In The Rural Schools
Teaching was the passion of Foundress Catherine Donnelly, and it became the largest mission of the SOS. Since 1922, the Sisters have taught in 60 schools, largely in rural, under-served parts of Canada. The early teaching missions all followed a similar model: Sisters would teach secular curriculum in public schools during the week and teach Catholic catechism after school, on weekends, and during the summer. Each Sister-teacher earned a salary, comparative to that of their non-religious colleagues, to cover their own living expenses and help supplement the immigration and healthcare missions. These positions were often full of hardship as Sisters had to adapt to harsh living conditions, unpredictable and severe weather, ill-equipped one-room schoolhouses, and other difficulties of ‘frontier life’.
As the rural Catholic school system expanded, the SOS also began to teach in these schools where there was a need. Following the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), many Sisters also upgraded their teaching qualifications with university and post-graduate programs, with some Sisters advancing on to further roles in early childhood services, special education, and school librarianship.
Sister Catherine Donnelly with her students, Maquis, Saskatchewan, 1938
Sister Rita MacLellan playing with students in the snow near the Berlo school, Marquis, Saskatchewan, 1938
Sister Rita MacLellan playing with students in the snow near the Berlo school, Marquis, Saskatchewan, 1938
Sister Mary Phillips, on the piano, accompanies the primary harmony band, Rycroft, Alberta, 1962
Sister Mary Phillips, on the piano, accompanies the primary harmony band, Rycroft, Alberta, 1962
Sister Ruth Mill with students in the chemistry lab, Peace River, Alberta, 1960
Sister Ruth Mill with students in the chemistry lab, Peace River, Alberta, 1960
Sister Irene Faye with students outside King Edward School No. 1, Camp Morton, Alberta, 1946
Sister Irene Faye with students outside King Edward School No. 1, Camp Morton, Alberta, 1946
Sister Joan Coffey with her students, Manning, Alberta, 1955
Sister Joan Coffey with her students, Manning, Alberta, 1955
Sister Leona Trautman applies makeup to a student for a Christmas play, Sinnett, Saskatchewan, 1959
Sister Leona Trautman applies makeup to a student for a Christmas play, Sinnett, Saskatchewan, 1959
Manitoba School Inspector's Report, November 1945
This inspector’s report evaluates the King Edward No. 1 County school near Camp Morton, Manitoba, where Sister Irene Faye was teacher.
"Sister Faye is a fine teacher, firm and friendly, and always ready to give individual help to any pupil who needs it. The presentation of the lessons is logical and interesting, and in terms of the pupils' previous experiences. Her assignments are definite and well explained. Her extra and intra-curricular activity in physical training, dramatics, sewing and social work deserves highest praise."
While praising Sister Faye, the report remarks on the “shabby and weatherbeaten” schoolhouse, hinting at the difficult conditions in the rural schools where the SOS taught.
Keeping The Faith: Religious Education
The SOS played a significant role in religious education throughout Canada, particularly in regions where only public schools were available and remote communities which did not have easy or frequent access to a parish priest. The Sisters operated five catechetical centres and religious correspondence schools, the first opening in 1925 in Edmonton. The schools provided foundational education in scripture, sacraments, liturgical seasons, and other essential elements of Catholic catechism. Over the years, Sisters adapted existing or wrote entirely new catechetical programs under the Confraternity of the Christian Doctrine (CCD). Many of the educational programs developed by the SOS went on to be used by non-SOS educators in catechetical classes across Canada and the US.
In the summer months, every available Sister participated in the SOS religious vacation schools. These were catechetical tours where Sisters traveled to rural areas to teach the faith and prepare children for the sacraments. Often, lessons would occur outdoors and were accompanied by picnics, games, and swimming.
Regina Religious Correspondence School office, Saskatchewan, 1953
Sister Catherine Donnelly chops a tree to clear a road near Springhouse, British Columbia, during the Cariboo Tour, May 1934
In 1934 and 1936 Sisters Catherine Donnelly and Irene Faye completed catechetical tours in the central interior of British Columbia, folding the car seats into a bed when unable to lodge with local families.
An illustration of the Sisters of Service and the St. George Catechetical Van, 1932
Travel to isolated regions on catechetical tours was facilitated by a custom-built van – the Saint George – which was equipped in the back with places for sleeping and eating to provide a safer place for Sisters to sleep when no other lodgings were available. The van was built in Toronto and driven to the Vancouver SOS residence by two Scarboro Foreign Mission Society priests who were traveling west on their way to China.
Sister Agnes Hearn and students at the outdoor religious vacation school, Crescent Lake, Saskatchewan, 1945
Sister Agnes Hearn and students at the outdoor religious vacation school, Crescent Lake, Saskatchewan, 1945
Sisters Agnes Hearn, Theresa Duffley, and Mary Regan in the storeroom of the Daly Catechetical Centre, Regina, Saskatchewan, 1975
Sisters Agnes Hearn, Theresa Duffley, and Mary Regan in the storeroom of the Daly Catechetical Centre, Regina, Saskatchewan, 1975
Sisters Winnifred Ingrouville and Rita Hurley with catechetical students and cows in a field, South Wellington, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, 1938
Sisters Winnifred Ingrouville and Rita Hurley with catechetical students and cows in a field, South Wellington, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, 1938
Sister Margaret Muldoon, Fr. Landrigan, and a First Communion class, Edson, Alberta, 1934
Sister Margaret Muldoon, Fr. Landrigan, and a First Communion class, Edson, Alberta, 1934
Built with Shorthand