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

medical care

My First Collaborative Exhibit

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Rhiannon Allen-Roberts, Associate Archivist, Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Consolidated Archives


From August to October, I had the pleasure of working with Mary Grace Kosta, Congregational Archivist, and Noelle Tangredi, eLearning Developer/Graphic Designer and caretaker of the St. Joseph’s Health Care Medical Artifacts Collection, to create an exhibit highlighting Mother Ignatia Campbell and the Sisters of St. Joseph’s first endeavours in healthcare in London. I had previously assisted with in-house exhibits and a traveling exhibit, so I was excited to put my newly learned skills to work.

Mother Ignatia Campbell is an impressive historical figure. Serving as the first General Superior of the congregation and foundress of St. Joseph’s Hospital are only a few of her many accomplishments. Our archives had prepared an in-house exhibit about her, and when that exhibit was being taken down in August, we reached out to Noelle to discuss potentially moving this exhibit to the St. Joseph’s Hospital heritage corner due to her connection to the hospital and knowing that some of her artifacts were kept in the Medical Artifacts Collection. We already had a history of collaboration. Since 2016, our archives has been training students in museum registration skills to catalogue the artifacts collection. In exchange, we have repatriated archival materials from the hospital to the archives. Together, the three of us decided that, since this event was to be hosted at the hospital, we should expand the focus from just Mother Ignatia to include the early days of the hospital. We also decided to include Mount Hope, as that was the first care facility the Sisters operated in London, and it is from it that the hospital grew.

With this in mind, I began my research. I dived deep into the life of Mother Ignatia Campbell, learning all I could about her and the early days of the Sisters of St. Joseph in London. I perhaps collected too much information, as I had 18 pages of detailed notes to compress into the exhibit description. But from my research I learned so much about Mother Ignatia Campbell, so many little anecdotes about her life that impacted her and led to her becoming the leader that she was, that I cannot find it in myself to think that it was truly too much. The thing about historical figures is that as time passes, they may seem less human. I wanted my exhibit description to cover everything about her and to get the viewer to empathize with this woman just as I had while doing my research. But that’s not possible in the small word count needed for an exhibit. How do you compress a person’s life into 500 words or less? Things must be cut, simplified, and minimized to get the main points across. I felt like I was erasing parts of Mother Ignatia. How could the viewer of this exhibit empathize with her as I had if they did not understand all she had gone through? If they didn’t know about the girl who left her home to dedicate herself to a life of faith at only 15 years old? Or how she questioned her faith enough to want to leave the congregation, only to stay and never doubt it again? Or how that moment impacted her for the rest of her life and made her compassionate to those questioning their own faith? And what about the Sisters, doctors, and staff who worked by her side and under her direction and who dedicated themselves to providing healthcare?

These figures were no longer just names on paper to me but people with compelling stories that deserved to be told. I desperately wanted to covey all of this to those viewing this exhibit, to try to get my exhibit description to show that these historical figures were people just like us who worked diligently to accomplish great things. In the end, even after chopping down so many anecdotes, the description was three pages long. This length would be fine for a short report, but it was far too long for an exhibit. I think this was the hardest part of designing the exhibit – deciding what points were most important to highlight. Luckily, I had Mary Grace’s experience to help me to chop down the unneeded fluff and highlight the key historical points. Her best advice was to “Let the artifacts speak for themselves!” With that and the focus on the early days of the Sisters’ work in healthcare in mind, I was able to compress the exhibit description into a far more acceptable length. I then sent it to Noelle who constructed beautiful graphic designs to display the text alongside photographs that I digitized from the archives.

The shift in focus from the original in-house exhibit also meant that we needed to reevaluate what artifacts to include. We wanted to keep the focus on Mother Ignatia but to make sure that the artifacts told the story of the Sisters’ involvement in healthcare. Mary Grace created a list of all the artifacts in our holdings that were connected to Mother Ignatia, Mount Hope, and St. Joseph’s Hospital. Then Noelle and I reviewed the artifacts and decided what to include, with Noelle adding the additional items that would be included from the Medical Artifacts Collection. We had to carefully decide on a balance between the personal artifacts of Mother Ignatia, the religious artifacts to highlight the foundations of the Sisters’ practices, medical artifacts to show what those early days of medicine were like, and daily life artifacts to show what life was like at that time. Each of these themes expanded on what was included in the exhibit description, allowing these artifacts to tell the story visually.

