence in Toronto who were originally from Peterborough were moved to the newly-opened St. Joseph's Hospital. These 40 people included poor elderly, physically and mentally handicapped ('afflicted'), the blind and a number of orphans. Caring for these along with the sick in the hospital was quite difficult, so in 1891 a former coach house and stable on the property was renovated to house the men and children. The women were accommodated on the third floor of the hospital, near the Sister' quarters. Conditions were very primitive, with basins and sooty lanterns used since there was no electricity or running water available. Those residents who were able to assisted with the work, and contributed to the entertainment. Over the next decade the numbers in care continued to rise and the demand for hospital services grew, so that the Bishop and the Congregation worked together to build a proper home for these people in need.
On July 27,1900 the House of Providence opened on the grounds of St. Joseph's Hospital. The first Sisters to serve in the new home were Mother St. Edward (Gormley) - Superior, Sister Aurelia (Cokely), Sister Hilary (Irwin), Sister Teresa (O'Callaghan), Sister Mary Rose (Moher) and Sister Blandina (McGuire). The second floor hallway served as the chapel. Residents, both elderly and older orphans, continued to assist with the work that needed to be done. By 1906, through the generosity of many in the diocese and the hard work of the Sisters, the debt was paid off.
In 1909, because of provincial government requirements, separate accommodation for the orphans was needed. St. Vincent's Orphanage became the new home for the orphans Its opening provided much needed room for the sixty adults living at House of Providence. In 1911, St. Joseph's Hospital opened a steam laundry, which was made available to House of Providence one day a week. In 1913 a major addition, including a chapel, store rooms, a new dining room, was completed, allowing more needy elderly to be accommodated.
In 1930 when Old Age Pension was paid to all persons over the age of 70, many residents were able to contribute something for their care and the financial worries were reduced. In 1947 the House of Providence was connected to the new Steam Heating Plant of St. Joseph's Hospital. In 1949 Bishop Gerald Berry provided funds to install metal fire escapes, for the safety of all. During these years, most of the residents simply required residential care, while enjoying the spiritual and social benefits of living in a Catholic setting.
During the 1950's it became apparent that the building was no longer meeting the needs of its residents, since it had no elevators and was described as a 'fire trap'. Plans were begun, and in 1959 the new Marycrest Home For The Aged was opened beside the old building. It was a modern 4 floor building, with elevators and sunporches for the residents' convenience. The new building accommodated 144 residents, along with a residence on the fourth floor for the Sisters. In 1966, the old building was demolished for hospital parking when St. Joseph's Hospital was in the midst of building a major addition. In 1969 the roles of Superior and Administrator were divided because of the large amount of work required of the administrator in complying with and corresponding with various government departments.
In 1977, because there were fewer Sisters living at Marycrest, thirteen of the rooms on the fourth floor were made available to additional residents. The home now had room for 155 residents. In 1978 a new driveway was completed, including a ramp to the front door replacing steps. In 1979 a tunnel was completed joining Marycrest with St. Joseph's Hospital, giving residents and staff easy access to the hospital when needed.
In 1984 a celebration was held to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the opening of Marycrest. In 1986, renovations were completed to 'Westhaven', an eighteen bed secure unit for cognitively impaired residents.
In 1990 a celebration was held at Marycrest to honour the Sisters one hundred years of service to the elderly. In 1992, under the sponsorship of Marycrest, a seniors apartment complex (Marycrest at Inglewood) was opened on a corner of Mount St. Joseph property. Twenty of its sixty apartments were designed to meet the needs of the physically handicapped.
In 1989 Sister Catherine McDonough of the Toronto Sisters of St. Joseph became the administrator of Marycrest. A small group of Peterborough Sisters continued to live at Marycrest, ministering as volunteers to the residents. 1999 was the final year a Sister was in residence at Marycrest.
During the 1990's the level of care required by residents increased, and the building no longer met the standards for Long Term Care facilities. Another smaller seniors residence in Peterborough (Anson House) faced the same challenge, and a partnership was formed in 1999 between the two and Sir Sanford Fleming College to build a new facility adjacent to the College, which would also be the focus of Fleming's Centre For Health Aging. In 2004 the residents moved to the new 'St. Joseph's at Fleming', and a new era in the care for the elderly began as the Sisters passed the torch to the innovative partnership. While the Congregation no longer operated the facility, they took an active role in directing it. The old Marycrest building was sold to be put to other uses.
In 2011 sponsorship of Marycrest at Inglewood and St. Joseph's at Fleming was transferred to the Catholic Health Corporation of Ontario.

Peterborough, Ontario