Timeline – The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Consolidated Archives

Hamilton

April 19, 1852

The first convent opened at the corner of MacNab and Cannon Streets in Hamilton, Ontario. This became the congregation’s first Motherhouse in 1856 (to 1857).

Hamilton

April 30, 1852

The first work of the Sisters in Hamilton, Ontario was the establishment of St. Mary’s Orphanage (to 1960).

Hamilton

April 19, 1856

The Hamilton congregation was founded, becoming independent from the Toronto congregation.

Hamilton

September 8, 1857

The Sisters opened their second Motherhouse on Park Street North, Hamilton, Ontario (to 1951).

Hamilton

April 5, 1858

The first mission house outside Hamilton was in Paris, Ontario, where the Sisters served as teachers (to 1974).

Hamilton

November 22, 1861

St. Joseph’s Hospital in Guelph opened as a six-bed facility. This was the sixth hospital in Ontario and the first opened in Canada by the…

London

April 29, 1864

The Sisters arrived to take up residence at Our Lady of the Lake Convent in Windsor, Ontario (to 1901).

London

December 11, 1868

Five Sisters from Toronto arrived at the request of the Bishop and stayed at their first convent on Kent Street in London, Ontario (to 1869).

London

January 4, 1869

Sisters were the first to teach at St. Peter’s School, the first separate school in London, Ontario (to 1979).

London

October 2, 1869

Mount Hope opened in London, Ontario to serve as a Motherhouse, orphanage and home for the aged. It was renamed House of Providence in 1899,…

London

December 10, 1870

The London congregation was founded, becoming independent from the Toronto congregation.

Hamilton

August 22, 1879

Father McNulty gifted the property for the House of Providence in Dundas, Ontario to the Sisters of St. Joseph. This building was destroyed by fire…

London

October 15, 1888

St. Joseph’s Hospital was established in London, Ontario. It became St. Joseph’s Health Centre in 1993, and integrated Parkwood Hospital in 1997, and the London/St….

Hamilton

June 11, 1890

St. Joseph’s Hospital opened in Hamilton, Ontario.

Peterborough

August 15, 1890

The Peterborough Congregation was founded by Sisters from the Toronto Congregation (to 2012).

Peterborough

August 20, 1890

St. Joseph’s Hospital in Peterborough, Ontario opened. It merged in 1998 to form the Peterborough Regional Health Centre.

Peterborough

September 2, 1890

St. Joseph’s Academy in Lindsay, Ontario became the first Motherhouse of the Congregation. It had formerly been the Loretto Academy administered by the Loretto Sisters….

Peterborough

September 2, 1890

St. Joseph’s Academy Music School in Lindsay, Ontario opened (to 1988).

London

October 15, 1890

St. Joseph’s Hospital was established in Chatham, Ontario (to 1993).

London

September 3, 1894

Notre Dame School where the Sisters taught in the first separate school in Windsor, Ontario, was blessed on this day (to 1929).

Peterborough

January 1, 1895

Mount St. Joseph opened as the Congregation’s second Motherhouse in Peterborough, Ontario (to 2009).

London

June 3, 1899

The House of Providence was established in London, Ontario to provide care for the aged (to 1980).

London

August 16, 1899

The first student entered St. Joseph’s Training School of Nursing in London, Ontario. It became St. Joseph’s Regional School of Nursing in 1967, and in…

London

April 29, 1900

Mount St. Joseph Orphanage and Convent opened in the former Hellmuth College, London, Ontario (to 1953).

Peterborough

July 27, 1900

The House of Providence opened in Peterborough, Ontario (to 1959). Later, it operated as Marycrest Home for the Aged, then as St. Joseph’s at Fleming…

Hamilton

May 1, 1902

The House of Providence reopened in Dundas, Ontario. It had originally opened in 1879, but a fire destroyed it in 1900.

Peterborough

August 27, 1904

St. Joseph’s Training School for Nurses, Thunder Bay, Ontario opened. In 1936, the nursing school was taken over by the Sisters of St. Joseph of…

Hamilton

October 1, 1904

The first lay student was accepted for training at St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing in Guelph. The hospital had opened in 1900 with nine…

Peterborough

September 4, 1906

St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing opened in Peterborough, Ontario (to 1974).

