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Sous-fonds consists of textual records, three albums and loose photographs depicting various events of Sister Eveline's life. The photographs are of her 50th Jubilee celebration at St. Andrew the Apostle Church in London, Ontario. There are also photographs and postcards from her personal and family life in Ontario, her time at Lumen Vitae, Belgium, and her time in the Exodus program, in Dittmar, Missouri. The sous-fonds also includes handwritten correspondence, certificates, and newspaper clippings and obituaries. The majority of materials are in English, with some correspondence and the Lumen Vitae booklets written in French.

This sous-fonds consists of five scrapbooks created by Sister Chrysostom Murphy of her religious community in London, Ontario, two photographs of all the Sisters in the community taken in 1993, the copy of the new constitutions she received when the London congregation amalgamated with three other congregations in 2012, and her diploma for her Master of Education degree. The scrapbooks are primarily concerned with the Sisters, their residences, and Sister Chrysostom’s reception and jubilees. The scrapbooks contain photographs, clippings, postcards, icons of Saints, prayer cards, funeral cards, biographies of Sisters, celebration speeches, invitations, pamphlets, tickets, and obituaries and photographs of Sisters, priests, and bishops. Notable material includes photographs of the interior and exterior of Mount St. Joseph in London, photographs of Sister Chrysostom’s jubilees, and Bishop Roland Fabbro’s statement in response to the conviction of Father Charles Sylvestre.

The series contains photographs, biographical material pertaining to her election to General Council, her MA in Sacred Theology from Regis College in 1983, her Doctor of Ministry degree from Toronto School of Theology in 1990, her employment at Regis College as Director of the MA in Ministry and Spirituality Program, various news-clippings, a hand painted Feast Day album, a hand painted card from the Precious Blood Sisters in 1979, and various Jubilee memorabilia. The series also contains different versions of Sister Cathleen’s curriculum vitae, a report by her about a pilgrimage she made to Europe and the Holy Land, and a paper written about Sister Cathleen by her grandson, Brandon Graham, in 2017.

Much of this series is made up of reports to the General Chapter from various Sisters in 1979. There is extensive material on the topic of catechetics, religious education and the future for Sisters in parish ministry. In a letter to the Secretary of State, Vatican Apostolic College, Mother Mary Brendan reported on the success of literacy programs provided to Portuguese immigrants in London. A report from the Archdiocese in Edmonton describes the need for a five-year National Religion Program consisting of teams of Sisters providing instruction in Catholic schools, and the involvement of lay people to provide instruction to adults.

A report on the activities of the St. Joseph’s School of Music 1975-1979 discusses the renovation of the Recital Hall, instruction in piano, singing, violin and music theory for 390 students annually, participation in the Royal Conservatory of Toronto and the Western Conservatory, a scholarship fund, professional development for the Sisters and the hosting of and participation in local music festivals. A report by one Sister in April, 1979 expresses uncertainty as to the future of the music school.

In early 1979, Mother Mary Brendan wrote to Sisters across the country seeking their views in response to the promulgation of Vatican II, the Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World. One Sister wrote with concern for the socio-economic interests of the Third World and rising tensions within the Christian communities about how to respond. In another report, Sister St. Patrick Joyce outlined what were novel recommendations for the treatment of alcohol addiction and the concept of detoxification centres. Sisters committed to the continuation of work of the Boulee Street mission which served the needs of a low income neighborhood in London and support for those in jail. In another report, a Sister wrote on the topic of evangelization and Christian renewal in a climate of diversity, pluralism and the attraction to Eastern spiritual disciplines. In another report, one Sister called for an increased commitment to youth and adults through solid religious instruction and the teaching of prayer. There is also a survey, report, and recommendations prepared for the Most Reverend J.N. MacNeil by the Ad Hoc Committee for Pastoral Assistants in the Archdiocese of Edmonton, February 1979 outlining the scope of work and hiring of pastoral assistants to aid priests in their work.

On the topic of the higher incidence of divorce and the Marriage Tribunal, Sisters recommended that more women study, teach and write about the Canon law conventions and procedures in jurisprudence. There are several reports outlining emergent changes within the healthcare system related to governance, administration, funding, personnel, medico-moral issues, medical treatments, and technology. Sisters confirm there was a common need for continued pastoral care at the hospitals in London, Sarnia, and Windsor. It was observed that there were increasing needs for retreats for Sisters and lay volunteers offered by the Medaille House in London and for societal formation, or a reorientation to religious life.