While preparing the artifacts, I learned about the importance of keeping track of what artifacts have been exhibited, and for how long, to reduce the light damage to which they would be exposed. We had to consider the physical limitations of the exhibit space, but Noelle came prepared with the dimensions of each case and we were able to determine a rough lay-out of where everything could fit. After this, I completed condition reports to record the condition of the artifacts prior to display. I learned that this is an especially important task when artifacts are going off-site, as it can help determine when an artifact is damaged and it is important for insurance purposes.

With our artifacts selected and Noelle working to prepare the graphic designs, the next step was to pack the exhibit and set it up. Then, tragedy struck! I fell ill and was unable to assist with the packing, delivery, or set-up. Luckily, Noelle and Mary Grace are a well-oiled machine, having worked together many times, and they set the whole exhibit up with no help needed from me. While I’ll hopefully be able to assist with the exhibit take-down, I’ll just have to be patient and hope that the next time our two institutions collaborate I’ll be able to assist with the set-up.

The fruits of our labour are now displayed in the heritage corner at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Zone A, Level 1, near the Richmond Street entrance. There, it is my hope that the artifacts speak for Mother Ignatia Campbell where I could not. That the viewer sees the habit and thinks about how she would pin her veil just-so with care each morning, how she would have used an oil lamp to check on the charges at Mount Hope, how she would have held those rosary beads in her hands while she prayed with all her conviction. That the viewer thinks about how that magnificent hospital was founded by committed people who did all they could to provide the most efficient healthcare possible. I think that is the power of the exhibit, to make the viewer connect these artifacts with the lofty historical figures. I hope that those who see the exhibit will see Mother Ignatia Campbell as she was; a diligent leader, a woman of extraordinary faith, and a person, just like you or me.

Mother Ignatia Campbell display with traditional habit.
Mother Ignatia Campbell display with traditional habit.
Mother Ignatia Campbell display with her wheelchair.
Mother Ignatia Campbell display with her wheelchair.

For more information about the display, please visit: The enduring legacy of Mother Ignatia

Hospitals founded by London Sisters

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In 1868, shortly after their arrival in London, Ontario, the Sisters of St. Joseph founded Mount Hope to provide a home for Sisters, the elderly and orphans. It was renamed House of Providence, and continued to provide care for the elderly until 1966. The first hospital founded by the London Sisters was St. Joseph’s Hospital at the corner of Richmond and Grosvenor Streets in London. This ten bed hospital opened on October 15, 1888, and still located on this site. The facility, now named St. Joseph’s Health Care, has expanded to encompass the original hospital, St. Mary’s Hospital which opened in 1951, Marian Villa which opened in 1966, and the Lawson Research Centre which opened in 1983. Later, Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care was opened on the site. In July 1993 St. Joseph’s Health Care Society formed in London, and the hospital was then transferred to a separate authority. Other healthcare institutions administered by the Sisters were found at different locations in London. The St. Joseph’s Hospital Detoxification Clinic opened in 1973 on William Street and was administered by Sister St. Patrick Joyce until 2005 when the province terminated its contract with St. Joseph’s Hospital. The Sisters sold the building and the Withdrawal Management Centre moved to the Centre of Hope operated by the Salvation Army in October 2005. The Family Medical Centre opened in 1969 on Platt’s Lane and is still in operation today, although under the authority of St. Joseph’s Health Care Society.

On October 15, 1890, the Sisters opened St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chatham, Ontario, which originally was a 16 bed hospital in the former old Salvation Army barracks. In January 1892, the hospital moved to a new site on King Street. In February 2018, the Chatham Kent Health Alliance formed, amalgamating Sydenham District Hospital, the Public General Hospital, and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chatham.

In 1946, the Sisters opened St. Joseph’s Hospital in Sarnia, which was later renamed the St. Joseph’s Health Centre. In January 1998 the signing of the Strategic Alliance Agreement between St. Joseph’s Health Care Society on behalf of St. Joseph’s Hospital Sarnia and Sarnia General Hospital took place.  Ownership of the hospital was later transferred to the Lambton Hospitals Group.

