The Legacy of Mother Ignatia Campbell

Mother Ignatia

St. Joseph’s Hospital in London, Ontario recently mounted a special exhibit honoring the life and legacy of Mother Ignatia Campbell. On October 15, 165 years ago she took her final vows and then, 135 years ago, also on October 15, she founded St. Joseph’s Hospital in 1888. This was just 20 years after she and four Sisters travelled from Toronto to London to establish a community on Dec. 11, 1858. The staff of the fledgling hospital was 2 Sisters and 4 doctors, with a capacity of 24 patients.  Compare those numbers with today’s numerous programs and hundreds of staff.

The stirring Mother Ignatia exhibit is a collaboration between Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Archives and St. Joseph’s Hospital. The display consists of a variety of artifacts including Mother Ignatia’s prayer book, rosary, and pocket watch.  A beautiful, black Sister’s habit is also featured. Medical articles from both the hospital and Mount Hope across the street are of interest. On view is an 1870 coal oil lamp used at Mount Hope as well as a large brass bell, and chapel artifacts.

Standing in the quiet serenity of the tiny exhibit room, surveying medical items from another era is reminiscent of the simplicity of the medical world of over a century ago.  Among the artifacts in Dr. Luney’s treasured doctor’s bag is an irrigator circa 1880, a hematocytometer circa 1900, an atomizer circa 1909, and a pocket surgical kit circa 1880.

The steady progression of improvements, adaptations, and growth experienced by St. Joseph’s throughout the intervening decades right to our present day is mindboggling.  The trail blazers of dedicated men and women such as Mother Ignatia, have instilled the values of compassion, care, and excellence as each generation of healers gives way to the next.  Despite the many changes in health care and medical technology, one aspect that has never wavered is the love and compassion of caregivers.  The city of London and St. Joseph’s Hospital in 2023 are a far cry from the horse and buggy days of Mother Ignatia Campbell and her companions but the values of excellence and compassionate care remain unchanged.

-Sister Jean Moylan, CSJ

Photos: Photos of display taken by Noelle Tangredi.

The exhibit is displayed in the heritage corner at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Zone A, Level 1, near the Richmond Street entrance. It will be up from October 2023 to January 2024 and can be visited between 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday to Friday.

The medical artifacts collection

Since 2016, the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Consolidated Archives has participated in the medical artifacts cataloguing project with St. Joseph’s Health Care in London, Ontario. As part of this project, 17 university students have acquired skills in museum registration, and many artifacts have been cleaned, labelled, photographed, and catalogued.

Sister Jane Marie Stock

It’s been a fun project, as we’ve collaborated with the hospital staff, Noelle Tangredi, on two museum exhibits: one at the Provincial Legislature, and the other at Museum London. Noelle does a wonderful job of preparing medical artifact displays in the hospital exhibit space in Zone A, Level 1, off the main corridor closest to Richmond Street. We were so pleased that this space was officially opened by Sister Jane Marie Stock of our Congregation. Sister Jane Marie became the business manager and personnel director at St. Joseph’s Hospital in London, serving in this role from 1955-1966. From 1966-1979, she was the Assistant Executive Director of Financial and General Services at St. Joseph’s Hospital, and served as Superior at the hospital from 1975-1976. She also served as a member of many committees and boards including St. Joseph’s Health Centre, London and St. Joseph’s Health Centre Foundation of London.

Our Congregation donated powder coated steel shelving for artifacts storage, and our Congregational Archivist obtained funding from the Catholic Archives Group for a museum database so that catalogue records of artifacts are easily searchable. She also developed a manual for use in cataloguing the collection. In exchange for our support, the hospital has repatriated archival records from the period during which the Sisters administered the hospital, for safekeeping and long-term preservation in our archives. To us, this project has been a model of collaboration and love for the history of the Sisters.

Because of the pandemic, the medical artifacts cataloguing project has been on hiatus. We look forward to the day we can return to continue this important work.

Please enjoy this article from St. Joseph’s Health Care about this collection of intriguing medical implements and devices, which were used during the period that the Sisters ran the hospital. St. Joseph’s Hospital was founded by the Sisters on October 15, 1888 and administered by them until it became St. Joseph’s Health Centre in 1993.

https://www.sjhc.london.on.ca/news-and-media/our-stories/passion-our-past

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Left to right: Nurses in training; St. Joseph’s training school and residence, London, Ontario; Sister, doctors, and nurses in operating room; St. Joseph’s Hospital, London, Ontario 1915

International Awards for CSJ Archivist

To receive one major award in a lifetime is special but to receive two awards in one week is amazing!  This week Mary Grace Kosta, Archivist for the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada received The Archives Association of Ontario’s (AAO), James J. Talman Award at their annual general meeting.  She also was the recipient of The Sister Claude Lane, O.P., Memorial Award to be presented virtually in August 2021 at the annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists. This is the biggest award for religious archivists in North America.

The Sister M. Claude Lane, O.P. Memorial Award, created in 1974, recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution to the field of religious archives.  In Mary’s case, she continues to be involved in three religious archival organizations in the U.S. and Canada and has shown leadership within the wide-ranging religious archival community.

