Subseries 11 - Jalna Boulevard

3 cm of textual records

This subseries contains the history of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario during their ministry in the Parish of St Justin at the Jalna Community House in London. The Community House on Jalna Boulevard was also known as St. Justin’s Parish House, because it was a block away from St. Justin’s Church.

The records in this subseries particularly emphasize the ministry of Sister Doreen Kraemer when she lived in St. Thomas and how she drove each weekend to help Father Mellon, the Pastor of St. Justin’s Church. Sister Doreen Kraemer assisted in liturgy, coordinated the music and choir work, was a member of the Constitution Committee, and taught at St. Francis School in St. Justin’s Parish. This subseries documents her retirement from teaching in 1981 to become a full-time Pastoral Assistant for St. Justin’s Parish and her service as a member of the Pastoral Care Committee and the General Planning Committee for the Institute on Christian Initiation of Adults. Records also document Sister Doreen Kraemer being a guest speaker at the 1982 World Day of Prayer in Lambeth, Ontario, establishing a Bereavement Support Group, and coordinating the Liturgical Rites of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.

This subseries also records the various work assignments of the other Sisters who resided at the Jalna Community House. While living here, Sister Constance Dignan was the Superior of the Community House. She was a member of the Mission Committee that sponsored a Vietnamese family and a member of the Apostolic Committee that did outreach to the sick in hospitals, retirement homes, and long-term care facilities at Dearness Home, Meadow Park, and Bethany Lodge in London, Ontario. Sister Frances Walton was appointed the Director of Special Services for the Roman Catholic Secondary School Board of London-Middlesex. Sister Alice Marie McDonald was the Director of the London Deanery’s Separated and Divorced Group, Director of the London Marriage Tribunal, and served as a member on several boards, such as the London Diocesan Communications Committee, the Catholic High School Board, the Regina Mundi Catholic College Board of Governors, and on their Education Committee. On April 14, 2005, the Jalna Community House closed.

This subseries also contains a list of Sisters stationed at the Jalna Community House and newspaper articles related to the historical development of St. Justin’s Parish, the creation of a new parish, a sod-turning ceremony, the construction of the church and rectory, and the opening of a new parish hall. There is also correspondence related to the Regina Mundi Catholic College and printed pictures of Sister Doreen Kraemer, Sister Alice Marie McDonald, and Sister Maureen Meloche and a baby shower event at the Holiday Inn.