Peterborough

September 4, 1906

St. Peter’s Elementary School opened in Peterborough, Ontario (to 1990).

Peterborough

December 7, 1907

St. Joseph’s Hospital in Parry Sound, Ontario opened at the request of the pastor of St. Peter’s Parish and the Bishop of Peterborough. It became…

Peterborough

November 9, 1909

St. Vincent’s Orphanage opened in Peterborough, Ontario (to 1956).

Hamilton

July 25, 1910

Mount Carmel Infants’ Home began in a cottage on Hamilton mountain which was used as a summer home for orphans. Later, in 1917, property on…

Pembroke

September 6, 1910

Sisters from Peterborough, Ontario began teaching at St. Michael’s Parish school in Douglas, Ontario beginning their first mission in the Pembroke Diocese (to 1975).

Hamilton

September 8, 1911

St. Joseph’s School of Nursing opened in Hamilton, Ontario (to 1972).

London

March 31, 1914

Sacred Heart Convent in London, Ontario, was purchased from the Religious of the Sacred Heart, to serve as a convent, commercial school, the Sacred Heart…

Peterborough

September 5, 1916

The School of Nursing opened at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Parry Sound, Ontario (to 1956).

Peterborough

September 2, 1919

The Sisters took charge of Sacred Heart School and St. Anne’s School in Calgary, Alberta at the request of the Bishop of Calgary (to 1921).

Peterborough

August 24, 1920

St. Joseph’s Academy in North Bay, Ontario opened as an elementary and secondary day and boarding school for girls. It was taken over by the…

Pembroke

August 25, 1921

The Pembroke congregation was founded by Sisters missioned from Peterborough to Douglas, Killaloe, and Mount St. Patrick at the request of Bishop P. T. Ryan….

Pembroke

August 27, 1921

The first mission of the newly formed Congregation was in Chapeau, Québec, where Sisters taught in the local school (to 1999).

Pembroke

September 19, 1921

St. Joseph’s-on-the-Lake convent opened in Pembroke, Ontario (to 1953).

Peterborough

April 18, 1922

St. Joseph’s Orphanage for Girls opened in Cobourg, Ontario (to 1951).

London

July 25, 1922

Sisters arrived to teach at Sacred Heart School in Edmonton, Alberta, residing at Sacred Heart Convent until 1961. The community was incorporated as the “Sisters…

Hamilton

October 21, 1924

St. Mary’s General Hospital was established in Kitchener, Ontario. St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing opened at the same time (to 1972).

London

September 1, 1926

Sisters arrived to administer Stettler Hospital in Alberta (to 1927).

London

September 3, 1928

St. Joseph’s Hospital in Galahad, Alberta, was officially opened (to 1978).

Pembroke

September 10, 1928

The first classes were held at St. Joseph’s Academy, a girls’ high school in Renfrew, Ontario. A new building was completed in 1940 (to 1966).

Pembroke

September 28, 1928

St. Joseph’s Convent opened in Barry’s Bay, Ontario (to 2008).

London

November 30, 1930

Killam General Hospital opened in Killam, Alberta (to 1990).

Peterborough

September 10, 1931

The mission at Wainwright, Alberta opened (to 2004).

Peterborough

October 7, 1931

St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing opened in North Bay, Ontario (to 1972).

Peterborough

October 7, 1931

St. Joseph’s Hospital in North Bay, Ontario was officially opened by the bishop of the Sault Ste. Marie Diocese. It was taken over by the…

London

December 13, 1934

St. Joseph’s Manor, a receiving home for children in need, opened in Windsor, Ontario (to 1969).

Peterborough

September 6, 1938

The Sisters took charge of St. Stephen’s School in Old Chelsea, Québec at the invitation of St. Stephen’s Parish (to 1962).

Peterborough

November 26, 1938

St. Joseph’s Hospital opened in Estevan, Saskatchewan at the request of the Archbishop of Regina (to 1993).

London

December 3, 1939

The first broadcast of the “School of Christ” radio and television program was aired, with the support and musical participation of the Sisters (to 1964).

