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Mount Saint Joseph in Hamilton, Ontario was a residence purchased by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton in 1933. The building was originally the residence of Bishop J. T. McNally. Under the supervision of Sister M. Ambrosia, the building was used as a residence for the girls from St. Mary’s Orphanage. Two years later the building was demolished and a new one erected in its place. This new building, named Mount St. Joseph Girl’s Division of St. Mary’s Orphanage, officially opened on Easter Sunday, April 12, 1936. Sisters attending Normal School and teaching t St. Vincent’s Commercial also resided there. In 1951, the boys from St. Mary’s Orphanage also resided here after the move of the Motherhouse to Bridgeview and the demolition of the old St. Mary’s Orphanage facility. It was one of the first institutions in the province to house boys and girls together, ensuring that brothers and sisters would not be separated. In 1960, Mount St. Joseph Orphanage closed, and the building became Mount St. Joseph Centre for Emotionally Disturbed Boys. In 1980, Mount St. Joseph Centre moved to 69 Flatt Street, Burlington. The name was changed to Woodview Children’s Centre. The Sisters were not involved with the centre once it moved. Martin’s Manor, a home for unwed mothers, temporarily operated out of the building in 1980. In 1982, Chedoke-McMaster’s Cool School, an alternative education to for troubled youth and those with learning disabilities, leased two floors of the former Mount St. Joseph Centre. Other tenants included a pastoral counselling centre, St. Joseph Hospital Foundation, a bereavement group sponsored by the Sisters, Moeller and Hassell Architect and Engineer, and Martin-Stewart Contracting. In 1986 and 1987, Latin American Refugee families were housed here. The property was sold in 2005.
Hamilton is located on the traditional territories of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas. The land is covered by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant and the Between the Lakes Purchase of 1792.

This series contains historical summaries, house meeting minutes, news clippings, photographs, and the annals from Mount St. Joseph in Hamilton, Ontario. The annals recount the uses and activities at Mount St. Joseph, the activities of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton, and historical events in Hamilton, Canada, and beyond.

The series contains correspondence, newsletters, photographs, scrapbooks, postcards, diagrams, clippings, bulletins, brochures, programs, song sheets, posters, publications, dramatic scripts, and reports. This material is related to the history of the third Mother House of the Sisters of St. Joseph in London, which was called Mount St. Joseph. There is information about the construction of the building and detailed information about its special features and decoration, including the Immaculate Conception Chapel, and its grounds, particularly the Grotto. The records also relate to planning the construction of, and move to, the Sisters’ residence in 2007, and the sale of the Mount St. Joseph building and property. There are records which reflect communal life in the convent, including the various organized groups, events, and dramatic and musical entertainment, and menus, meal planning, and recipes. The series contains records related to men religious who served at the Mother House, and other Diocesan correspondence. Information about both Fatima Hall and Ignatia Hall can be found, including the various uses of space in these buildings.

This series consists of newsletters produced by the Sisters of St. Joseph in the Hamilton diocese. These newsletters cover various topics and events, such as healthcare and pilgrimages, discussions about daily life including feast days and projects, messages from Sisters, as well as news about the surrounding geographical locale. A list of deceased Sisters and family members, information about ministries, memorial biographical sketches, and Chapter information are also topics included in the newsletters. These newsletters are important sources for gaining a better understanding of the Sisters’ daily lives and learning more about their charitable works and efforts. Sisters were very actively engaged in charitable work, with several projects occurring, such as hospital work, orphan care, and missions aiding Canadian Indigenous communities, as well as helping the poor in developing countries. Locations of Sisters’ missions and ministries include, but are not limited to, Fort St. James, Neyaashiinigmiing [Cape Croker], Kenilworth, Guelph, Jamaica, Kitchener, Hamilton, Guatemala, and Fort St. John.

The series contains oral histories and autobiographies of some of the Sisters of St. Joseph in the London Diocese. Many of the oral histories included were conducted for the Federation Collaborative History Project. The Federation includes the Congregations of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Toronto, Hamilton, London, Peterborough, Pembroke, and Sault Ste. Marie. The oral histories included in the Federation project are those of a select few Sisters. These Sisters are Noella Armstrong, Mary Doyle, Augustine Long, Margaret Ferris, and Cathleen Flynn. The Sisters discussed memories of their childhood and their lives before entering the convent, the call to service, and stories of their years preparing to become a professed Sister. This series includes digital and printed transcripts of oral history interviews with the Sisters, e-mail correspondence regarding the Federation oral history project, and a newspaper clipping.

