Associates Program (London, Ont.)

Identity area

Type of entity

Corporate body

Authorized form of name

Associates Program (London, Ont.)

Parallel form(s) of name

    Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules

      Other form(s) of name

        Identifiers for corporate bodies

        Description area

        Dates of existence

        1989-

        History

        An Associate is a layperson who has made a commitment to the charism of a religious community. Both Associates and Sisters are called to the same mission and charism, yet they are distinctly different. Where Sisters take perpetual vows to live out the charism in religious community, Associates hold individual vocations to live out the charism, but do not take vows.

        On July 9th, 1987, the Sisters of St. Joseph in London approved the movement towards having an Associates Program complete with a candidate process and formal training process. The program began on April 4th, 1989, in London, Ontario. The Associates Program was originally founded by Sister Doreen Kraemer and later administered by Sister Janet Zadorsky. After Sister Janet Zadorsky ended her involvement with administering the Associates Program, as of April 2017, two associates were given stipends by the Associates to serve as mentors for two years, during a bridging stage. They prepared a document, “Midwives to Our Future,” and after this, the Associate program evolved away from the Sisters being directly involved. The program is now autonomous but still connected through a Congregational liaison, but the Associates make their own decisions.

        The Associates Program currently (as of 2022) has an Associate Leadership Circle with a representative from each of the areas: London, Sarnia, Windsor-Chatham, Simcoe-Woodstock, and Zaña, Peru. There are Animators for each region who assist with spiritual development. There is a Core Team who look after business matters, including event planning. Together, these form the Joint Animating and Core Team. Every leader has a term of two to three years. There is also a congregational liaison who provides a communication channel between the Associates and the Congregational Leadership Circle. Members are recruited by means of a “seekers” process and are provided with instruction and allowed to discern their commitment over a two-year period, at the end of which there is a “charism connection” ceremony, and they are given a pin and sign an agreement. There are two annual events held: a retreat, and the Annual General Gathering. As well, there is a representative who attends Federation meetings of Associates from Hamilton, London, Peterborough, Pembroke, Toronto, and Sault Ste. Marie.

        Places

        London, Ontario
        Southwestern Ontario
        Zaña, Peru

        Legal status

        Functions, occupations and activities

        Mandates/sources of authority

        Internal structures/genealogy

        General context

        Relationships area

        Related entity

        Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada (London, Ont.) (1868-2012)

        Identifier of related entity

        CA-ON

        Category of relationship

        hierarchical

        Dates of relationship

        1987-

        Description of relationship

        The Sisters founded the Associate Program in London, Ontario

        Access points area

        Occupations

        Control area

        Authority record identifier

        Institution identifier

        Rules and/or conventions used

        Status

        Final

        Level of detail

        Dates of creation, revision and deletion

        June 11, 2021

        Language(s)

        • English

        Script(s)

          Sources

          Maintenance notes