Peterborough

July 2, 1940

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Convent opened in Ottawa, Ontario as a teaching mission at the request of the pastor (to 1977).

Pembroke

September 1, 1940

Villa St. Joseph, an orphanage, opened in Renfrew, Ontario (to 1947).

Pembroke

September 1, 1940

Ecole Normale, later known as St. Mary’s Teachers’ College, opened in Chapeau, Québec (to 1969).

Pembroke

July 25, 1946

Sisters arrived in Radville, Saskatchewan, to establish the first hospital, the Radville Community Hospital (to 1993).

Peterborough

September 3, 1946

St. Cecilia’s Convent and Music School opened in Peterborough, Ontario (to 1968).

London

October 18, 1946

St. Joseph’s Hospital opened in Sarnia, Ontario (to 1993).

Pembroke

January 7, 1947

Sisters arrived to take over the administration of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Barrhead, Alberta, from the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph (to 1978).

Hamilton

September 9, 1950

A teaching mission opened to serve the Nak’azdli Whut’en First Nation (Fort St. James), British Columbia (to 1969).

London

May 1, 1951

St. Mary’s Hospital in London, Ontario was opened, and became part of Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care in 1985.

Hamilton

September 23, 1951

St. Joseph’s Convent opened in Dundas, Ontario (to 2020).

Hamilton

September 1, 1952

The Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation mission opened to serve as a ministry to Indigenous peoples at the Neyaashiinigmiing (Cape Croker) reserve (to 1986).

London

August 11, 1953

St. Joseph’s Convent opened in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories (to 2000).

London

September 11, 1953

Fontbonne Hall Orphanage opened in London, Ontario (to 1967).

Pembroke

December 12, 1953

The new Motherhouse opened in Pembroke, Ontario (to 2020).

London

June 20, 1954

Mount St. Joseph Academy, a private girls’ school, officially opened in London, Ontario (to 1985).

London

June 20, 1954

Mount St. Joseph Motherhouse was formally opened in London, Ontario (to 2007).

London

June 29, 1954

St. Joseph’s School of Music opened in London, Ontario (to 1982).

Hamilton

September 3, 1954

Sisters began teaching in Fort St. John, British Columbia (to 1988).

Hamilton

August 15, 1955

St. Joseph’s Hospital opened in Brantford, Ontario. It was operational until December 31, 2001 and was replaced by St. Joseph’s Lifecare Centre on October 27,…

Pembroke

April 18, 1956

Marian Home was officially opened to provide long term care and care for the aged in Radville, Saskatchewan (to 1993).

Peterborough

September 8, 1959

Sisters took charge of St. Anthony’s School in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the invitation of the pastor (to 1972).

Pembroke

October 25, 1960

St. Francis Memorial Hospital in Barry’s Bay, Ontario was officially opened and administered by the Sisters (to 1975).

Hamilton

November 21, 1960

Mount St. Joseph Centre, a residential facility for emotionally disturbed children, opened in Hamilton, Ontario (to 1980).

London

April 14, 1961

St. Joseph’s Convent Regional House opened in Edmonton, Alberta. It was sold to Venta Nursing Home on October 2, 2000.

London

November 20, 1962

The Sisters opened a mission at Chiclayo, Peru (to 1994).

Hamilton

September 30, 1963

The Sisters opened a mission in Teculután, Zacapa, Guatemala (to 1979).

Pembroke

April 17, 1964

Sisters departed to found St. Joseph’s Convent in Chincha, Alta, Peru.

Pembroke

November 2, 1964

Clinica San Martin was opened in Chincha Alta, Peru.

Hamilton

March 19, 1965

Colegio San José opened in Teculután, Guatemala (to 1979).

Pembroke

April 1, 1965

Colegio San José opened in Chincha Alta, Peru.

Peterborough

July 26, 1965

St. Joseph’s Hospital was opened in Itacoataria, Brazil, at the request of the Scarboro Foreign Mission Society. This ministry gradually evolved into public health and…

Pembroke

January 1, 1966

Clinica Tom Dooley was opened in Chincha Baja, Peru (to 1969).