In Alberta, the Sisters opened several hospitals in small, rural communities, first in Stettler in 1926 at the requrest of Archbishop H. J. O’Leary. The hospital was in a neglected state and the Sisters attempted to improve it over two years, but due to bigotry in the area, had to withdraw in 1927. They went to Galahad next, where they opened St. Joseph’s Hospital in a former teacherage as they awaited construction of a proper facility, which finally opened in September 1928 and was administered by the Sisters until 1978. After this, they opened the Killam General Hospital in 1930 which became part of the Killam Hospital Complex, including the Flagstaff Beaver Auxiliary Hospital in 1963. The latter closed in 1992. Following another request from Archbishop O’Leary, the Sisters went to Rimbey in 1932 to operate St. Paul’s Hospital for the Archdiocese of Edmonton until 1949, at which point the hospital ownership and management came under the authority of the local lay community.

In 1967, the Sisters opened a clinic, the Zana Consultario, in Chiclayo Diocese, Peru, which they operated until 1975 when due to many factors, including difficulties with the authorities, the clinic closed in 1975.

Since the beginning, at Mount Hope and the House of Providence, the Sisters saw a great need for health care services, especially when no others were providing it. Over time, the government became more involved and more lay people obtained qualifications in management and clinical practice. The Sisters then relinquished their administration of health care facilities that they had founded and administered, and turned to working in individual ministries, in pastoral care in hospitals, and still with the poor, for whom they ministered from their first days in London, Ontario.

The Detox Clinic

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In 1971, a group of citizens in London met to discuss setting up a detoxification clinic. Sr. Mary Doyle, of the Sisters of St. Joseph, chaired the group which included representatives from hospitals, social service agencies, the Addiction Research Foundation, the police, the Salvation Army, and Mission Services. It was planned as a department of St. Joseph’s Hospital to ensure access to the emergency department. Funding was secured from the provincial government. St. Joseph’s Hospital would administer the clinic, while the Addiction Research Foundation would plan services. The Board of St. Joseph’s Hospital appointed Sr. St. Patrick Joyce as the Director of the newly founded St. Joseph’s Hospital Detoxification Clinic in 1973.

The clinic opened on September 13, 1973 at 331 Dufferin Avenue, attached to the Addiction Research Foundation at 477 Waterloo Street. The clinic contained 20 beds for men, with the objective of providing a hospitable environment in which the alcoholic could be detoxified without medication. The resident was given fruit juice or coffee, showered, got in pajamas, and was encouraged to sleep it off. Nourishing meals were served. The clinic had 11 trained staff members, and access to the 28-day program at St. Thomas Addiction Unit and the four-month program at Quinton Warner House, as well as to Alcoholics Anonymous. There were beds, a reception area, living rooms, and laundry and kitchen services. It was a place to dry out, to sleep, to have a meal, and to find a sympathetic listener and services. Staff planted the desire in residents to want to change their lifestyles through individual or group interaction. Three days after admission, the resident could have seizures or hallucinations, in which case he was kept in the observation area and watched, and if necessary, taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital emergency department and kept until his condition stabilized. Less than 5% of residents required hospital treatment.

From 1973 to 1979, the detox clinic handled the highest number of admissions in the province: more than 20,000 admissions reflecting about 3,600 individuals since many were repeat visits. The residents came from all walks of life, and ranged in age from 15 to 84 years, with about 20% having full time jobs. The average stay was two days. Sr. St. Patrick made the point that detox clinics deal with chronic drinkers and their success rates cannot be compared with treatment centres. She explained that detox clinics dry people out in preparation for treatment centres which would reject chronic alcoholics without this preparation. She argued that detox clinics free up hospital beds and are thus the least expensive way to treat chronic alcoholics. From 1972 to 1976, 24 of the detox clinic residents had remained sober for two years, and 65 residents for one year, a success rate that no one could argue with.

In September, 1979, the detox clinic moved to a mansion built by William Spencer, a founder of Imperial Oil, in 1856. The building was located at the corner of Queens Avenue and William Street in London. It had originally been taken over from the Knights of Columbus by the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1949, and run from 1951-1965 as Fontbonne Hall, an orphanage. From 1965-1972, it had housed Vanier Children’s Services, and then Internos, a home for teenaged girls run by the congregation. In 1977, it served as a residence for women attending university and classrooms for St. Joseph’s School of Music. With the move of the detox clinic, the building was renovated to house alcoholic men and women in one half of the house, and women in need in the other. Renovations were completed on March 6, 1980, and 534 Queens Avenue became a refuge for women in need, while 471 William Street became the new detox centre. The facility, now called the Withdrawal Management Centre, could accommodate 20 men and three women, and had a round- the- clock staff of ten men and women. Sister St. Patrick’s dream to help female alcoholics came true, and her patience was rewarded when one woman she worked with for 16 years was finally able to stay sober for one whole year.

