Series HF01-S004 - Guatemala Annals series

Four Sisters in traditional white habits with a man and a child in Guatemala, standing beside a brick building under construction.

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Title proper

Guatemala Annals series

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  • Graphic material
  • Textual record

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  • Source of title proper: Title is based on the contents of the series.

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Series

Reference code

CA ON00279 HF01-S004

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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1960-2005 (Creation)
    Creator
    Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada (Hamilton, Ont.)

Physical description area

Physical description

22.5 cm of textual records
500 photographs : col.
366 photographs: b&w
146 photographs : col. negative ; 35 mm
14 photographs : b&w negative ; 35 mm
13 photo albums : 30 x 26 cm or smaller

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Name of creator

(1852-2012)

Administrative history

The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Diocese of Hamilton was first incorporated on December 30, 1879 under chapter 167 of the Revised Statutes of Ontario, 1877. The name was changed to The Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton in 1989.

On April 19, 1852, at the request of the Very Rev. E. Gordon, Vicar General of Hamilton and with the approval of Bishop de Charbonnel, the only Bishop in western Ontario at that time, three Sisters of St. Joseph came to Hamilton from Toronto. They opened their first convent on Cannon and McNab Streets. Here the Sisters ran a private elementary school and cared for orphans until 1857. In 1854, there was a cholera epidemic, followed by an outbreak of typhus. The Sisters were placed in charge of immigrants stricken with the disease and housed in railway sheds.

The Sisters founded St. Mary’s Orphanage in Hamilton in 1852. Orphan care began with two orphan girls in the first convent. Beginning in 1856, residential care was provided for girls at the Motherhouse. In 1857, a girls’ quarters opened in the convent at 204 Park Street. In 1864, a separate building was built for St. Mary’s Orphanage with additions in 1874, 1881, 1884, and 1886. Then from 1933-1935, a building owned by the diocese was purchased at 354 King Street West and used for orphan girls. In 1936, a new Mount St. Joseph at the same location opened for girls with both boys and girls in residence from 1951 to 1960. The Sisters also provided residential care for orphan boys at the Motherhouse from 1856-1879, and then at the House of Providence, Dundas, Ontario from 1879-1900. In 1903, an annex was built for boys at St. Mary’s, followed by a new building for boys at St. Mary’s Orphanage in 1909. After this, from 1951-1960, boys were housed at Mount St. Joseph. The first Orphans’ Festival was held in the town hall to raise money for orphans with annual collections in the district starting in the autumn of 1854. The Orphans’ Festival lasted until 1956.

In 1856, the Sisters were placed in charge of separate schools in Hamilton following the passage of the Separate School Bill. Also in 1856, Hamilton became a diocese and St. Joseph’s Convent opened on Park Street North as a Motherhouse and Novitiate, as the congregation became independent of the Toronto congregation. At the first Motherhouse, the Sisters cared for orphan girls, taught music, taught in the separate schools, visited hospitals, prisons, the sick and the poor, and served as sacristans, homemakers, and catechetics teachers. In 1858, the first election was held in St. Joseph’s Convent chapel with Sister Martha von Bunning elected as General Superior on December 8.

The Sisters founded their first mission outside Hamilton in Paris, Ontario in 1858, where they served as teachers, organists, sacristans, homemakers and catechetics teachers. This mission lasted until 1974. This was followed in 1859, by the first mission house in Brantford, Ontario on Crown Street, and then by other mission houses in Brantford until 1983. In Brantford, they also opened Bethany House, a ministry to abused women from 1989-1994. Over time, the Sisters opened many other mission houses including in Kenilworth (1924-1971), Mount Forest (1908-1932 and 1944-1978), Hespeler (1944-1961), Arthur (1873-1876 and 1986-1989), Kitchener (1977-), Milton (1954-1989), Stoney Creek (1957-), Oakville (1860-1863), Guelph (1977-1989), Owen Sound (1886-1909), Red Lake (1981-), Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation mission (Cape Croker) (1952-1986), and Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg (Pic Mobert) First Nation (2002-2020). In British Columbia, they opened missions at Nak’azdli Whut’en First Nation (Fort St. James) (1950-1969), Fort St. John (1954-1988), Dawson Creek (1976-1982), Chetwynd (1977-1983), and Terrace (1988-1992).

