This series primarily contains the financial and legal documents of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario, for the Sylvan Lake property in the Summer Village of Birchcliff, Alberta. Documents include official appraisal reports, property surveys, purchase and sale of land records, a subdivision land map, drawing of a diagram for the construction of a garage and extension for storage. There are also invoices and receipts for the building, repair, and maintenance of the Sylvan Lake cottage, as well as correspondence with construction contractors. There is a report authored by Cuthbertson Sandall Chartered Accountants titled, Summer Village of Birchcliff Financial Statements, Year Ended December 31, 2001. There is also a folded and certified land survey plan indicating the subdivision plots by the City of Red Deer Land Surveyor, Mr. J. C. Horn, dated July 2, 1974. In addition, there are photographs of the landscape and the interior of the house. There are also two photograph albums, one created by Colin George Arthur and Lorna Mae Arthur and the other by the Sisters.
Sans titreThis series contains a history of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario’s activities in St. Brides, Alberta. History of St. Bride’s Settlement, Alberta, is a written history authored by Sister M. Winnifrid Downs covering 1927 to 1956. It was an assignment submitted on July 31, 1956, for a history summer school course at the University of Alberta. The essay topics include immigration policies, the original and later settlers, and the development and progress of St. Brides, with 47 photographs, maps, land plot diagrams, a pamphlet, a list of pioneer families who arrived in St. Brides in 1927, and a letter with an envelope to Sister Mary Winnifrid in Edmonton from Father MacDonell in Inverness-shire, in Ireland, on vows taken on April 14, 1956. There are also lists of of Sisters who taught or were missioned to St. Brides from 1934 to 1964, as well as correspondence about collecting information to create a history of St. Brides, and newsclippings on the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of St. Brides Parish. There are printed pictures and photographs of the Sisters poised in from of St. Brides Convent in the mid-1950s, and photographs of the condominium residence of Sister St. Bride and Sister Rose Ellen in Edmonton. In addition, there is a photograph of a wooden and metal engraved plaque that was awarded to the Sisters for their fifty years of service in St. Brides from 1927 to 1977.
Sans titreThis 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.
Sans titreThis series contains records concerning the involvement of the Sisters of St. Joseph from the London diocese with education in Maidstone, Ontario. This series consists of a 1971 yearbook from St. Mary’s Elementary School where the Sisters worked as teachers.
Sans titreThis series contains records related to the ministries in Campbell’s Bay, Quebec, carried out by the Sisters of St. Joseph in the Pembroke diocese. There is a papal blessing from Pope Pius in 1950 for the Sisters as they started their mission. There is correspondence, much of it relating to the building that was rented for the convent and which contained a chapel. There are a few parish bulletins, a newsletter, and newsclippings, as well as a manuscript history of the Sisters in Campbell’s Bay. The series also includes a souvenir booklet for St. John the Evangelist Parish from 1919-1989 which is illustrated with photographs and is in both French and English. After 50 years of service in the field of education, the Sisters were given a farewell tea in June 1975, organized by parishioners and the Catholic Women’s League. When St. Joseph’s Manor, a nursing home, opened in Campbell’s Bay on October 27, 1968, the Sisters provided care. There is correspondence related to this staffing the facility, donations, and the eventual closure of the convent, which took place in April 1982. There are also newsclippings about St. Joseph’s Manor and a program for the official opening.
Sans titreThis series contains records related to the ministry in Mount St. Patrick Ontario, conducted by the Sisters of St. Joseph in the Pembroke diocese. There are histories, newsclippings, financial accounts from 1957-1962, correspondence related to education and the withdrawal of the Sisters from Mount St. Patrick in July 1963, lists of Sisters who served in Mount St. Patrick, and ephemera related to a reunion in August 1987 and a 150-year celebration in 1993 of St. Patrick’s parishioners.
Sans titreThis series contains records related to the ministry in Arnprior, Ontario, conducted by the Sisters of St. Joseph in the Pembroke diocese. The file contains limited information about this mission house. There is a data form, a brief chronology, and a note in response to questions about the mission.
Sans titreThis series contains qualitative and quantitative statistical data collected by the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario on their activities from 1858 to 2009. The statistics are presented in surveys, lists, quantitative summaries, and a timeline as well as related correspondence. Some of the information was collected to be reported to external parties or based on events, such as Sisters’ jubilees, as well as the use of lay and religious names after Vatican II. Major topics of the data include demographics, leadership, deaths, and occupations within the community and the Sisters’ various ministries. The Sisters’ ministries include administration of motherhouses, care of orphans and the elderly, education, healthcare, retreat centers, marriage tribunals, parish and pastoral work, and works of mercy. Works of mercy summarizes various charitable activities, such as a foster home for the severely disabled, a refugee house, various recovery and rehabilitation homes, youth ministry, and ministry to Indigenous communities. Major locations for the Sisters’ activities include Ontario, Alberta, and the Northwest Territories, though the material is primarily focused on Ontario and Alberta.
