St. Joseph's Hospital (Port Arthur, Ontario)

The Sisters of St. Joseph had come to Port Arthur in 1881 to take charge of the parish school. Almost immediately they became aware of a need to care for men seriously injured while working on the railway construction. On an informal basis, some of these men were cared for in the convent. In 1882, Fr. Hamel, S.J. offered land adjacent to the church for a hospital. In 1884, in consultation with the Bishop and town officials, it was decided that the Sisters would open a hospital. In 1883, an addition to the convent provided a chapel and two classrooms. Sister Monica, who had come from Toronto as a housekeeper, became the chief hospital worker. Even while the hospital building was under construction, areas of the convent and school were used to care for the sick and injured. The new building was finished in November, but was used by the school children until May of 1885 because the hospital furnishings and equipment had to arrive by ship after the ice melted and it was felt it would be too disruptive to move the patients in the cold of winter. In 1885, the "Ladies Aid" was formed to support the Sisters in their work in the hospital, providing both financial and social assistance.
When the hospital first opened, conditions were very primitive because of the lack of proper supplies and equipment. Most patients could not afford to pay anything, and public funds for the indigent were very difficult to obtain. Sr. Monica would go with a companion up and down the railway line soliciting donations for the hospital and St. Vincent's Orphanage in Fort William.
In 1890, when the Peterborough Congregation was formed, St. Joseph's Hospital was one of the original houses which formed the new Congregation. In 1900, a 3 storey addition was completed, along with a one floor addition to the original hospital. Much of the cost as covered by Sister Monica's begging trips. In 1902, the nursing sisters took up residence in the hospital, and a chapel was opened in the hospital, leaving St. Joseph's Convent for the school and music Sisters. 1905 was another important year in the growth of the hospital, as another three storey addition was opened, and a School Of Nursing began training qualified staff. The first graduates completed their studies in 1907.
In 1909, the Silver Jubilee of the hospital was celebrated. The hospital matured in 1918 with the opening of a modern wing including X-ray, clinical laboratory and pediatric departments. The hospital could now care for 150 patients. Like all similar health care facilities, St. Joseph's Hospital rose to the challenge of the 1918 outbreak of influenza. Sr. Monica's soliciting trips of funds for the hospital and orphanage continued into the 1920's.
In 1922, the hospital was accredited with an 'A-1' rating. In 1925 both the Congregation and the City of Port Arthur honoured Sister Monica on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee. In 1928, the original convent and south wing were demolished, and an addition completed which included sunrooms, central power house and a steam laundry. The design of the addition meant that all parts of the hospital were connected to each other easily. In 1928, a nearby home was purchased as a residence for nurses in training.
In 1934, the 50th anniversary of the hospital was celebrated with a special mass celebrated by Bishop David Scollard (Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie) and the unveiling a monument and statue of St. Joseph in recognition of the Sisters' contribution, especially Sister Monica who had devoted herself tirelessly to the hospital from its inception until her death in 1931. In 1935 a larger home was purchased for the nurses' residence, and the kitchen was renovated and expanded.
In 1936, at the initiative of Bishop Hubert Dignan, the Congregation's houses in the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie formed a branch Congregation, and so St. Joseph's Hospital became part of the new Congregation, continuing to give compassionate health care for many years.

Port Arthur, Ontario
Thunder Bay, Ontario