This series consists of transcripts of oral history interview with Sister Elizabeth “Betty” Berrigan (1934-2020), conducted by Sister Marjorie Fitzpatrick (1929-2024) as part of the U. S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph’s oral history project. There is also correspondence, a description of the project, list of participants, and a calendar.

This series contains records created and accumulated by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Pembroke, Ontario during their mission in Peru which was focused on providing education and healthcare. There are also records from activities after the mission officially concluded, such as anniversary celebrations, lay volunteers traveling to Chincha Alta, and the activities of the Peruvian Sisters and Associates. Some records include information on natural disasters and political and social events in Peru during the Sisters’ mission. There are also records related to the charitable and religious organizations the Sisters collaborated with while in Peru and the establishment, activities, and future planning of the Peruvian Sisters of St. Joseph and Associates. Associates are lay people who participate in the Sisters charism but do not take religious vows. There are historical summaries, reports, personal accounts, correspondence, blueprints, architectural drawings, a map, contracts, financial records, mission evaluations, meeting minutes, news clippings, newsletters, publications, pamphlets, event programs, booklets, video recordings, statistics, and photographs.

This series contains material from European pilgrimages taken by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Pembroke, Ontario. These pilgrimages were mainly to France where the order was founded and most were coordinated by the Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Canada. The participants were members of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto, Hamilton, London, Peterborough, Pembroke, and Sault Ste. Marie. There is also some material related to pilgrimages of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary as some of the Visitation Sisters resided at the Pembroke Motherhouse in the 2000s. The records present include written accounts chronicling the pilgrimages, photographs, postcards, pamphlets, booklets, and historical summaries.

This series contains records reflecting the policies and procedures of the congregation from the late 1960s to the mid-2000s. Included in the series are community handbooks and Called to Unity booklets (guidance for the Sisters in their union with God and the community), both of which discuss the Sisters’ role within and outside the congregation. Topics include community prayer, education, donations, finances, legal advice and procedures, and travel policies. Also included are position papers detailing how a Sister is to behave and conduct herself as a member of the congregation, which were prepared by various committees including the spiritual life commission, habit commission, commission on education, and homemaking commission. Records relating to congregational staff include the Human Resource Policies Handbook, which details the roles and responsibilities related to the working environment. The other records in this series pertain to the congregation as a whole; these include policies and procedures regarding sexual misconduct, abuse, and how such misconduct is reported and dealt with in the congregation. Also included is policy pertaining to the appropriate use of technology, such as computers and the Internet. There are also correspondence, memos, and reports related to the development of policy by the travel committee, who mediated discussions around the Sisters’ travel.

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 contains material related to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton, Ontario's mission to Red Lake, Ontario. Red Lake exists on the traditional lands of the Anishinaapek, specifically the Lac Seul and Wabauskang First Nations, and is within Treaty 3 territory. The records present include the mission annals, historical summaries, publications, photographs, reports, correspondence, meeting minutes, event schedules, and material from the memorial Mass for Rev. Joseph Chavely.

Bishop John O’Mara requested a pastoral team to serve the Diocese of Thunder Bay, specifically Red Lake, Balmertown, Ear Falls, and Pikangikum First Nation. Two Diocesan priests, a married couple, and three Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton, Ontario formed the team. Two Sisters arrived in Red Lake with the team on September 19, 1981. The third Sister, Sister Rose Gabriel, spent the first year of the mission studying the cultures of the Indigenous Peoples of Canada at Laurentian University in Sudbury. Eight other Sisters would also be involved in this mission over time. While based in Red Lake, they also worked in the surrounding area, primarily Balmertown, Ear Falls, Pikangikum First Nation, and occasionally North Spirit Lake First Nation. The Sisters in Red Lake worked as parish workers and administrators of St. John’s Church and St. Theresa’s Church, served in the field of healthcare, and were teachers and principals at St. John’s Elementary School. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton left Red Lake in 2002.