Some of the statistics prepared for external parties were reported to the diocese of London and published in the Ontario Catholic Year Book and Directory, and to the Sisters of St. Joseph of the French Federation for the 350th anniversary of the Foundation in Le Puy. Other statistics were collected in reports and questionnaires for various offices of the Holy See to be used in the creation of the Annuario Pontificio, the Holy See’s annual directory, and the Statistical Yearbook of the Church. Accompanying these statistics is correspondence and a guide outlining the duties and powers of congregational leadership and the canons which govern the constitution of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario. There are also reports and correspondence concerning the canonical visits of the Bishop of the diocese of London, and about Sisters being appointed Treasurers at various institutions operated by the congregation.
Sans titreThis series contains records relevant to the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the diocese of London’s amalgamation with the Hamilton, Pembroke, and Peterborough congregations to become the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada. The records are from before, during, and just after the amalgamation. While material concerns all four of the congregations and the Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Canada, it was created by and primarily concerns the London Sisters.
The Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Canada was heavily involved in driving the amalgamation. In 1996 a video was shown to the London Sisters to bring awareness of the prospects of the religious communities and proposed uniting as one congregation. The London Sisters individually wrote reflections on this video. From 2007 to 2009 the Federation operated the Oneness Project which focused on interconnectedness and unity amongst the Sisters of St. Joseph and assessed four potential options of collaboration, one of which was amalgamation. This project resulted in newsletters, presentation slides, and the “Wisdom Gathering” report prepared by Sister Veronica O’Reilly. There is feedback from the London Sisters to the Oneness Project and the options presented at the 2009 Assembly.
Many of the records involved preparation for the amalgamation and the legal, organizational, and financial concerns related to the amalgamation. Other congregations of the Sisters of St. Joseph in the United States had undergone similar union of congregations. A booklet, timelines of their process, and minutes from meetings with these American Sisters were amassed by the Canadian Sisters in preparation for their own amalgamation.
Many committees and teams were formed and involved with preparing for and facilitating the transition, creating new goals and organizational structures for the amalgamated congregation, and communicating the process to the Sisters. Prayer pamphlets, minutes, and agendas from meetings as well as correspondence, newsletters, and reports from these teams and committees are present in this series. Those prominently featured are the Core and Local Futuring Teams, the Transitional Team, the Design Team, Chapter Planning Committee, Materials Resource Committee, Lay Advisory Committee, Website Committee, and the General Council. Select major topics include by-laws, insurance, finances, internal organizational structure, future planning, canonical and civil law requirements, and the creation of a website for the amalgamated congregation. There is also preparation for, and reports from, various Chapters and the Assembly where amalgamation and other options proposed by the Federation were discussed and voted on.
Another report included is “Evolving Design” which was created as part of the amalgamation process to outline the goals, governance, and process of the amalgamated congregation. There are several versions of this document from its creation process. It is based on the Sisters’ feedback on the congregation’s collective vocation and outlines the charism, the leadership structure, the role of the General Chapter, and contains a transitional constitution for the Sisters. It also outlines the duties of the Transitional Team.
There were many legal and financial issues which had to be addressed during the amalgamation. Forms, agreements, by-laws, acts, and correspondence with the Holy See, the Canadian government, solicitors, and Father Francis G. Morrisey about canonical and civil legal requirements for the amalgamation are present in this series. Some by-laws are internal and concern the operations and structures of the amalgamated congregation. Financial records, including budgets and arrangements for transfer of assets, for both the individual and amalgamated congregation are also included. There are also various iterations of guiding principles for the transition process and the amalgamated congregation.
The Sisters of St. Joseph of London had their final, binding vote on amalgamation at the Special Chapter in November of 2011 and there is an album of photographs documenting the event. The formal installation of leadership of the amalgamated congregation was held in 2013, and there is an invitation and brochure from the event. There are also correspondence and statements concerning press releases about the amalgamation.
Sans titreThis series documents the Community Days. The series contains material covering ten different years. The Community Days were not held every year, but Assembly meetings were held every two years, and Chapter meetings were held every four years. The series contains various materials related to these meetings. Some of the most interesting materials include, for example, a Windsor workshop that taught Sisters to experience negotiation, meditation, and to practice active listening communication; the celebration of the 125th Anniversary (1993); a workshop on managing differences and conflict situations (2002); and other workshops and conferences.
The series contains schedules of congregational days, leadership style notes, spiritual exercises, prayers, workshop notes, “coming soon” reminders and “welcome” sheets, musical sheets for prayers and songs, short writings about the congregational history, correspondence related to the Community gatherings, reviews of new publications, ceremonies and celebrations, talks, corporate stances, photocopies of articles or short book chapters. It also contains printed brochures with prayers, theological reflections, other kinds of spiritual reflections, and conference materials.
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