This subseries contains reports and questionnaires which include statistics on the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in the diocese London, Ontario, most of which were prepared for the Holy See and Vatican City.
As part of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, the Sisters prepared reports for the Holy See. An annual report and quinquennial reports are present. Accompanying these reports is a publication explaining the questions to be answered and the required statistical data. Topics in these reports include the religious institute and its government, the religious and the religious life and discipline, works and ministries, and a conspectus of the conditions of the houses noting how many members are present at each ministry. There are also reports and correspondence concerning the canonical visits of the Bishops of the diocese of London to the Sisters of St. Joseph of London’s institutes.
Women’s Institutes of Perfection of Pontifical Right annual questionnaires on the statistical data of the congregation are also included. These questionnaires are for the Central Statistics Office of the Church in Vatican City to create the Annuario Pontificio and the Statistical Yearbook of the Church. There is correspondence with the Vatican City Secretariat of State and the diocese of London concerning the Sisters’ statistics accompanying these questionnaires.
There is also correspondence with St. Joseph’s Hospital, London, and with the diocese of London reporting statistics on the hospital’s activities.
In addition to the reports, there is a guide for authority in governance of the religious community which lists when a decision must have the approval of the Holy See, deliberate vote of the General Council, and consultive vote of the General Council. The role of local ordinary,power of the Mother General, duties of the General Chapter, and the canons which govern the Sisters’ constitution are also included.
This subseries contains statistics of the various institutions the Sisters of St. Joseph of London operated and with which they were involved. This includes motherhouses, orphanages, care homes, hospitals, and schools of nursing. The information is sorted by city and then by institute and includes the number of Sisters and the Superior at each location as well as, when relevant, the number of residents, students, and bed capacity. These statistics were prepared for the Ontario Catholic Year Book and Directory and there is correspondence regarding its inclusion. While the directory is based in Ontario, there is also information concerning the Sisters’ missions in Alberta.