This series contains annals for the Perú mission of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario. Records are in the English and Spanish language. There are historical summaries, notebooks, legal documents, lists, correspondences, newsletters, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, promotional material, a scrapbook, artwork, photo albums, and loose photographs. These items provide a glimpse into the northern Perú mission work and humanitarian aid carried out by the Sisters in the Zaña Valley Parish from 1962 to 1994. These records document the activities and events of the Sisters in pastoral care, social activism and advocacy, in the fields of healthcare, education, and community development. Some highlighted topics included in the records are the: founding and early history of the Perú ministry, the teaching, nursing, and counseling in the rural areas, the sale and transfer of motor vehicles and property, the opening and closing of a medical clinic called the Consultorio San José, the establishment of a women’s centre named Our Lady of the Magnificat (also known as Centro Vacacional), the formation of local leaders within the church and society, and the new ministries which emerged from working with the residents to build up ecclesial communities, charismatic prayer groups, pre-marital and family counseling, and the theological training of youth leaders, lay catechists, and worker apostolates that resulted in current day parishes led by Peruvian laity, religious workers, and priests.
Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada (London, Ont.)This sous-fonds contains directories, newspaper clippings, financial records, correspondence, presentation talking points, photographs, photo albums, promotional materials, a survey, handbooks, crafts, history timelines, meeting minutes, and reports. These records relate to the administration and operation of the Associates Program.
Associates Program (London, Ont.)This is a collection of histories and reference material, including publications and photocopies of historical documents and correspondence, created and collected by the Sisters illustrating the foundation and history of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario. Topics range from the founding of the religious order of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Le Puy, France by Father Jean Pierre Médaille in 1648 to the activities of the Sisters of St. Joseph in the diocese of London, Ontario from their foundation to the early 2000s. A major focus of the material is on the founding of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London as a branch of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto and the establishment of an independent congregation. Many of the Sisters wrote accounts, chronicles, booklets, and essays on their history, some of which were published. Drafts and published versions of these writings are included here alongside histories written by those from outside the congregation. There are also various photocopies of records from the late 1800s related to the early history of the Sisters. This includes publications on their history, correspondence about establishing the community (though there are also some original correspondence), Acts of Profession, Acts of Reception, the 1871 Act of Incorporation and the 1915 and 1938 amendments. There are, however, original documents from the late 1800s and early 1900s as well, such as photographs of Sisters, “History of the Sisters of St. Joseph,” (which was written at Sacred Heart Convent, London), and an excerpt from a manuscript by Bishop R. H. Dignan. The approbation decree and pontifical rights from the Holy See in Rome for Sisters of St. Joseph of London’s are also present. The material in this collection also includes photographs, postcards, a photo album, and news clippings.
This series concerns the Sisters of St. Joseph’s involvement in education in Ontario. The records are focused on school boards, associations, educational policies and regulations, and the changes to Catholic education. The types of records included in this series are minutes, bulletins, newsletters, magazines, booklets, clippings, photographs, correspondence, annual reports, and event programs. The major educational organizations these records deal with include the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, the Ontario Separate School Trustees Association, the Waterloo Region Roman Catholic Separate School Board, the Huron Perth Separate School Board, the Separate School Board of London, and the Association of Catholic High School Boards of Ontario. Much of the material concerns changes to education and Catholic education in Canada, and many publications on the topic are included. Some of the publications were created by the Sisters, such as The Changing face of Catholic Education in London 1858-1963, a study for the Separate School Board of London, Ontario. Sister Patricia Hogan was the Religious Co-Ordinator for the magazine Spiritual Development and several issues of this magazine and clippings of articles written by her are present. Sister Alice Marie McDonald and Sister M. Stanislaus McKinnon were involved with the Provincial Committee on Aims and Objectives of Education in the Schools of Ontario which created the Hall-Dennis Report. Photographs of Sister Alice Marie McDonald and members of the committee working on said report are present along with a summary of the report from the view of Catholic schools.
There are also minutes from the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph Advisory Board, a committee within the community that oversaw the involvement of Sisters in education. This included institutes operated by the Sisters and those where the Sisters were employed. The minutes include discussions of contracts, school policies, reports from teachers’ meetings, and Christian education. Amongst the minutes are agendas, correspondence with the advisory board, bulletins, and statistics of Sisters working in schools.
Additionally, there is material focused on the history of the Sisters’ involvement in education and Catholic education in Canada. There is correspondence concerning the establishment of Huron Perth Separate School Board Archives and histories of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Goderich, Kingsbridge, St. Mary’s Town, Seaforth, Zurich, and Kinkora, Ontario. Dr. Elizabeth Smyth studied women religious who taught in Canada and there is correspondence about her research with the Sisters. There are various publications by Dr. Elizabeth Smyth, including her thesis, The Lessons of Religion and Science: The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph and St. Joseph’s Academy, Toronto 1854-1911.
Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada (London, Ont.)This series contains records created and accumulated by the office of the General Treasurer for the Sisters of St. Joseph in London, Ontario. The records are primarily related to managing the donations given by and to the Sisters and the funding for their ministries, missions, Motherhouses, residences, and outreach projects. In London, St. Joseph’s Hospitality Centre provided food security programs, Medaille Retreat House was a spiritual retreat centre for the Sisters, the Queens Avenue building was a home for women in need, and the Boulee Street house was a ministry to the poor. The Adult Spirituality Centre, St. Joseph’s Manor, the Foster Home on St. Rose Avenue, and Holy Rosary Convent were all in Windsor. St. Joseph’s Manor and the Foster Home were ministries to children in need and Holy Rosary Convent was the main convent for the Windsor Sisters. The Adult Spirituality Centre in Windsor provided spiritual direction and retreats. Another spiritual retreat, Marygrove, was in Aylmer. Outside of Ontario, there are records concerning the Photo History Project at Ataguttaaluk School in Igloolik, Nunavut in which Sister Mary Diesbourg participated, the Sisters at St. Joseph Regional House in Edmonton, Alberta, and the mission in Peru including the collaboration with Heart-Links, a London based charity focused on Peru.
The series includes reports, meeting agendas and minutes, mission statements, budgets, floorplans, funding proposals and requests, grant applications, forms, lists of Sisters involved with specific projects and sites, and correspondence concerning funding, donations, location changes, operations, and testimonials from the public supporting the Sisters’ projects. There are also resolution agreements from the Sisters’ projects. One agreement is with the sole shareholder of a company connected to a property owned by the London congregation, Marygrove, concerning the finances and leadership positions within the company. The other agreement is between the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary and the Sisters of St. Joseph to decide the future of the Adult Spirituality Center.
One of the ways that Sisters could request funding for their ministries from the congregation was through the Apostolic Services Fund. Arrangements for the creation of this fund, outlines of requirements to qualify for funding and funding applications are included.
Not all the material is concerned with finances. Some records pertain to other projects the General Treasurer was involved with, particularly when Sister Loretta Manzara held the office. In 2007, the Sisters moved from Mount St. Joseph to a new LEED certified residence at 485 Windermere Road. in the series includes records related to this transition such as the Sisters’ Statement of Values, reports, pamphlets, news clippings, an issue of London Citylife, and newsletters (one of which was titled Crossing Over). There is also material concerned with the sale of Mount St. Joseph, the former Motherhouse.
At the 2012 Foundation Day, the Annals Project was presented. It focused on a shift from keeping annals to looking at the life of the entire congregation as expressed through Chapter reports. Pamphlets, agendas, meeting minutes, and a report on this project are present. Accompanying this material are annotated photocopies of various reports covering the Sisters’ activities from 1959 to 2011 which were referenced for the project.
Records related to the London Sisters’ involvement in Goderich, Ontario are also present, such as correspondence and pamphlets about their commitment to the area and the 100th anniversary of the founding of the first convent outside London.
The series also includes descriptions of icons painted by Sister Mary Anthony Hartleib, as well as prints of some of her artwork (including on the back of her funeral card), and photographs of artwork by Philip Aziz. Other photographs in the series are from the mission in Peru and of students and elders in the report for the Photo History Project at Ataguttaaluk School.
Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada (London, Ont.)This series consists of contracts, deeds, plans, and newspaper clippings relating to Hellmuth College from 1866-1952. There is a general history and photographs of Hellmuth College. The series includes photographs of the Chapel and Motherhouse. The series contains a description of the layout of the Orphanage as well as information regarding the day-to-day routines. The series also contains notes on the process of purchasing the Mills property and written summaries of ecclesiastical events such as the Eucharistic Congress at Mount St. Joseph in July, 1923 and the visit of Cardinal Villeneuve in 1934. There are also special issues of the Western Gazette and magazine and newspaper articles, including a biography of Bishop Hellmuth, and the building of the new Motherhouse.
Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada (London, Ont.)This fonds consists of records that pertain to the House of Providence and Marian Villa. More specifically, it consists of histories, commemorative materials, and administrative materials. There are also records related to the Marian Villa Auxiliary.
House of ProvidenceThis 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.
Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada (Pembroke, Ont.)The sous-fonds contains the personal and business records of Mother Julia Moore. This includes personal and business correspondence, primarily from her tenure as General Superior; biographical records and photographs; her work, Beginnings in London Diocese 1868-1879; photographs and a diary from her trip to Italy and France; records from her trip to Ireland as part of the Ireland project; photographs and an account from her time in Peru; watercolour artwork gifted by Sister Mary Celine Janisse; photographs of the Pope and Papal mass; a yarmulke and photographs from the bar mitzvah of Irwin Zaifman; her speeches; her historical research, predominantly on the Sisters of St. Joseph; pamphlets and articles collected by Mother Julia Moore, notably of Pierre Wolff, S. J.’s works; information and documents pertaining to the International Union of Superiors General (U.I.S.G.); photographs and correspondence from the International Union of Mothers’ General meeting in 1969; a souvenir booklet from Pope John Paul II’s 1984 visit to Toronto, Canada; and a feast day book about the founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Reverend Jean Pierre Médaille. There is also material concerning the 2005 Lyon heritage display.
Moore, JuliaThis 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.
Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada (Pembroke, Ont.)