During its years in operation, the detox centre at William Street had over 3,300 client visits per year. It provided a haven for intoxicated people who were not allowed into shelter beds, and a place for alcoholics to dry out before treatment. While the clientele was mostly male, 10% were female. In 2005, the province terminated its contract with St. Joseph’s Hospital. The Sisters of St. Joseph sold the William Street building in September, 2005, and the Withdrawal Management Centre moved to the Centre of Hope operated by the Salvation Army on October 31, 2005.

A longer version of this article by Mary Grace Kosta was originally published in the London and Middlesex Historical Society Newsletter, Spring 2020.

Religious antagonism initiates community gem

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By Joe Keast

Although in the 21st century differences between different Christian denominations are mostly no longer a source of antagonism, these differences had a significant impact on the young town of Peterborough toward the end of the 19th century.

One systemic example of this antagonism was the provision of health care.  In the mid-1880’s the widow of a wealthy Peterborough businessman, Mrs. Charlotte Nichols, set aside $100,00 for the establishment a hospital in the young, growing town.  This important addition to the community was to be managed by a specifically chosen group of business and professional leaders – representatives of the various Protestant denominations, along with the mayor (unless he were not a Protestant).  The Nichols Hospital’s services were specifically and exclusively “for the benefit the Protestant population.”

As word of this development reached the attention of Bishop Joseph Thomas Dowling of the Diocese of Peterborough, he began making plans for a hospital whose vision would be more catholic. Bishop Dowling purchased a site across the river in Ashburnham Village – referred as St. Leonard’s Grove and hired local architect John Belcher to design the building.  In 1889 Bishop Dowling was transferred to the Hamilton diocese and was succeeded by Bishop Richard Alphonsus O’Connor.  With work on the hospital building proceeding, Bishop O’Connor approached the leaders of the Toronto Sisters of St. Joseph, who in previous years had established several hospitals in southern Ontario and Port Arthur and who had convents dedicated to Catholic education in the Peterborough diocese.  He asked the Sisters to agree, not only to staff the new hospital, but to allow the formation of a new Congregation for the Peterborough diocese comprising of the Toronto Sisters’ establishments in Cobourg, Port Arthur, and Fort William as well as staff for the Peterborough hospital and a school in Lindsay to be assumed from the Loretto Sisters to serve as a motherhouse for the new Congregation.

St. Joseph's Convent, Lindsay, Ontario
St. Joseph’s Convent, Lindsay, Ontario

With some trepidation, the Toronto Congregation generously agreed to this request. In August of 1890 the construction of the new hospital neared completion.  Under the direction of Mother M. de Pazzi, General Superior of the Toronto Congregation, those Sisters who could, gathered in the empty building to hold retreat and the election of the first leadership group. The retreat ended on August 15th with the election of Mother Austin Doran as the General Superior of the new congregation.  A few days later, on August 20, Bishop O’Connor presided over the dedication and official opening of the hospital. He proclaimed that “its doors will be open to the sick of all denominations, to Jew and Gentile, Catholic and Protestant.”

Mayor Stevenson was moved by this universal decree and agreed that the town would co-operate in retiring the remaining debt. The first Sisters to staff the new hospital were Mother Anselm (O’Connor), Sister Baptista (Keane), Sister Geraldine (Chidwick), and Sister Hilary (Irwin). The next year the Sisters expanded their ministry at the hospital by welcoming 40 people in need of care – the aged, blind, destitute, and orphans.  This group had been cared for by the Toronto Sisters, but it was felt that they would be better cared for in their hometown.  Eventually this led to the establishment of the House of Providence to care for the elderly and destitute on the hospital grounds, and St. Vincent’s Orphanage to care for children in town.

