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Communities of Consecrated Life in the Diocese of London
Religious Communities of Women
Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood (R.P.B.)
Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (S.N.J.M.)
Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (S.F.B.Z.)
The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada (C.S.J.)
Ursuline Sisters of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (U.S.A.H.J.)
Ursuline Sisters of Chatham, Ontario (O.S.U.)
Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood (CPS)
Sisters of Service (S.O.S.)
Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate (S.S.M.I.)
Religious Communities of Men
Brothers of St. Louis (C.S.A.)
Congregation of St. Basil (C.S.B.)
Congregation of St. Michael the Archangel (C.S.M.A.)
Congregation of the Holy Redeemer (C.Ss.R.)
Congregation of the Rosarians (C.R.)
Order of Discalced Carmelite Friars (O.C.D.)
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (O.F.M.Cap.)
Society of Christ (S.Chr.)
Religious Communities of Women
Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood (R.P.B.)
301 Ramsay Road, London, N6G 1N7
519-473-2499
info@pbsisters.on.ca
www.pbsisters.on.ca
In 1833, Aurelia Caouette was born in St. Hyacinthe, Quebec to Marguerite and Joseph Caouette. As Aurelia grew in age she also grew in grace and was drawn to enter deeply into Jesus’ great Paschal Mystery to realize how profoundly He loves us. His Precious Blood greatly influenced her spirituality. She heard in Jesus’ cry from the cross: “I Thirst,” a profound desire to receive our love in return for His love.
In 1861, after long years of discernment, Aurelia founded the first contemplative community in Canada, known as the Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood, Daughters of Mary Immaculate. This community has spread to various dioceses across the country and beyond. Their lives of prayer, silence and solitude continue to be very valid and needed today. The Sisters are keenly aware that they have been called to follow in the footsteps of their foundress, to continue her great gifts in the Church of today: adoration of Christ as Saviour and reparation with Him in His total surrender to the Father.
There are multiple steps in becoming a Precious Blood Sister. There is a Come and See, an initial contact of a few days, learning about the monastic way of life. There is a Community Experience, a two-month experience of living with the Community. Postulancy is a nine-month to a year period during which the candidate is helped to discover God’s plan in her life. Novitiate is a two-year period providing time for the novice to grow in knowledge and appreciation of the religious life, and the contemplative life of the Sisters. Temporary Profession is a five-year period during which the Sister professes temporary Vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. Permanent Commitment is the last step of initial formation, followed by a lifelong, ongoing development in relationship with Jesus and in prayer ministry to all of God’s People the world over.
Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (S.N.J.M.)
Windsor Mission Centre
215 McEwan Avenue, Windsor, N9B 2E3
519-253-7996
www.snjmusontario.org
The Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary was founded in Longueuil, Quebec, in 1843 by Canadian-born Eulalie Durocher, Mother Marie-Rose (declared Blessed by Pope John Paul II, May 23, 1982), along with two other women: Sister Marie-Agnes (Mélodie Dufresne) and Sister Marie-Madeleine (Henriette Céré). The new religious family had been called to cooperate in the Church’s mission of Education. Today, there are approximately 900 Sisters and 600 Associates serving people in Canada (ON, MB, SK, QC); the United States; Lesotho and South Africa; Brazil; and Peru. In the U.S.-Ontario Province, the Windsor Mission Centre comprises of 28 Sisters and 25 Associates.
The Second Vatican Council in 1962-1965 impacted religious life as it did all Catholic life and the wider world. It was the time of revitalization and renewal…. Our charism of education in the faith now added “special concern for the poor and the disadvantaged”. Lay Associates were recognized and welcomed in the community’s outreach to the poor and marginalized. Together we became involved in advocacy in mental health, with the blind, prisoners, people with HIV and AIDS, immigrants and refugees. For the past decade, Sisters and Associates are committed to the Corporate Stands on Anti-Trafficking and Water as a human right and a public good. Spirituality Centres provided workshops, retreats, spiritual direction to men and women, religious and lay of various denominations in the 80’s and 90’s.
