Statement from our Federation Office for Systemic Justice

Public Statement re: Vaccines for COVID-vulnerable people in prisons    

The Federation of Sisters of St. Joseph of Canada commends the federal government’s decision to offer vaccines to 600 elderly prisoners and those with pre-existing conditions. This decision is an affirmation of the dignity of each person, a foundation of morality.

The first wave of the pandemic showed that prisoners are much more likely to get COVID-19.  According to Correctional Services Canada, as of January 6th, there have been 1,196 total positive cases with 167 active and 3 deaths. Furthermore, a CBC analysis indicates that infection rates are five times higher in provincial jails and up to nine times higher in federal facilities than in the general population.  As this data shows, the prison context itself creates significant vulnerabilities to COVID-19 infection.

The guiding principle for decision-making for vaccine distribution should be the equal human dignity and worth of every person.  Human dignity is not something that is earned. It belongs to each person and is not forfeited or forgotten due to specific circumstances or behaviours. It is the task of governments and institutions to protect the human dignity of each person, without exception.  With regard to vaccines, respect for human dignity means the same two criteria, risk and vulnerability, should be used for the prison population as for the general population.

By design, prisons marginalize people from full participation in the community for a period of time.  But this must never leave people marginalized from what is theirs on the basis of their basic human dignity. 

Early access to a COVID-19 vaccine for at-risk persons in prison and other detention facilities is a simple question of human dignity and fairness.  We diminish ourselves as a society if we do not honour these values in our collective decision-making.

  - Office for Systemic Justice, Federation of Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada

From Generation to Generation

When something surprised my father (eg the cost of groceries) he would slap his hand to his chest over his heart, stagger back a few steps and say, “Carry me out!”

My brother decided that his 3 year old grandson River should know some of these family expressions and traditions.

Recently River was at day care and did not appreciate having to stand in line for something.  His mother- who is a teacher at the same school- observed that he slapped his little chest, staggered backwards a few steps and said, “Carry me out!”  Ah, tradition.

We inherit so much from those that go before us both genetically and culturally and what a blessing that can be.  To remember with love things that others did before us to take care of others, to assist others, amuse others can inspire us to pass that on to those with whom we connect as well as those who come after us.  We can appreciate all that past generations have done to allow us to be who we are today.

I have always liked the song ‘Standing on the Shoulders’ by EarthMama (Joyce Johnson Rouse, 1995)

“I am standing on the shoulders of the ones who came before me

 I am honored by their passion for our liberty

I will stand a little taller, I will work a little longer

And my shoulders will be there to hold the ones who follow me.”

Such an opportunity exists for all of us to act in such a way as to be the shoulders for those who follow us.  Let us make the most of this opportunity.

-Sister Nancy Sullivan, csj

Celebrating 100 Years in Pembroke

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the

Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada - Pembroke Site

Written by Mary McGuire, csj

During the next 11 months, we would like to share the amazing story of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada -Pembroke Site as we celebrate 100 years of our service and witness in the Diocese of Pembroke and beyond.  As we tell our story we would like to express our gratitude, love, and prayers to so many of you who have been with us on this journey. Our Congregation is witness to the love and support you have bestowed on our community and we will be forever grateful for these gifts. We would like to say a heartfelt thank you and invite you to read our story in the months ahead as a way of celebrating this important milestone with us.

The Sisters of St. Joseph from Pembroke were canonically born August 25, 1921 in the village of Douglas, Ontario.  Just a mere three weeks after this birth our Congregation moved quickly to a fully operational farm known as the O’Kelly Farm. It was comprised of 147 acres located on the shores of the Ottawa River in the Town of Pembroke. (Photos here)

Bishop Thomas Ryan had paid $16,000.00 for the property and had coordinated all of the needed renovations and expenses to house the Sisters of St. Joseph at this location. Residents in the area had always referred to this portion of the river as ‘the lake’, so when it came time to rename the property, Bishop Ryan named it ‘’St. Joseph’s-on-the-Lake”.  Forty acres were under cultivation at the time but the house on the property was an ancient structure, too small for a Motherhouse. By September 14, 1921 four Sisters had moved into the renovated farmhouse on this site.   Within a week, twelve postulants were received. In the years to follow, many more Sisters would join the Congregation at the Pembroke site.  In 1953, construction began on the large Motherhouse that was located at 1127 Pembroke Street West (part of the initial 147 acres).  The local Congregation’s community membership numbered 215 at its highest peak in the 1960s.