This series contains sixteen speeches written by Mother Mary Brendan and a paper she wrote for the Synod on the role of religious women in the community through teaching, hospital care, administration, and social work. Certificates of her educational achievements and professional memberships dating from 1947 to 2001 are included along with a certificate she received with a medal from Queen Elizabeth.
 

Series contains Sister Norita Keenan’s single page memoir, a postulant requirement list, souvenir booklet of the Diamond Jubilee, chaplain list, meal seating plan, farewell ceremony agenda and schedule, photographs, land and property maintenance receipts, property sketch, chronology of property transfers and sales, rededication ceremony program and speech, letter from General Superior to Sisters, decorative Christmas card and envelope with list of donors of a car, newspaper clippings, student created books, and Bach sheet music owned by Cesar Borre.

This series contains records that pertain to the renewal programs held in the summers of 1974, 1980 and 1981. The program included times of reflection, communal study and teaching presentations. This series includes photographs, a newspaper article, event programs, prepared sermons, lists of attendees, teaching guides, personal reflections, speaking notes, planning committee minutes, a facility map, agendas for meetings and renewal sessions, correspondence and bibliographies.

This series contains material related to the receptions and professions of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Diocese of London, Ontario. The records are primarily concerned with Sisters who had their receptions and professions in London, Ontario and at the mission in Edmonton, Alberta. This series includes records related to the vows and vow ceremonies, which are the rituals involved in becoming a member of a religious community. These ceremony records include correspondence, invitations, seating charts, guest lists, and forms of vows. The first receptions occurred at Mount Hope which was the Sisters’ first motherhouse in London, and a historical summary of those early ceremonies is present. There are also scripts for speeches and homilies and written accounts. Photographs, prayers, and ephemera including booklets, programs, and newspaper clippings from these ceremonies are also present. One pamphlet is from the 1987 Profession of the Sisters of St. Michael the Archangel of the Diocese of Ekiti, Nigeria. Various lists of Sisters’ ceremony dates, stages of religious life, deaths and withdrawals are also included. The vows present here are primarily in bound volumes, though some are on individual sheets of paper. Many of the volumes have related correspondence, renewals, or scripts for the vows (referred to as forms) tucked or pasted within. The vows are generally formulaic, though some are unique. Some, mainly first vows, list the Sisters’ hometown, age, and parents.

This series contains records reflecting the policies and procedures of the congregation from the late 1960s to the mid-2000s. Included in the series are community handbooks and Called to Unity booklets (guidance for the Sisters in their union with God and the community), both of which discuss the Sisters’ role within and outside the congregation. Topics include community prayer, education, donations, finances, legal advice and procedures, and travel policies. Also included are position papers detailing how a Sister is to behave and conduct herself as a member of the congregation, which were prepared by various committees including the spiritual life commission, habit commission, commission on education, and homemaking commission. Records relating to congregational staff include the Human Resource Policies Handbook, which details the roles and responsibilities related to the working environment. The other records in this series pertain to the congregation as a whole; these include information on sexual misconduct, alleged abuse, and how misconduct is reported and dealt with in the congregation. Also included is policy pertaining to the appropriate use of technology, such as computers and the Internet. There are also correspondence, memos, and reports related to the development of policy by the travel committee, who mediated discussions around the Sisters’ travel.

This series includes digital and printed transcripts of oral history interviews with the Sisters, a hand bound typed and illustrated memoir, a typed draft memoir, e-mail correspondence regarding the Federation oral history project, and a newspaper clipping.

This series consists of newsletters produced by the Sisters of St. Joseph in the Hamilton diocese. These newsletters cover various topics and events, such as healthcare and pilgrimages, discussions about daily life including feast days and projects, messages from Sisters, as well as news about the surrounding geographical locale. A list of deceased Sisters and family members, information about ministries, memorial biographical sketches, and Chapter information are also topics included in the newsletters. These newsletters are important sources for gaining a better understanding of the Sisters’ daily lives and learning more about their charitable works and efforts. Sisters were very actively engaged in charitable work, with several projects occurring, such as hospital work, orphan care, and missions aiding Canadian Indigenous communities, as well as helping the poor in developing countries. Locations of Sisters’ missions and ministries include, but are not limited to, Fort St. James, Cape Croker, Kenilworth, Guelph, Jamaica, Kitchener, Hamilton, Guatemala, and Fort St. John.