London

January 12, 1966

Marian Villa, which provides care for the elderly, opened in London, Ontario. It became Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care in 1985.

London

March 19, 1967

The first public concert of the Sisters of St. Joseph Concert Band took place. The Concert Band was formed to celebrate the Sisters’ centennial in…

Pembroke

August 24, 1968

Sisters arrived to administer and staff St. Joseph’s Manor, a home for senior citizens, in Campbell’s Bay, Québec (to 1982).

Pembroke

October 12, 1968

Santa Maria Senior Citizens Home officially opened in Regina, Saskatchewan (to 1985).

Peterborough

February 20, 1969

A Sisters’ Choir gave the first of a series of sixteen concerts, “Musically Yours,” throughout eastern Ontario to raise funds for the mission in Brazil.

London

December 26, 1969

Médaille Retreat House opened in London, Ontario (to 2012).

Windsor

March 19, 1970

Roy J. Bondy Centre, a receiving home for children in need, opened in Windsor, Ontario (to 1980).

Hamilton

November 2, 1970

St. Joseph’s Villa opened in Dundas, Ontario, replacing the House of Providence.

London

November 1, 1972

Internos, a ministry for female students in need, opened in London, Ontario (to 1979).

London

September 13, 1973

St. Joseph’s Detoxification Clinic opened in London, Ontario (to 2005).

Peterborough

August 1, 1976

Woodland House opened in Peterborough, Ontario to serve women in the correctional system and other women in need (to 2002).

Peterborough

September 1, 1976

Villa St. Joseph Retreat House opened in Cobourg, Ontario.

Pembroke

August 15, 1978

Sisters began their first British Columbia mission, a parish ministry in Penticton (to 1984).

Hamilton

September 12, 1978

Sisters from the Sault Ste. Marie congregation began a ministry as administrators for the St. John the Apostle parish in Red Lake, Ontario, remaining there…

London

January 1, 1979

The House for Women in Need at 534 Queens Avenue, London, Ontario, opened to provide a refuge for women in crisis (to 2005).

London

August 16, 1980

The Home for Handicapped Children in Windsor, Ontario, was blessed, and in 1982, after a change in location, became a foster home for disabled children…

Peterborough

August 25, 1980

The Elm Street Residence opened in Ottawa, Ontario as a ministry in a low income neighbourhood (to 1983).

Peterborough

September 15, 1981

The first Co-member (later Associate) group met in Parry Sound, Ontario.

London

February 1, 1982

St. Stephen’s Residence, an alcoholic recovery home, opened in London, Ontario (to 2007).

Peterborough

August 28, 1982

Sisters began a pastoral ministry at Our Lady of the Snows Parish in Sheshatshiu, Newfoundland and Labrador (to 1986).

Hamilton

September 8, 1982

Martha House, an emergency shelter for abused women and children, opened in Hamilton, Ontario (to 1990).

London

February 2, 1983

St. Joseph’s Hospitality Centre (soup kitchen) opened in London, Ontario.

Hamilton

September 25, 1983

St. Joseph’s Centre of Spirituality opened in Dundas, Ontario (to 2001).

Peterborough

September 1, 1984

Martha House for single expectant mothers in Regina, Saskatchewan, was assumed from the Sisters of St. Martha. It later served as a home for retired…

Peterborough

September 5, 1984

Upper Room Home of Prayer opened in Ottawa, Ontario.

Hamilton

April 22, 1985

A young girl from Dominica came to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton for corrective surgery, beginning a project in which the Sisters sponsored two delegations…

Peterborough

September 10, 1985

The Faith Development Centre opened in St. Mary’s Parish Lindsay, Ontario (to 1993).

Hamilton

September 17, 1986

The Hamilton Companion program, a group of lay people committed to follow the charism of the Sisters, began.

Hamilton

October 1, 1986

The Sisters International Outreach Program, to help communities build healthcare capacity and knowledge, began with its first project in Dominica.

London

September 24, 1987

Josephs’ House for Refugees, named after the two Biblical Josephs who were refugees, opened in London, Ontario (to 2005).

Peterborough

August 29, 1988

Sisters were appointed the parish administrators of Immaculate Conception Parish, M’Chigeeng (West Bay) Manitoulin Island, Ontario (to 1993).