This original farm was fully functional with horses, cattle, hens, and pigs.  The novices and postulants were very much involved in its day-to-day activities while the professed Sisters were teaching within the local community.  Gathering the eggs, plucking the chickens, milking the cows, churning the butter, washing the milk and cream separator, and weeding the gardens were regular duties.  What a challenge for those young Sisters who had never lived on a farm!  One Sister recalled laundry days – using a hand-turning object inside tubs to clean the laundry, and then the irons were heated on a wood stove.  This same Sister recalled the ‘roothouse’ and retreating to it to enjoy the coolness and singing amongst the vegetables. She continued this ministry of music and song for the Congregation with her beautiful voice throughout her life with the Sisters of St. Joseph.  

For many of these Sisters, the Pembroke Motherhouse was their first home away from home.  After a discernment process of prayer, they felt called to dedicate their lives to God as religious Sisters.

One of the many stories that have been passed down is about a Sister from England who was sent out by the cook to gather the eggs from the hen house.  After what must have seemed a disproportionate amount of time, the Sister returned empty-handed.  When asked to explain, she said that she had knocked repeatedly on the hen house and that no one was answering!

Bishop Ryan, who presided over the destiny of the Pembroke Diocese from 1916-1937, had a dream that every child in the Diocese would have access to a Catholic education, no matter how small and remote the area might be. Consequently, many Sisters were dispatched daily to Catholic schools in the area.  These schools were located in Pembroke, Petawawa, Deep River, Renfrew, Barry’s Bay, Douglas, and small Quebec locations, to name a few, providing a vital service and access to a valuable religious education.  Many Sisters had long and full teaching careers in Renfrew County.  A later article will fully cover the many places that our Sisters taught.

Alongside the teaching profession, our Sisters provided nursing, counseling, administration, and various other ministries within our community and beyond.

The previous Motherhouse in Pembroke

Unlike other apostolates, the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada/Pembroke Site chose not to own large institutions outside of the Motherhouse.  Upon completion of our ministries and having prepared lay people to carry on the duties, we simply relinquished the small institutions we did own, namely Radville Hospital and Marion Home in the province of Saskatchewan, likewise Barrhead Hospital in the province of Alberta.  The St. Joseph’s Academy in Renfrew was left to the Pembroke Diocese.  We administered and operated Santa Maria Home in Regina, St. Francis Memorial Hospital in Barry’s Bay, and St. Joseph’s Manor in Campbell’s Bay, Quebec. We also divested our duties at these institutions to the lay community.

From the days of a full Motherhouse, there currently remain 26 Sisters, including two Peruvian Sisters.  We are also proud to have 48 active Associates divided into 8 faith communities in Canada.  There are also 15 active Associates in Peru and 23 non-active Associates who form a group called ‘The Supporters in Spirit and Prayer.’

As our story unfolds you will appreciate that even from our humble beginnings and our small but mighty numbers, by the grace of God we were able to do extraordinary things and display incredible resilience.  Our preferential option for the education, health care, and spiritual needs of rural communities as well as for the needs of the poor, the orphans, the youth-at-risk, the frail and the elderly, led us to take on ministries in many localities, a total of 45 locations in Canada and abroad.

(with files from Nicole Aubé, csj - S.A.I.L. 2011)

Stay tuned as our story unfolds in 2021.

Believe Me

I am going to risk telling you a story. After you read what I write you will have two choices, either to believe me or not to believe me. That is the risk I am willing to take.

On May 21, I went to pick up a prescription at the drug store and used my debit card to pay for it. I left the pharmacy drove to another store to make a quick purchase only to find that my debit card was missing. I checked through my purse and my pockets and thought I either left it in the machine at the pharmacy or dropped it somewhere en route between stores.

After pursuing both possibilities and realizing it was too late to go to the bank I returned home planning to contact the bank in the morning. However, coincidently I received a phone call to say that suspicious activity had occurred with my Amazon Account. Needless to say, I panicked and stopped payment immediately on my debit card.

I was able to get a new debit card in the morning and was assured that no money had been taken from my account. Now here is the risky part of my story. On July 7, I took my car to the dealer to be serviced; I reached into my purse, pulled out my debit card to pay and it was rejecting payment.

I tried it twice with no luck. And so I reached into my purse to pay with an emergency Mastercard and there was my new debit card right beside it. I had been trying to pay with the cancelled card that I was carrying around invisible in my purse.

My challenge was searching for the lesson I was to learn which was very clear for me. I carried something invisible in my purse but you and I carry the invisible God in our person at all times. Our eyes can be held from seeing.

At exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, my eyes are held from seeing the invisible God. I risked telling you my story but living my story has given a boost to my faith may it also touch your faith. Believe me.

-Sister Elaine Cole, CSJ