The series contains correspondence, newsletters, photographs, scrapbooks, postcards, diagrams, clippings, bulletins, brochures, programs, song sheets, posters, publications, dramatic scripts, and reports. This material is related to the history of the third Mother House of the Sisters of St. Joseph in London, which was called Mount St. Joseph. There is information about the construction of the building and detailed information about its special features and decoration, including the Immaculate Conception Chapel, and its grounds, particularly the Grotto. The records also relate to planning the construction of, and move to, the Sisters’ residence in 2007, and the sale of the Mount St. Joseph building and property. There are records which reflect communal life in the convent, including the various organized groups, events, and dramatic and musical entertainment, and menus, meal planning, and recipes. The series contains records related to men religious who served at the Mother House, and other Diocesan correspondence. Information about both Fatima Hall and Ignatia Hall can be found, including the various uses of space in these buildings.

This series includes material created by Mother Philomena Hussey and material collected about her. Included is biographical information; her obituary; an account by Sister St. Philip and correspondence, including some post cards, from Mother Philomena Hussey’s pilgrimage to Rome in 1925. There are also photographs of Mother Philomena Hussey, Sister Euphemia Hussey, James Cardinal McGuigan, and Mother Philomena Hussey with Sister St. Philip and their traveling companions to Rome. Also found are golden jubilee memorial cards; correspondence and a 1933 Report of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Diocese of London, Ontario; as well as correspondence concerning the governance of the Edmonton mission.

This series consists of records collected about Mother Mechtilde McCarthy and created by her. The material consists of chronologies; a Form of the Act signed at reception and a Form of the Act signed at final vows dated 1878; a detailed report of a canonical visit by the Bishop of London, Michael Frances Fallon in 1917; correspondence with Bishop Michael Frances Fallon, Dr. Bruce Smith, Mother M. Clare, and George M. Reid; copies of correspondence with Archbishop J. H. MacDonald concerning the governance and separation of the Edmonton community from its founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of London; and a history of the Edmonton community from 1922 to 1953 entitled “Our Western Saga”. The canonical status, governance, and fiscal responsibility of the Edmonton community had been an ongoing issue since its establishment in 1922.

This series contains records belonging to and created by Mother Margaret Coughlin. This series includes personal biographic material like Mother Margaret Coughlin’s notebook, Bartholomew Coughlin’s obituary, and Mother Margaret Coughlin’s educational certificates. This series also includes various correspondence regarding Mother Margaret Coughlin’s Feast Day, congratulations, expressions of gratitude, seasonal greetings, Mother Margaret Coughlin and Sister Placidia’s pilgrimage to Rome, the erection of the stations of the cross at Sacred Heart Convent (some of which is in Latin), and correspondence from Sisters in Le Puy and Lyon, France (some of which is in French). Included with the correspondence is a St. Joseph’s Alumni Bulletin and some pamphlets in French. There is also administrative correspondence with the Bishop of the Diocese of London, J. C. Cody, and a letter of thanks and congratulations from Rev. Durand. There are photographs of Mother Margaret Coughlin and a portrait of her father, Bartholomew Coughlin. There are also photographs, postcards, pamphlets, and news clippings from Mother Margaret Coughlin and Sister Placidia’s travels to Rome and France and scrapbook of the Holy Year pilgrimage to Rome and visits to Lyon and Le Puy on the occasion of the tercentenary of the Sisters of St. Joseph which has photographs, news clippings, and postcards pasted inside alongside a typed account. There is also material, primarily correspondence, concerning the “Ireland project” and a sermon on Ireland by Bishop J. C. Cody. The “Ireland project” was a recruitment endeavor to establish a Juniorate in Ireland from which young women could come and become novices in Canada where the Sisters would provide them with training in nursing or teaching.

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.

This series consists of material created by and collected about Mother Constance Dunn. This includes biographical research; a bound New Testament owned by Mother Constance Dunn; photographs of Mother Constance Dunn and her sister, Sister Norberta Dunn; correspondence concerning a new Motherhouse, the foundation of the hospital in Sarnia; jubilees; correspondence, some written in Latin, with the Bishop of London, John T. Kidd, and the Archbishop of Edmonton, J. H. MacDonald, concerning the canonical status of the Edmonton community (the canonical status, governance, and fiscal responsibility of the Edmonton community had been an ongoing issue since the Edmonton community had been founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of London in 1922); and letters from Bishop Dignan of Sault Ste. Marie to Mother Constance expressing his condolences on the deaths of several Sisters.

This series contains material created by and collected about Mother Celestine McCarthy. The material in this series includes biographical research, a prayer written by Mother Celestine McCarthy, photographs, a postcard, two of Lena McClure’s autograph books, an exchange of correspondence between the Bishop of London and the Archbishop of Toronto about the extension of incorporation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto, and a financial document written in Latin, dated 1913, and a written history of Catholic Central High School tracing it back to its beginnings at Sacred Heart School.