St. Joseph's Hospital, Peterborough, Ontario
St. Joseph’s Hospital, Peterborough, Ontario

Over the next century, St. Joseph’s Hospital served the citizens of Peterborough City and County with compassionate, professional medical care. During this time the hospital underwent a series of major additions and the level of medical care expanded to keep up with all the changes and improvements in medical care.  In the 1990’s, when the cost and complexity of providing medical care became onerous, the provincial government mandated the St. Joseph’s and Civic Hospital (the successor to the Nichols Hospital) be amalgamated to form the Peterborough Regional Health Center.

Thus, an endeavor which came to be because of religious antagonism blossomed, and when the time was right evolved into the modern medical facility that residents of Peterborough enjoy today.

170 years of caring for the sick, elderly, and poor in the diocese of Hamilton

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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. On April 19, 1856, the congregation became independent from the Toronto congregation.

In 1861, the Sisters 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. Later, in 1862, a larger building was built and added on to in 1877. In 1888, because of a diphtheria epidemic, an isolation cottage, known as a “pest hut” was built behind the hospital. The original buildings were later used for the House of Providence which began operating in 1861 until 1959 when residents were moved to St. Joseph’s Home. In 1959, the Sisters unveiled St. Joseph’s Home in Guelph, and residents were moved from the House of Providence to 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 1984, the hospital and home amalgamated as St. Joseph’s Hospital and Home changing its name to St. Joseph’s Health Centre Guelph in 2001.

From 1861-1899, Sisters received nursing training by example only. In 1897, Sisters Martina Long and Leo Cass went to Mercy Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan to learn about their nursing program, and then, in 1899, founded the School of Nursing in Guelph. The first graduating class in 1902 consisted of seven Hamilton Sisters and two London Sisters, and the first lay student enrolled in 1904. In 1948, a new school of nursing was opened, and its last class graduated in 1974 when nursing schools in Ontario were taken over by community colleges.

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 which the Sisters opened in Dundas. This same year also saw the beginning of the House of Providence annual picnic on August 2. After a fire in 1900, it re-opened in 1902. Much later, in 1970, the Sisters opened the new St. Joseph’s Villa in Dundas, which replaced the House of Providence.

In 1890, the Sisters opened St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton. Throughout the early years, the Sisters held positions in all areas of the hospital and were aided by lay workers beginning at the turn of the century. The staff battled major diseases from whooping cough, diphtheria, smallpox, measles, and mumps. After a full day attending to the sick, the Sisters did the laundry, prepared food, did housework, and kept records. The quality of care was the same for all. Quite often, it went beyond medical care. One Sister used to take it upon herself to borrow flowers from those who had plenty and make up little bouquets for patients who had none. There is an anecdote concerning a young man who was returned to his room after chest surgery. Later that night, in a state of delirium, he ripped out the drainage tubes connected to his chest, jumped out of bed, and escaped from the hospital. In a pouring rainstorm, Sister Lioba O’Dwyer chased after him, eventually jumped in a passing taxi and caught the patient and brought him safely back to the hospital. A plan for a new St. Joseph’s Hospital was approved in 1944, and the new hospital opened in 1947, and occupied most of the block from Charlton Avenue to Mountain Boulevard. which was renamed St. Joseph’s Drive in 1958. In 1962, a new St. Joseph’s Hospital building officially opened, with grants from the federal and provincial governments, a $1 million commitment from the Sisters, and a capital grant from the City of Hamilton, along with donations from the public.

In 1911, the Sisters acquired the home of Adam Brown and used it as a nurses’ residence and training school. The first students Sister Gerard, and Ada Egan, enrolled that year. They were followed at intervals by seven more young ladies, with the first graduation of nine nurses from St. Joseph’s School of Nursing taking place in 1915. In 1899, Undermount, the John Young property on John Street South was purchased, and in 1922, a new residence for the nursing school was opened at this location. In 1947, the Woods estate on the corner of Mountain Boulevard and James Street was purchased and converted into additional residence accommodation and known as Marygrove. Another residence called Oakbank was also located on James Street. Later, in 1963, the Sisters opened St. Joseph’s School of Nursing, Fontbonne Hall (until 1972). Sisters served as directors of the school, nursing education teachers, and nursing administrators from 1911 to 1972. By 1950, 1,100 nurses had enrolled, and 790 had graduated. They served in the battlefields in both World Wars.