Several Sisters and Associates are trained and experienced spiritual guides, retreat directors and facilitators of groups. Some Sisters of the Holy Names have shared their gift in simultaneous interpretation within the Holy Names Congregation and beyond. Today, one sister is a business manager as well as musician in a parish and another is responsible for youth programs, as well as special education teacher and involved in Project Rachel. Sisters and Associates are actively involved in various parishes and Senior Residences.
Marie Rose Place in Windsor is a joint project by the Basilian Fathers and Holy Names Sisters in Windsor welcoming and sharing with all who come, God’s healing presence, power and grace.
As women religious, we have always been women of prayer, rooted in the Gospel and dedicated to service.
Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (S.F.B.Z.)
c/o St. Francis of Assisi Parish
1701 Turner Road, Windsor, N8W 3J9
519-254-5923
The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada (C.S.J.)
485 Windermere Road, P.O. Box 487
London, N6A 4X3
519-432-3781
www.csjcanada.org
London@csjcanada.org
The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph was established in the Diocese of London, December 11, 1868 when five Sisters arrived at the request of Bishop John Walsh to teach at St. Peter’s School, to visit the sick, poor and imprisoned, and to open an orphanage. Since that time members of the community have worked in all levels of education: elementary, high school, university, and seminary, and established hospitals in London, Chatham, Sarnia, Killam and Galahad (AB). The Ontario hospitals continued under our administration until 1993 when St. Joseph’s Health Care Society was created for that purpose. Our ministries have included social work, child care, music teaching, parish and diocesan ministry, marriage tribunals, care of refugees, and chaplaincy in schools, hospitals and jails. Some of our women have served in Peru, Africa, Nicaragua, as well as in the Artic, North West Territories, British Columbia, Alberta and the United States. Often a Sister has moved location to respond to an unmet need. On other occasions the move has been due to a deep listening of the Spirit’s call, recognizing a nudge to leave a place of comfort in order to be of service in a new and uncharted experience.
Surrendering to the movement of God in one’s life is at the heart of the call of all religious persons. The Sisters of St. Joseph strive to live the mission of Jesus, “that all shall be one” knowing that the creation of such communion requires, as the letter to the Philippians says, “self-emptying” love, the very dynamic at the heart of the Trinity. Such an inclusive approach to life challenges us in our daily living and ministry to ask “Who is absent? Who is being deprived?” and “How can we best support those persons?”
At this point in our communal life, our human resources are limited, but our reflection, discernment and willingness to help make a difference, are elements that we wish to cultivate and strengthen. We have come to deeply value working alongside others with similar concerns. Societal change can be made in hands-on ways such as feeding the hungry at our Hospitality Centre (soup kitchen). It also happens by being a voice for the voiceless, by providing analysis and briefs through our Systemic Justice Office, so all may live in a more just and inclusive world.
Since all of creation is gift, we strive to live in a way that sustains the planet rather than depletes it. We are mindful that the universe is ever expanding and that God continues to create as we move into the fullness of God’s love. Christ’s death and resurrection, his selfless gift of love draws us daily to discern how our thinking and acting is shifting and growing more inclusive. We live immersed in the charism of reconciliation and unity.
Ursuline Sisters of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (U.S.A.H.J.)
Our Lady of Czestochowa Convent
1371 Langlois Avenue, Windsor, N8X 4L8
519-256-7115
ursulinesahj@cogeco.ca
London House
55 Adelaide Street North, London, N6B 3G5
519-439-1443
www.urszulanki.pl
The Congregation of the Ursuline Sisters of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus was founded in 1920 by Saint Ursula Ledóchowska, as a new branch of the Ursuline Order. The Sisters live and serve where need arises, among all races, creeds and cultures.They are devoted to the service of God and His people through the Church and Her Apostolic Mission.