Hamilton

November 7, 1988

St. Joseph’s Immigrant Women’s Centre opened in Hamilton, Ontario. This was an offshoot of the refugee outreach work that the Sisters had carried on since…

London

January 1, 1989

The Adult Spirituality Centre opened as an intercongregational ministry at Holy Redeemer College in Windsor, Ontario, later moving to the Ursuline Merici Convent, and then…

Hamilton

March 6, 1989

Bethany House, an emergency shelter for homeless women, opened in Brantford, Ontario (to 1994).

London

April 4, 1989

The London Associates program, a group of lay people committed to follow the charism of the Sisters, began.

Pembroke

July 9, 1989

Stillpoint House of Prayer opened in Springtown, Ontario.

Hamilton

March 22, 1990

The Sisters opened a mission in Annotto Bay, Jamaica (to 2007).

Peterborough

September 13, 1993

The Spirituality Centre at Mount St. Joseph, Peterborough, Ontario opened (to 2008).

Peterborough

November 9, 1994

Two Sisters began an education ministry in Mpika, Zambia (to 2007).

Peterborough

December 2, 1994

Casa Maria Refugee Homes, which provide shelter to refugees, was founded on December 2, 1994.

Hamilton

October 3, 1996

St. Joseph’s Homecare, which began in 1908 in Toronto as St. Elizabeth Visiting Nurses Association, and then opened a branch in Hamilton in 1921, changed…

Hamilton

April 22, 1997

St. Joseph’s Institute of Faith Development Resource Centre opened in Dundas, Ontario (to 2009).

Hamilton

December 1, 1997

The first “Out of the Cold” food security program in Hamilton, Ontario, was begun and coordinated by the Sisters.

Peterborough

September 15, 1998

The Mozambique Africa mission opened with a Sister working in Mocimboa da Praia to provide health care to HIV/AIDS patients (to 2007).

London

December 18, 1998

The Sisters opened a mission in Nicaragua in response to Hurricane Mitch (to 1999).

Hamilton

May 10, 2002

Sisters began their first day of ministry to the Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg (Pic Mobert) First Nation. The Sisters lived at White River, Ontario (to 2020).

London

November 1, 2002

This day saw the incorporation of Heart-Links, a community sponsored ministry of the Sisters, that began in 1994 in support of their Peruvian ministry.

Hamilton

December 2, 2004

Stedman Community Hospice opened at St. Joseph’s Lifecare, Brantford, Ontario.

London

April 30, 2006

St. Joseph Centre officially opened in Windsor, Ontario, providing various services including spiritual direction, counselling, and massage (to 2016).

London

June 6, 2007

Sisters moved from Mount St. Joseph Motherhouse to their new, LEED gold certified residence at 485 Windermere Road in London, Ontario.

Peterborough

March 23, 2009

The new Mount St. Joseph residence, a LEED gold building, opened in Peterborough, Ontario at 1555 Monaghan Road.

Hamilton

January 20, 2010

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton sent a medical mission to Haiti in response to the earthquake. This built on the Sisters’ support to Haiti which began…

Pembroke

June 8, 2010

Seven Sisters of the Visitation moved their monastery from Ottawa to the Pembroke, Ontario Motherhouse (to 2020).

Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada

September 14, 2012

The congregations in Hamilton, London, Peterborough, and Pembroke chose to amalgamate and form a new congregation. The Decree of Approval for the new congregation was…

Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada

November 20, 2012

The congregations in Hamilton, London, Peterborough, and Pembroke chose to amalgamate, and the Amalgamation Agreement was signed on this date. The new congregation is known…

Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada

June 13, 2013

The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Act received Royal Assent, thus amalgamating the Sisters in Hamilton, London, Peterborough, and Pembroke into…

Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada

June 24, 2015

The Core Refugee Committee of the newly amalgamated congregation accepted their first refugee.

Hamilton

January 2, 2020

The Sisters departed from St. Joseph’s Convent in Dundas, Ontario, and the building was sold.

Pembroke

February 21, 2020

The Sisters departed from the Motherhouse in Pembroke, Ontario, and the building was sold.