This 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.

This series documents the activities of the Alberta mission of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario. There are annals and historical summaries, reports, promotional materials, pamphlets, event programs, newspaper articles, correspondence, lists of Sisters on missions in western Canada, a photograph, and a digital video disc. These items showcase a legacy of mission work undertaken by the Sisters in pastoral care, education, and healthcare in the Archdiocese of Edmonton. There is a historical summary of mission activities from 1972 to 1983, authored by Sister Catherine Cunningham. Topics in this summary include teaching in the Edmonton catholic school district, social and cultural events in the region, celebrations, trips, retreats at Sylvan Lake, and the placement of new Sisters in the west. In addition, there is a compilation by Sister Cunningham titled, 50 Golden Years in Canada’s Golden West, with topics on the convents in the parishes of St. Bride’s and Sacred Heart in Alberta, Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, and Maple Ridge in British Columbia, as well as in Alberta hospitals at Rimbey, Killam, and Galahad. The compilation also contains newspaper articles on the Sisters’ professions at the Sacred Heart Convent in Edmonton with photographs of the Sisters and clergy. There are lists of names of the London Sisters who were stationed in the west and a 1926 photograph of the first group of Sisters to go west. The series also contains records on the Catholic Sisters’ Legacy Recognition Project conducted by the Catholic Bishops of Alberta and the Northwest Territories. This includes the unveiling of the statue Service Through Christ, a 2011 Annual Report by Covenant Health, and the film A Legacy of Service – A Film in Honour of the Countless Women Religious Who have Served in the Province of Alberta for over 150 Years, directed by Eric Spoeth.

This series is primarily about the general history of the St. Joseph’s Convent Regional House in the Archdiocese of Edmonton, Alberta which was a Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario during their mission in Alberta. St. Joseph’s Convent Regional House was also referred to as the Edmonton Regional House or just Regional House. This series contains historical summaries of the Sisters’ western mission in Alberta, with an emphasis on the planning and closing ceremonies of the Regional House. There is correspondences concerning the preparations and closing ceremonies of the St. Joseph’s Convent Regional House, from June 29 to July 2, 2001, including Minutes from the Committee for Closing of Regional House from March 13 to June 11, 2001. There are also Minutes of the Regional House Council Meetings from 1922 to 1992 covering topics such as the balloting and the results of Community elections, the search for, purchase and sale of the property of the Regional House, as well as the inaugural opening and farewell closing, and the various building construction and renovation projects. There are several lists including a timeline of historical milestones, donated items for the opening of the Regional House, Sisters stationed in the Edmonton Archdiocese, those who took Final Vows, and others who are deceased. This series contains architectural drawings, layout illustrations of the interior and exterior of the Regional House, maps, closing souvenir programs, brochures, and newspaper articles about the closing events at the Regional House. In addition, there are signed guestbooks of visitors to the Regional House, photographs of the Sisters and invited guests celebrating the closing ceremonies, and material related to the creation of In the Spirit of the Sisters of St. Joseph: A Tribute to the Regional House in Edmonton, Alberta, a “Memory Brochure” created by the Lashbrook Group of London, Ontario for the closing of the Regional House. This series has one photo album and two scrapbooks that contain photographs, correspondence, brochures, and prayer cards related to the history of the Sisters from 1961 to 2001, in Edmonton.

This series is a general history of the events and activities of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario’s ministry in the Archdiocese of Edmonton, Alberta from 1922 to 2019. This series covers the founding history of the Sisters in France and the spread and growth of their sisterhood to eastern then western Canada. The series contains historical summaries, chronicles, and lists of the Sisters activities in Alberta. A number of the records are related to the properties, such as real estate insurances, invoices, property estimations, floor plans, and records concerning the leasing, sale and purchase of houses in Edmonton with a focus on two houses, one on 143rd Street and the other on 148th Street. There are business letters, donation lists, newspaper clippings, and a 1958 city map of Edmonton that documents the contribution of the Sisters’ service in education and social work in the parishes of central Edmonton. Highlighted is the Sisters’ volunteer work that supported the homeless people. There is correspondence, newsletters, and letters of recognition of volunteer work that document the Sisters and their partnerships with social welfare organizations such as the Boyle Street Co-op Youth Unit, the Elizabeth Fry Society, and the Edmonton People In Need Shelter Society (P.I.N.S.). There are also reports, pamphlets, and summaries of the Sisters’ activities at some of these organizations. There are also two noteworthy booklets, a Silver Jubilee souvenir booklet covering 1913 to 1938 and the Chronicles of Sisters of St. Joseph, Edmonton, ALTA covering 1922 to1962. In addition, there are photographs of the Sisters at the closing ceremonies of the St. Joseph’s Convent Regional House in 2001, in Edmonton, a news article about Sister Ethel Steinkey going to assist in New York after 9/11 and lists of the burial plots of deceased Sisters in three cemeteries in Edmonton. There are also photo albums that primarily contain photographs, as well as a list of Sisters, printed pictures and a news clipping related to the Sisters of St. Joseph’s western mission at St. Joseph’s Convent (Regional House), in Edmonton, Alberta.

This series documents the activities of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, in Le Puy-en-Velay, France. There are correspondences from Sister Mary Diesbourg and Sister Mary Zimmer, both of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario, from 2004 to 2007. There are also news leaflets with updates about the projects of the Centre International St. Joseph. The records concern Sister Mary Zimmer’s arrival in Le Puy-en-Velay in 2004 to help prepare for the opening of the Centre International St. Joseph, the planning of a international program for young adults for 2008, the Spring 2007 meeting of the French Federation Leadership, the Spring Sabbath sabbatical month, a new contemplative experience program called Radical Grace, jubilees, and daily activities of the Sisters. There is also a photograph album with French text from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Lyon with photographs of people, places, and objects related to the founding of the order.

This series contains records of the Sisters’ involvement in Grouard, Slave Lake, and Calling Lake, Alberta. This includes the December 1984 issue of Kinsemanito Centre, a newsletter published by the Aboriginal Catholic Ministries School located in Grouard. The Kinsemanito Centre was a training centre for Catholic Indigenous people interested in pursuing a religious career in ministry. The newsletter topics include the October 7, 1984, ceremony of a new priest who is also a member of the Sagkeeng First Nation, Reverend Father Stanley Albert Fontaine, as well as an announcement of a workshop for men interested in priesthood, students providing commentaries on their studies, and a course outline for 1985. In addition, there are also lists of the two Sisters of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario, Sister Patricia McKeon and Sister Renee Stevens, who delivered classes in Grouard from 1983 to 1987.

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.

This 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.

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.