The first convent in North America was established in Windsor, Ontario (1965) thanks to Msgr. Lawrence A. Wnuk, P.A. In Windsor the Sisters are involved in “Polonia” activities, in teaching of Polish language and culture, by cultivating Polish customs and traditions. They also teach in Canadian schools – elementary and secondary. In cooperation with the Parish, they try to implant Christian values in daily life, especially of the young people (Day Care, Eucharistic Crusaders). Our goal is to build a multicultural community living in peace and harmony: “Ad maiorem Dei gloriam.”
ST. URSULA (JULIA) LEDÓCHOWSKA was born in Loosdorf, lower Austria, in 1865. In 1883, her family moved to Lipnica Murowana, near Cracow in Poland. In 1886, she entered the Ursuline Order in Cracow and in 1904 she was elected superior of the convent. She went to St. Petersburg in 1907 accompanied by two sisters, to administer St. Catherine’s boarding high school for girls. In 1908 the growing community in Petersburg became an autonomous Ursuline convent. When war broke out in 1914, Mother Ursula was exiled from Russia; she continued her apostolic work in Scandinavia. Once the war was over, she returned to Poland with her religious community and a group of Polish orphans and settled in Pniewy, near Poznan. There she founded the Congregation of the Ursuline Sisters of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus that she administered until the end of her life. Her work earned her high awards from the Church and the State. She died in the odor of sanctity in Rome, on May 29, 1939. On June 20, 1983, John Paul II beatified Mother Ursula in Poznan, Poland. He canonized her on May 18, 2003 in Rome. In 1989 her incorrupt body was transferred from Rome to Pniewy and placed in the sanctuary at the Motherhouse. She is the patron Saint of 17 parishes and 12 chapels, not counting the chapels at the Ursuline convents. Among others, she has been the patroness of the Poznan Diocese since 1977, of the Polish Landlords’ Association since 1997, of the city of Sieradz since 2006, of 8 schools, 6 nurseries, 2 hospices, 4 scout associations and of other institutions, organizations and groups.
Ursuline Sisters of Chatham, Ontario (O.S.U.)
Villa Angela
20 Merici Way, Chatham, N7L 3L8
519-352-5225
www.ursulines.org
ursulinesisterschatham@ursulines.org
The inspiration for Ursulines all over the world is St. Angela Merici, a discerning, innovative, contemplative woman of 16th century Italy. On November 25, 1535 after a lifetime of attentiveness to the Spirit’s call and inspirations, she and a group of twelve women dedicated themselves to lives of service. The distinctive mark of this group which she named the Company of St. Ursula was that its members were to lead lives rooted in the Gospel – not in the cloister, but in the midst of society.
The lives of this small group inspired women for generations to listen to the voice of the Spirit speaking within and among them. One such woman was Mother Xavier LeBihan of France who travelled to Chatham, Ontario arriving at the dock near King Street in response to an invitation from Father Jaffre S.J. and Mr. John Baptist Williams. From a small beginning the community of Sisters grew and expanded throughout southwestern Ontario, across Canada and to international shores.
For over 155 years the Ursuline Sisters of Chatham have been inspired by innovative, spirit-filled women like Angela Merici, Mother Xavier and those daring, faith-filled women who followed them. The pilgrim spirit which characterized those brave women energizes Ursulines and those who have chosen to walk with them today. They continue to be engaged, committed and passionate about those who are marginalized, about women and about all who are oppressed including this sacred Earth. The ministry of prayer and presence, the use of resources, both personnel and financial, to further justice and the stance of reverence towards all creation, are projects which continue to engage and energize the Ursulines.
For over 50 years, Ursulines have been involved with the people of Peru, particularly in Urrunaga, a barrio on the outskirts of Chiclayo. The lives of Ursulines have been deeply enriched by the Lay Community of St. Angela, a committed group of Peruvian women which has been in existence for over 30 years. A number of Ursulines are involved with Canadian lay women from various parts of Ontario in the Seeds of Hope which explores and develops concrete ways to be in solidarity with women in Peru, promoting various projects and opportunities for joint ministries.