The Sisters briefly ran a boarding school in for girls in Hamilton from 1860-1867. More notably, they founded St. Joseph’s Hospital in Guelph, Ontario in 1861, followed by the House of Providence in Guelph which was open from 1861-1959. In 1897, the Sisters started St. Joseph’s School of Nursing in Guelph, and in 1948, opened a new school of nursing which lasted until 1972.

In 1878, the Sisters took charge of St. Vincent De Paul Society home on Bay Street in Hamilton for the care of the poor. After one year, the residents were transferred to the House of Providence. In 1879, the Sisters opened the House of Providence in Dundas. After a fire in 1900, it re-opened in 1902 and remained active until 1970. The year 1879 also saw the beginning of the House of Providence annual picnic on August 2. In 1970, the Sisters opened the new St. Joseph’s Villa in Dundas, which replaced the former House of Providence.

In 1890, the Sisters founded St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton which had additions in 1894, 1916, 1941, 1947, 1951, and a new wing in 1962. This was followed by the opening of St. Joseph’s School of Nursing in Hamilton which had its first nine graduates in 1915. The Sisters also opened a nurses’ residence for St. Joseph’s Hospital, called Undermount, on John Street in Hamilton. Later, in 1963, the Sisters opened St. Joseph’s School of Nursing, Fontbonne Hall. The nursing school closed in 1972.

In 1923, the Sisters founded Casa Maria maternity hospital in Hamilton which was replaced by the maternity wing at St. Joseph’s Hospital in 1951. In 1924, The Sisters opened St. Mary’s Hospital in Kitchener, Ontario. In 1931, St. Mary’s School of Nursing began in Kitchener, and remained active until 1972.

In 1951, the second Motherhouse, St. Joseph’s Convent was completed in Dundas. Here the Sisters served as teachers, music teachers, catechetics teachers, and established a spirituality centre for retreats, workshops, and spiritual direction in 1983.

In 1955, the Sisters founded St. Joseph’s Hospital in Brantford. This was followed in 1957 by the opening of St. Joseph’s Training Centre for Registered Nursing Assistants in Brantford, which closed in 1980.

In 1959, the Sisters unveiled St. Joseph’s Home in Guelph, and elderly people were moved into the second floor of the new building which contained a wing for the chronically ill. The programs and services were delivered in conjunction with St. Joseph’s Hospital.

In 1960, Mount St. Joseph in Hamilton became a home to treat emotionally disturbed children and the remaining orphans were moved to foster homes.

The Sisters also started overseas missions. In 1963, they opened a mission in Teculután, Guatemala, and worked at a health clinic, as teachers, and as catechetics teachers until 1979. Later, they opened a mission in Nicaragua which ran from 1985 to 1989.

In 1991, St. Joseph’s Community Health Centre opened in Stoney Creek, Ontario. Beginning in 1983 until 1991, the Sisters staffed and supervised Martha House, Good Shepherd Women’s Centre for abused women and homeless girls in Hamilton. The Neighbour to Neighbour Program, St. Joseph’s Women’s Immigrant Centre, and Hamilton Out of the Cold program are but three more recent local initiatives where the Sisters have been instrumental in the foundation of local social services.

On November 22, 2012, the congregation amalgamated with those in London, Peterborough, and Pembroke into one charitable corporation under the name Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada by the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Act, a Private Act of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario which received Royal Assent on June 13, 2013.

Custodial history

Scope and content

This series contains written histories and recollections including annals, correspondence, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, publications, donation lists, financial reports, legal documents, class lists, photographs, negatives, and meeting minutes.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Records transferred from the Hamilton congregation to the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Archives - Hamilton site, and then to the main archives.

Arrangement

Order was imposed on the records.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

    Location of originals

    The records are located at The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Archives.

    Availability of other formats

    Restrictions on access

    The Archives reserves the right to restrict access to the collection depending on the condition of the archival material, the amount of material requested, and the purpose of the research. The use of certain materials may also be restricted for reasons of privacy or sensitivity, or under a donor agreement. Access restrictions will be applied equally to all researchers and reviewed periodically. No researcher will be given access to any materials that contain a personal information bank such as donor agreements or personnel records, or to other proprietary information such as appraisals, insurance valuations, or condition reports.

    Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

    Permission to study archival records does not extend to publication or display rights. The researcher must request this permission in writing from the Archives.

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    There is a series and file list.

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    No further accruals are expected.

    General note

    In October 1963, Sisters Francis Xavier Ruth, Marie Garnier (Joan) McMahon and Bertille Riordan started a mission in Guatemala. They traveled to Teculután to establish a school. A construction committee was formed to buy a plot of land belonging to the Casteñeda-Rossal family called “Peretete for the school and convent. The town gave half of the land to the Sisters and Don Carlos Piaz of the construction committee provided them with the other half in order for the school to be established. The Sisters raised funds to pay for the construction of the buildings. The school opened on January 18, 1965. It was officially inaugurated and given the name “Colegio San José” on March 19, 1965. The school offered both elementary and secondary programs and was fully approved by the Guatemalan Ministry of Education. Education was also extended through the airwaves, where literacy programs were broadcast. Evangelization work occurred through catechetics in the schools, the local parish, and through radio programs. In the 1970s, a beca (Spanish for “scholarship”) program was created. This program collected donations in-order-to help fund children’s education.

    There were several Sisters involved with the Guatemala Mission, including: Marie Garnier (Joan) McMahon (1963-1967, 1968-1972); Francis Xavier Ruth (1963-1968, 1971-1974); Bertille Riordan (1963-1966); Loretta Ford (1966-1973); Aloysia Fischer (1972-1976); Dorothy Winfelder (1972); Ruth Ditner (1974-1975); Mary O’ Sullivan (1974-1979); Madeleine Graf (1975-1979); Diane Marchetti (1976); Anastasia Ward (1968-1970, 1974-1978), Margaret Dyett (1968); Francis Anne Ayotte (1968); and Gabriela Hinca (1966-1969, 1970-1975).

    Several other projects were initiated in addition to the school. In 1969, a dentistry clinic was built. The clinic also provided a space for Sister nurses to treat the sick. Several of the Sisters also worked in the local clinics. In 1977, Sister Mary O’ Sullivan started the Nutritional Centre in order to help children with malnutrition receive care. A focus was also placed on pregnant mothers, offering them nutritional advice to ensure the health of their babies. The Nutritional Centre officially opened on August 22, 1978. In 1976, an earthquake devastated Guatemala. Restoration programs commenced shortly after. The Sisters lent the football field of the school in order to have homes built for the 200 workers who had lost their homes during the disaster. The Sisters in Hamilton started “Operation Guatemala” to raise funds and send supplies to the devastated country.

    Sister Aloysia Fischer was responsible for the organization and administration of the Christian Children’s Fund, which was an American program, from 1972-1976. She also administered the Guatemala Education Bursary (C.O.G.E.B.) in 1975. This bursary program was created by Bishop Reding of the Hamilton Diocese. He wanted to start a program similar to the Christian Children’s Fund but with Canadian and Diocesan roots. The program determined that participating children must go to school either at Colegio San José or at the local school; that mothers must attend one hour of cooking, one hour of sewing, and one hour of nutrition classes per month; and that the families receive financial assistance to help with school costs. Sister Madeleine Graf later administered this program from 1977-1979.

    The Sisters undertook other programs such as bringing portable water and electricity to poor areas. The Sisters and priests brought running water to El Jute and Gúijo in 1978, and to the small village of Los Palmares in 1979.

    The mission formally ended in November 1979 when the Sisters returned to Canada. That year, they relinquished control of the Colegio San José and the Nutritional Centre to the Capuchin Sisters of the Third Order. Although they were no longer directly involved in the mission, the Sisters continued to send funds to Guatemala into the 2000s. Several Sisters went back to celebrate various milestones. For instance, Sisters Madeleine Graf and Marie Garnier (Joan) McMahon returned to Teculután in 2005 for the 40th anniversary of the Colegio San José.

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    Status

    Revised

    Level of detail

    Partial

    Dates of creation, revision and deletion

    July 2, 2020
    May 22, 2023

    Language of description

      Script of description

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