A treasured manuscript called “Livre de Recettes” (the Prescription Book) was a gift from Mother St. John to her niece, Sister Delphine, in September 1835. It contains 60 pages of handwritten text of various remedies for common illnesses.
From the Archives: Indigenous Handicrafts
In the 1960s , Sisters engaged in missionary activity in the Brazilian Amazon Valley. Read about some of the artifacts brought back to Canada to remind them of their time with the Indigenous peoples of Brazil.
From the Archives: the Erard Harp
This full-sized antique harp is kept at the North Bay Motherhouse.
From the Archives: Mother St. John Fontbonne’s Rosary
This special artifact is in the care of the Toronto archives.
Historical Highlights Federation Foundresses Series #6 – Mother Mary McGaghran of Pembroke
Sister Mary McGaghran took her final vows in 1930 and for the next 19 years served as a teacher in Chapeau, Douglas, Calabogie and Renfrew. In 1957, Mother Mary was elected General Superior of the Pembroke Congregation - a position which she held for 12 years and during which she welcomed renewal and adaptation that came through Vatican II.
Historical Highlights Federation Foundresses Series #5 – Mother Alacoque Hayes of Hamilton
Sister Alacoque Hayes was a lay teacher for five years before she took up her religious vocation in 1926. Over the next three decades, she taught in several local schools as well as served as the Superior in both Arthur and Brantford. In 1960, she was elected General Superior of the Hamilton Congregation. Over the next twelve years, Mother Alacoque Hayes presided over a time of transition following Vatican II and oversaw the opening of an international mission in Guatemala and the Mount St. Joseph Centre (a residential facility for emotionally disturbed children) in Hamilton
Historical Highlights Federation Foundresses Series #4 – Mother Julia Moore of London
Sister Julia Cecilia Moore entered the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London in 1935, and during her 12-year long leadership of that Congregation created a sacred space within the community for a new world to be born for religious women in the church
Historical Highlights Federation Foundresses Series #3 - Sister Norean McColgan of Sault Ste. Marie
In this third Historical Highlights profile, you can read about Sister Norean McColgan who became General Superior of the Sault Ste. Marie Congregation at the young age of 42. During her three terms, her leadership opened missions in Guatemala, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and India as well as expanded northern Ontario ministries in healthcare, crisis support and many other community-based ministries.
Historical Highlights Federation Foundresses Series #2 – Mother Rose Cullen of Peterborough
In this second Historical Highlights profile, you can read about Mother St. Rose Cullen who led the Peterborough Congregation (1965-71) and is remembered for her deep spirituality, sense of humour and kindness.
Historical Highlights Federation Foundresses Series #1 - Mother Maura of Toronto
Led by six visionary General Superiors, in 1966 the Canadian CSJ Congregations (Toronto, Hamilton, London, Peterborough, Pembroke, and Sault Ste. Marie) established the Canadian Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Canada. Read about each of these Foundresses in this new Historical Highlights series created by the Archives-Heritage Committee, beginning with Mother Maura.
Historical Highlights #6 - St. Mary’s Teachers’ College (1940-69) in Chapeau, Quebec
In the fall of 1940, the Sisters of St. Joseph in Pembroke expanded their service in education with the establishment by the provincial government of Quebec of a bilingual residential normal school in Chapeau. Read about the founding of the school and how it later became St. Mary’s Teachers’ College.
Historical Highlight #5 – Creation of the London Associates’ Program
Read about the Sisters of St. Joseph’s London Associates’ program, established in 1989, through which members complete a candidate and formal training process. The article describes the origins of the London program as well the current Associate Leadership Circle comprised of representatives from each of the areas: London, Sarnia, Windsor-Chatham, Simcoe-Woodstock, and Zaña, Peru.
Historical Highlight #4 – The Founding of the Sault Ste. Marie Congregation
In 1936, 121 Sisters of St. Joseph who were ministering in the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie became founding members of a new congregation. You can read about the establishment of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Sault Ste. Marie in this article.
Historical Highlight #3 - The Origins of the Sisters of St. Joseph Peterborough Congregation
In 1882 the Diocese of Peterborough was formed, taking in a huge area of the Province of Ontario stretching from the shores of Lake Ontario on to Georgian Bay and covering the length of Lake Superior and then all the way to the Manitoba border. Read more….
Historical Highlight #2 - 170 Years of Providing Healthcare in the Hamilton Diocese
In 1861, the Sisters of Hamilton opened St. Joseph's Hospital in Guelph in an old farmhouse. This was the sixth hospital in Ontario and the first opened in Canada by the Sisters of St. Joseph. Read more…
Historical Highlight #1 - Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto “Celebrating our Oneness with God, Creation and Neighbour 1851-2021”
In 2021, the Toronto Congregation celebrated the 170th anniversary of their arrival to Toronto, with events that embraced the congregation, staff and volunteers and the community at large.