Since 2007 a flourishing network of Companions of Angela Merici has developed in Windsor, Chatham, London and Toronto. It is made up of women who are seeking to live a deeper spirituality and who meet regularly in their areas to reflect, share, encourage and support one another as they journey together.
Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood (CPS)
602-900 Chieftain Street, Woodstock N4T 0B7
519-290-3404
scmscm@rogers.com
Sisters of Service (S.O.S.)
571 Brooke Street, P.O. Box 522, Wyoming, N0N 1T0
519-845-0552
In 1920, Catherine Donnelly, the community’s foundress received advice from Toronto Provincial Arthur Coughlan about establishing a women’s teaching order to meet the needs of immigrants in Western Canada. Guided by the motto “I Have Come to Serve,” the Sisters provided a Catholic presence for newly-arrived immigrants. They were teachers, catechists, nurses and social workers amongst those most in need.
Although the more than 50 missions are now closed, the legacy of assisting the ‘most in need’ continues through the Catherine Donnelly Foundation, their charitable organization. Through the foundation, the sisters remain promoters of positive change and seek to serve the most in need. Two Sisters still live in the Diocese of London, near St. Philip parish in Petrolia.
Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate (S.S.M.I.)
1394 Parent Avenue, Windsor, N8X 4J3
519-254-1712
Religious Communities of Men
Brothers of St. Louis (C.S.A.)
1-483 Wellington Street, Sarnia, N7T 1J1
519-542-4001
Congregation of St. Basil (C.S.B.)
In 1822, the church in France faced enormous challenges in light of the political system of its day. Its ministry and very future was indeed very precarious. However, as in most of these dark moments, God raised up men and women to meet the situation, in order that the ministry to his people could continue. It is just this grace that prompted 10 French diocesan priests who were gathered in the parish Church of St. Basil’s, Annoney, to respond to the critical need for education of youth. Thus, they were born out of struggle but richly graced. This same spirit inspired the then very small community to send 5 members (an enormous sacrifice) to Toronto at the request of a former student, Bishop Armand-Francois-Marie de Charbonnel. Having taken root in Toronto, it was in 1857 that the Basilians and the Diocese of London became partners in ministry in what was to become a significant and enduring relationship.
The Basilian charism of education has marked them from the very beginning. Committed to this, they have established a reputation in teaching that is mirrored in their motto: “Teach me goodness, discipline and knowledge.” The presence of Assumption College, later becoming Assumption University, has provided the opportunity for many individuals in this region to obtain an advanced degree education as Western was simply an economically impossible option. So much were the Basilians of that day committed to this, that they held fast against the wishes of Bishop Fallon, to transfer the College to London. The University anticipated Vatican II’s vision of ecumenism in the 1950’s by its approval of Canterbury College, an Anglican school, within the Federation. It was a significant and somewhat controversial decision. The Basilians’ very close historical relationship with the Sisters of the Holy Names has also enriched them and their ministry of service. In response to the call of Blessed John XXIII, they expanded to Mexico and later Colombia, foundations still flourishing.
The Basilians have always brought a collaborative vision to all aspects of their ministry, and that includes parishes. The Diocese of London has supported all these ventures giving over the ministry to them in Windsor and Amherstburg. Assumption parish in Windsor, joined together with Assumption University, continues the work first begun by their founders. The parish of Our Lady of Assumption is the mother parish of the Catholic Church in Ontario and the oldest parish west of Montreal in Canada. It is now the only parish in the west end of Windsor, as well as the largest.
Although always small in numbers, the Basilians have also given some of their members to the Church in Apostolic Leadership as bishops. Certainly a sacrifice for them given their numbers, they rejoice in the life and ministry of the late Bishop Dennis O’Conner (London), Cardinal George Flahiff (Winnipeg) and the present appointments of Archbishop J. Michael Miller (Vancouver), Bishop Ricarodo Ramirez (Las Cruces, NM), and the present Bishop of London, Bishop Ronald Fabbro.
