Archives

A Poet's Voice from the Past

Rediscovering Sister Mary Evelyn Connor: A Poet’s Voice from the Past

Sister Mary Evelyn (Marie Noella), was a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton. Beyond her dedication to education and healthcare, she was also a gifted poet. Her poems offer a glimpse into her spiritual journey and the contemplative life she led.

In a rare archival recording, Sister Mary Evelyn recites two of her poems, providing a personal and intimate connection to her work. This audio, preserved from an oral history interview, allows us to hear her voice and experience her poetry as she intended.

Here, she recites some of her poetry:

Last Times, July 1930

When I sew on a lace for the last time

When the postulate dress I doff

Then I'll wear the habit forever, never to put it off

When Miss Connor I'm called for the last time

When Evelyn I'll hear no more

Then I'll have a new name forever, till I reach the eternal shore

When I leave my class for the last time

When I give up teaching at last

Then I'll rest from my labors forever

Death will become in Christ

When I receive my God for the last time

When he comes midst faced chimes

Then I’ll rest (audio recording ends, but the remainder of the poem is:)

Then I’ll rest in His Bosom forever

And then there’ll be no more last times.

Novitiate ABC, September 1930

A for the Angelus, three times a day

B for the bell, when you hear it, don't stay

C for canonicals, five of us here

D for our duties, to each of us, dear

E for eternity, a model you'll find

F for the furniture, ours, not mine

G for good, which we try to be

H for holy and happy are we

I for “I mustn't!” I sometimes hear

J for St. Joseph, our patron so dear

K for the kitchen, a place to have bees

L for lecture, don't fall asleep, please

M for our Mother in heaven above

N for Novenas, they make many of

O for the orphans, there are quite a few

P for permission and penances too

Q for questions they must not ask

R, recreation, a real pleasant task

S for sewing, we each have some

T for tomorrow, which may never come

U, it's unnecessary, then we turn

To V for the virtues, we all must learn

W, the waiting to the floor we do

X, the unknown which may happen to you

Y, we all yearn for our heavenly home

And Z, is the zenith of glory will come

This audio recording was able to be digitized in part thanks to the Library and Archives Canada’s Documentary Heritage Communities Program.

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

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

Valuing the Treasures of the Past

Have you ever found hidden treasure? We have -- and it happened like this.

In early May, our archivist and I attended the annual alumni reunion of the registered nurses who graduated from the Sisters of St. Joseph School of Nursing in Chatham, Ontario which operated from 1901-1970. A feature of the luncheon was a large display of photos and artifacts from the years during which the school operated. This display attracted many of the 200 alumni who crowded around the photos to reminisce in joy and memories recalled.  There were pictures of prim 1901 graduates looking serious in stiff white uniforms, proud grads of the 1940s in ankle length skirts, to rose-carrying young women of the 1970s.

These treasures were discovered several years ago following the amalgamation of St. Joseph’s Hospital with the Public General Hospital.  During the move, an astute nurse at work spied the treasures in a pile – no doubt headed to the garbage.  Sadly, no one thought of the value of these precious photos and the historic meaning they held for the Sisters, the hospital and for Canadian education and culture.

The swift actions of the nurse rescued the memorabilia and she stored it in her garage for several years. Our archivist’s presentation from the previous alumni gathering prompted her to unpack the treasures and share them this year with those who had lived and worked in those hallowed halls of healing.

At the end of the celebration, the findings were packed carefully and repatriated to the Sisters of St. Joseph where they are being accessioned meticulously into our archives. At last our treasures are safely home thanks to the quick thinking of an amazing woman who followed the prompting of her heart.

Jean Moylan, CSJ

Photo: Class of 1918 – St. Joseph’s School of Nursing, Chatham, Ontario
Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Archives