In being chosen for The James J. Talman Award, Mary showed an exceptional level of imagination and innovation in establishing and managing a student practicum program at the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Archives.  In presenting the award, Rodney Carter, Chair of the AAO Awards Committee commended Mary for “providing invaluable hands-on experience to over a hundred students and (her) program is worthy of praise and emulation as a model for other archives of how practicums can benefit both institution and students”.

In addition to the work Mary undertakes for which she received these esteemed awards, she shoulders mounds of archival work every day.  Most recently, she has been responsible for successfully amalgamating the archives of three of our four congregations, which involved travelling between London, Hamilton, and Pembroke as well as supporting the Peterborough archives. We are proud to sing Mary Grace’s praises and call her our celebrated archivist.

-Sister Jean Moylan, csj

Below, pictures from our CSJ Archives. Please visit the CSJ Archives website for more!

100 Years of Nursing Education in London

In 2020, Western University celebrates 100 years of nursing education. To mark this milestone, Museum London is presenting an exhibition that explores this in London.The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Archives participated in this exhibit.

The St. Joseph’s Hospital Training School for Nursing, founded in 1899, formally opened in 1901, but prior to this, practical and theoretical training was given to qualified young ladies, enabling the first class to graduate in 1902. After this date, a systematic course of instruction was established. The Training School was registered with the Regents of the University of the State of New York in 1910, and followed its course of studies, which allowed nurses to be eligible for New York State Board examinations. Registration for graduate nurses in Ontario did not begin until 1923. In 1929, the Training School became affiliated with the University of Western Ontario which had established a nursing school in 1920.

From 1902 until 1973, all the Nursing Superintendents at the school were Sisters of St. Joseph. Nursing Sisters, who were fully qualified academically and by years of practical experience, oversaw the nursing departments. The Sisters did not receive salaries. The medical lecturers were chosen from the University of Western Ontario Faculty of Medicine.

In 1967, St. Joseph’s Regional School of Nursing admitted its first class of students, the beginning of phasing out the Training School. In 1973, the school was transferred to the provincial college system, and in 1970, it became a campus of the Fanshawe College Nursing Program, using the original school’s facilities. In 1977, the operation of St. Joseph’s campus ended.

- Mary Kosta, M.A., M.L.I.S., Congregational Archivist

CSJ Archival Snippets: Schools in Pembroke, Ontario (1923 – 1998)

Bishop Ryan, urged Father Dowdall on getting the Sisters to form a foundation in Pembroke. With the establishment in Pembroke of the Sisters of St. Joseph for the Diocese of Pembroke and the opening of the new parish of St. John`s at the west end, the requirement for teachers was one of the first needs to be met by our newly formed Congregation. 

For some years prior to the creation of St. John the Baptist parish, the erection of a separate school in the west ward of Pembroke had been contemplated by the separate school board.

The presence of the three largest industries in the west end, and in particular, the marked increase in population consequent to the opening of the Eddy Company`s factory in 1921, made it possible to accommodate all Catholic school children in Pembroke. The school that was built was modern in every respect and classified as a Grade 1 school by the Department of Education

With the opening of the new parish of St. John at the town`s west end, the requirement of teachers for the school was one of the first needs to be met by the newly formed Congregation.

St. John`s School, which was named Holy Name School in 1941, was an elementary School which served the sections between Christie street as well as north side of the Indian River along with parts of the townships of Alice, Fraser and Petawawa. Holy Name school became distinguished under the direction of Sisters Beatrice O`Leary, Mary Immaculate Casey, St. Agnes Shruder, Clare Burke, Carmelita Bryne, Alice Leclair and the many Sisters who assisted them from 1923 to 1998.

When the school opened in January 1923 there were 180 pupils.  In addition to academic subjects, the Sisters taught instrumental and vocal music. Sisters Helen Smaggus, Eileen Rooney, and Lucille Durocher were some of the music teachers, with the latter teaching piano in school from 1963 to 1988. Sisters also served as principals, staff, or assistant staff. They worked as well in St. Patrick`s, Bishop Smith, and Cathedral Schools. From Pembroke Motherhouse, for a period of five years. Sisters commuted daily to teach at St. Joseph`s at the foot of Allumette Island, Quebec.

Sister Camilla Cully was outstanding in her capacity to organize ant to educate over many years. She was on staff for 17 years, and served as principal at Holy Name School for 15 of those years. For its first 40 years, the school pupil`s ratio was always high, reaching 50 t0 55 in the late 40`s and 50`s, years when many families sought education after World War 11.

An integral part of the whole parish, the school filled many and varied roles. All matters such as choirs and sanctuary boys were duly attended in cooperation with the parish priests.

Pupils in grades 3 to 5 were trained to sing for weddings and funerals, with Latin being the language used for the liturgy.

The development of their pupils was the interest of the Sisters, who taught full-time and attended to principal`s duties as well. These dedicated, and generous women served the `dear neighbour`` in the poorest areas of Pembroke.

Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Archives