Today, the Basilians face, like so many other religious communities, fewer vocations and aging members. This has forced them to withdraw from many traditional apostolates and it has been painful. But, it only reinforces their belief that, like the Church herself, they are on pilgrimage — and that they are led by a faithful God. So they continue to look to Him to show them new ways of continuing their life together and the work of education and evangelization.
Congregation of St. Michael the Archangel (C.S.M.A.)
2751 Sunningdale Road West, R.R. 41, London, N6H 5L2
519-471-3180
michaelites@dol.ca
www.michaelites.ca
The Congregation of St. Michael the Archangel recently celebrated three milestone anniversaries: just over 100 years ago, in 1912, their Fr. Bronislaw Markiewicz died – priest, educator, patriot and prophet; 90 years ago, the Catholic Church formally recognized a new congregation, the Michaelite Fathers; and for more than 50 years, Michaelites have ministered within the Diocese of London.
Fr. Markiewicz worked tirelessly at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Great powers, which had once been peaceful neighbours of Poland, partitioned the country into pieces and stubbornly insisted that Poland did not exist. A commitment was required to protect and preserve the Polish national identity – faith, culture, language, customs, etc. Charismatics appeared who believed and lived out the dictum “Poland will not die, while they are still alive”; they made their mission to the poor, disadvantaged, and abandoned. They helped them to stand on their own feet, maintain their pride, and be good Polish people.
Fr. Markiewicz ran educational facilities, graduating skilled artisans, tradesmen and workers. The most talented, who sensed the call, became priests. Most traveled to serve Polish immigrants in America. Today the congregation runs two homes for children and several schools of various educational levels. He also started publishing a newspaper which continues to this day as a publishing company called Michalineum.
Markiewicz experienced difficulty establishing a new congregation. He believed that, with God’s grace, his vision could become a reality. Many shook their heads and dismissed him as “a dreamer.” He calmly addressed the sceptics, stating that “the day will come when priests of this congregation will work around the world”. As his dream came true, today the Michaelites work in many countries around the globe, but one of the first was Canada.
When Fr. Markiewicz died in 1912, many thought his death would result in the end of his dream. They were mistaken, as the Michaelites continue to fulfill his legacy. The Church recognized and affirmed the work of Markiewicz’s followers when it formally established the Congregation of St. Michael the Archangel in 1921. The church also affirmed the holiness of Fr. Markiewicz’s personal life when it beatified him in 2005.
Following the war, the Communist regime claimed a monopoly on the education of the young, and forbade any educational programs or activities provided by a religious order. The Communist regime confiscated church property and buildings, nationalized educational facilities, and assumed control of monasteries. The Michaelites redirected their pastoral efforts into parish work, retreats, parish missions, and preaching.
Changed circumstances demanded different ways of service. Michaelites began to travel, with the first group arriving in Canada. In Italy, the congregation cares for a shrine dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, two Marian shrines, as well as retreat houses, a formation house for seminarians and noviciates, parishes and oratories. In Argentina and Paraguay, the Michaelites established formation houses with a noviciate and a seminary. In the Caribbean and the Dutch Antilles they run parishes, a retreat house, and a secondary school. In Australia and Papua, New Guinea, they run a formation house and parishes.
The first Michaelite home was opened in Windsor. In the 1960s, the Michaelites left Windsor and moved to Melrose, just north of London, where they built the Michaelite House Retreat Centre. The Retreat House stands as a well-known centre of spirituality within the Diocese of London. Marriage Renewal programs, days of formation and prayer for children and youth, and retreats for a variety of groups have been conducted here. Today the Retreat Centre welcomes groups and individuals looking for a place of spiritual peace and tranquility.
Congregation of the Holy Redeemer (C.Ss.R.)
The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, (the Redemptorists) was founded in Italy by St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, in 1732. The religious order of priests and brothers is devoted to the pastoral care of the most abandoned souls under the motto of “With Him there is Plentiful Redemption.”