Sister Mary Grace Stevens served as hospital administrator from 1954-1960, and from 1963-1970. Those who remember her always describe her as a visionary and brilliant administrator. In the early 1960s, she met with the architect to discuss plans for the new Fontbonne nurses’ residence. When the architect suggested the Sisters could save money by not installing sinks in the nurses’ rooms, Sister Mary Grace pounded her fist on the table and declared, “…we are not going backward. We are going forward. We have had sinks in the nurses’ rooms since 1922!”

In 1923, the residence on Charlton Avenue East, formerly owned by Mr. and Mrs. G. H. Bisby, was purchased, and converted to a maternity hospital, known as Casa Maria. The department of obstetrics which had opened in 1912 was transferred here. The first of four sets of twins born here, the Shoope twins, made their appearance on March 25, 1925. Casa Maria was demolished in 1950 to make way for a new 100 bed maternity wing.

In 1916, the Sisters of Providence in Kingston purchased land with the intent of opening a hospital in Kitchener, but when they were unable to fulfill this goal, the Sisters of St. Joseph bought the land from them. In 1924, the Sisters established St. Mary’s Hospital followed by the opening of St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing, with its first graduates in 1927 (until 1972). In 1959, the hospital became known as St Mary’s General Hospital.

In 1955, the Sisters opened St. Joseph’s Hospital in Brantford (until 2001 when it became a long-term care facility). This was followed in 1957 by the opening of St. Joseph’s Training Centre for Registered Nursing Assistants in Brantford (until 1980).

In 1957, Sr. Cleophas Fischer was appointed Ontario’s first Hospital Press Officer.

Before 1950, the hospitals were owned and operated by the Sisters. In the early days, people could not always pay for health care and so payment sometimes took the form of produce! In 1959, the Ontario Hospital Insurance Plan came into effect and provided insurance for Ontarians and payment for hospital treatment, which meant both that hospitals were now paid for the care they provided and more government involvement.

In 1964, Mother Alacoque Hayes began to bring hospital administrators together with the General Council of the congregation to discuss common issues. These quarterly meetings encouraged collaboration across the hospitals and homes run by the Sisters. In 1972, the first meeting of Board chairmen and chief executive officers with the Council was held to educate the Boards of their relationship to the Sisters of St. Joseph. In 1980, a Lay Advisory Committee started to provide business expertise to the Council. In 1981, Boards of Trustees, senior management, and Sisters in all the hospitals and homes were invited to a workshop to learn about the Sisters’ charism and begin a process of identifying their mission in healthcare. The Sisters in Hamilton were one of the first congregations to begin this process of mission education which is now considered vital to the ongoing life of Catholic hospitals and homes.

In the early 1940s and 1950s, advisory boards were started to help with fund raising and the construction of expanding facilities. These later became, in 1968, Boards of Trustees which took responsibility for the operation of each hospital and home. The first Board of Trustees was formed in 1968 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton, and in 1969 St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation was set up with a lay executive director. In 1988, it was decided to separately incorporate the hospitals and homes from the Motherhouse.

Mention must be made of the lay women who assisted the Sisters. At St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton, the hospital women’s auxiliary, which was started in 1945 by the Catholic Women’s League, held an annual tag day that helped reduce the building debt and helped build a new laundry. As well, the auxiliary raised funds through Valentine dances at the Royal Connaught, and membership teas at the nurses’ residence. The members of the auxiliary volunteered at the information desk during hospital visiting hours, visited patients with books, helped with sewing, supplied linens, furnished rooms, and helped purchase equipment.

Over the years, Sisters served in many roles in the hospital including as chief executive officers, nursing administrators, business administrators, medical record librarians, dietitians, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, in the accounting departments, in hospital chaplaincy, in pastoral care services, as occupational therapists, in palliative care, in therapeutic counselling, in laundry services, and as X-ray technicians.

Sources:

The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Archives. Hamilton. Healthcare Box 3.

The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Archives. Hamilton. Histories Box 1.

Diocese of Hamilton. (1943). The Sisters of St. Joseph Of The Diocese Of Hamilton.

St. Joseph’s Health Centre Guelph. The History of St. Joseph’s Health Centre Guelph, retrieved from St. Joseph’s Health Centre Guelph

Sisters of St. Joseph. (1950). 1890-1950. Sixty Years. History Of St. Joseph’s Hospital And School Of Nursing.