Today’s 5,300 members serve in 78 countries. As early as 1840, the Redemptorists came to Canada to preach missions. In the Diocese of London, the Redemptorist presence has been at St. Patrick, London; St. Alphonsus seminary, Woodstock; St. Alphonsus, Windsor; Holy Redeemer College, Windsor; and Holy Family Retreat House, Oxley.
Congregation of the Rosarians (C.R.)
The Congregation of the Rosarians is an Indigenous Contemplative Religious Congregation. It was started in response to a call of Pope Pius XI in 1926 when he issued the encyclical ‘Rerum Ecclesiae’ in which he exhorted the bishops in mission lands to promote indigenous forms of contemplative religious life in their dioceses as an efficacious means of advancing the faith.
A young priest in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, Fr. B.A. Thomas, OMI, had been nurturing the idea of monasticism as an indispensable element for the well being and growth of the Church at large, especially in India and Sri Lanka. Fr. Thomas started the Rosarian Congregation in 1928.
Humility and simplicity are the hallmarks of Rosarian life. Daily, habitual prayer is centered on the Holy Eucharist and is lived in close union with the Blessed Mother. Silence, frugality and manual labour form part of their penitential life. Their aim is to support all apostolic works of the Church by prayer and sacrifice, and they do not engage in direct external apostolate outside the monastery.
The Rosarian Congregation has 17 Monasteries in India, six in Sri Lanka and one in Canada, in Merlin, Ontario. The Congregation was raised to the Pontifical Status in 2002. In 1948, a contemplative congregation for women was started.
The process for the cause of beatification of Fr. Thomas started in 1978, but was disrupted by the civil war. In 2000, the cause was restarted, with the Congregation for Causes of Saints in Rome giving the ‘Nihil Obstat’ on 2006.
Order of Discalced Carmelite Friars (O.C.D.)
The Order of Carmel originated in the 12th century when pilgrims settled as hermits on Mount Carmel, in northern Israel. They strived to live in imitation of the prophet Elijah, a prophetic model of true faith in God. Their novel way of life was formalized in the Rule of St. Albert, which received papal approval in 1226. In 1562, St. Teresa of Avila established the first monastery of the Discalced Carmelite order. Other saints followed in her footsteps, including St. John of the Cross and St. Therese of Lisieux. As Doctors of the Church, their writings still provide guidance today in the ways of prayer and Christian mysticism.
In 1989, the first Discalced Carmelite friars arrived in the Diocese of London. A monastery was established at St. Andrew the Apostle parish in London. The friars established the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCDS) in English-speaking Canada, forming more than 25 communities with more than 350 members across Canada, including London, Tillsonburg and Windsor. These communities of lay people come together monthly to nurture a life of prayer and fraternal charity.
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (O.F.M.Cap.)
St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1224) founded the order to work with the poor. It quickly spread worldwide and there are now over 80,000 members. When immigrants from Belgium and Holland arrived in the Blenheim area, priests were needed to serve the new Canadians in their native language. That is where the Capuchins come in. The Capuchins sent friars to Blenheim in 1927 and they have been here ever since. The Capuchins started in Blenheim, and, at the same time, some friars were sent to Manitoba, where there was also a large Belgian community.
Society of Christ (S.Chr.)
The Society of Christ is an order founded in Poland, whose mission is to minister to Polish speaking peoples wherever they may be. The Society currently provides pastoral care to six parishes in Canada, including Our Lady of Victory parish in Chatham and 25 parishes throughout the United States.
Parishioners benefit spiritually from distinctive celebrations in their Polish language and culture, including Oplatek Dinner during the Christmas season, outdoor processions at Easter and the feast of Corpus Christi, Marian devotions in May and Sacred Heart of Jesus devotions in June, as well as a monthly all night vigil to the Alliance of Two Hearts of Jesus and Mary and devotion to Divine Mercy, both with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.