Canadian Association of Irish Studies

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1 Cndin Associti Irish Studies Notes for Furr Reserch: Through n Irish Lens: Viewg Hisry Cndin Women Religious Author(s): Elizbeth Smyth Source: Cndin Journl Irish Studies, Vol. 32, No. 1, Women's IrishCndin Cnectis / Les femmes et les liens IrleCnd (Sprg, 2006), pp Published : Cndin Associti Irish Studies Stble URL: Accessed: 09/03/ :13 Your use JSTOR rchive dictes your cceptnce JSTOR's Terms Cditis Use, vilble t JSTOR's Terms Cditis Use provides, prt, tht unless you hve obted prior permissi, you my not downlod n entire issue journl or multiple copies rticles, you my use ctent JSTOR rchive ly for your persl, ncommercil use. Plese ctct publisher regrdg ny furr use work. Publisher ctct formti my be obted t Ech copy ny prt JSTOR trnsmissi must ct sme copyright notice tht ppers screen or prted pge such trnsmissi. JSTOR is notforprit service tht helps scholrs, reserchers, students discover, use, build up wide rnge ctent trusted digitl rchive. We use formti technology ols crese productivity fcilitte new forms scholrship. For more formti bout JSTOR, plese ctct support@jsr.org. Cndin Associti Irish Studies is collbortg with JSTOR digitize, preserve extend ccess Cndin Journl Irish Studies.

2 Elizbeth SMYTH Notes for Furr Reserch: Through An Irish Lens Viewg hisry Cndin Women Religious You know [Sister] Alphsus, people Insist tht we ignornt but we forbidden educti. y sy we negligent dirty but we not llowed wges for our work, wges we could hve spent clenless nice homes. We ccused brwlg violence but people who experience violence ten use sme tretment ors. No Nti is nxious be ignornt, dirty or violent, Sister. y mde tht wy people who cdemn m for it.1 With se words hisricl chrcter, Jne McCrthy, religi Sister Jne Frncis, first womn Cgregti Sisters St. Joseph Tor expls plight Irish Tor e her sisters religi. se les tken from 1995 hisricl novel Out Mists Time: Clkilty Cbbgewn penned Sister Cth McCrthy, member sme. novel is fictilized ccount Jne's brief life cer s womn neteenth Tor. Jne ws born Clkilty, County Cork. In 1848, t ge 14, Jne immigrted with her seven orphned siblgs Cnd West. She entered Sisters St. Joseph 1851 for next thirteen yers served orphnges schools s jo 's techer, helth c worker dmistrr. She died 1864, victim tuberculosis, disese tht wrecked hvoc mg countrymen both her ntive dopted l. Jne McCrthy represents cohort Irish migrnts who ctributed significntly buildg Cndin Ctholic stitutis educti, socil service helth c. In field educti, direct fluence Irish begn with rrivl four Sisters Presentti Blessed Virg Mry St. John's Newfoundl 21 September Presenttis lter followed or Irish communities cludg Sisters Mercy (1842 Newfoundl) Institute Blessed Virg Mry ( Loret Sisters 1847 Tor) who estblished schools, hospitls cross Cnd. orphnges Mny or, such s Sisters St. Joseph (who founded LePuy, Frnce), ttrcted Irishborn like Jne In McCrthy. fct, durg first decde its existence, 65% enterg Sisters St. Joseph Tor Irish born.2 My first sixty yers Irish fluence ws s 64 SMYTH An Irish Lens 's her existence shows tht exceptilly strg. Archivl sources such nnls obitury notices demstrte tht mny Cndin born hd Irish Irish roots Sisters' written pubuc ncestry. lso very evident celebrtis. members prisg AUegoricl Er plys s Isle Sts Scholrs, celebrtis St. Ptrick's Dy ctuous prde ledg figures Irish culturl pouticl ttests se ties. Between , who joed order cme from those s Ontrio tht supported lrge Irish settlements cludg Tor (18%), Simcoe, (17.65%), Srmt (9.6%) Nigr pensul counties (Lcoln, WeU, Wentworth, Hln Hldim:13.5%).3 Sisters St. Joseph but e 147 opertg presence fluence Irish undertken must t both be more fully Jne McCrthy's biogrpher expled, explored. Cnd dy.4 se Studies must be dividul levels. As muments [ Sisters St. Joseph] stitutis gret smll... muments dividul ty ccrete plques, sunk grounds old...cemeteries. I suspect tht here more mgnificent muments, here where lie bes rel heroes. I wnted bre life those bes, those dry bes, so tht we t end twentieth might get glimpse heroic cts, chievements drems, ll unrecorded, tht ly shrouded mists time forgetfulness for more thn. It is sry Irish immigrnt ll immigrnts... erly Sisters ll sisters.5 This reserch note briefly describes course reserch progress tht ims cpture Uves ctributis Cndin eductil,, socil 's hisry, through collecti orl hisries. Hisricl ctemporry Irish fluences s emergg significnt: hisriclly, role Irish ethnicity shpg culture; from ctemporry cdemic world, Irish is n scholrship plyg importnt role shpg frmework nlyticl ctext. Reserchg IrishCndin Women ReUgious: Influence Irish Scholrs Women is scholrly lbel used encompss vowed Christin trditi who Uve ir Uves s nuns sisters. nuns Although sisters used s synymous terms, even mg nuns sisters mselves,

3 y hve distct mengs Cn Lw. Nuns sisters tke different types vows. y live different settgs, with nuns ledg ir pryer lives perpetul enclosure while sisters engge ctive poslte, tht is, ledg lives pryer while engged fields s diverse s educti, socil service, helth c, prish missis retret work. Most seen public dy sisters ll who prticiptg sisters. With Secd Vticn Council, cll for explore ir roots,, both mselves collbortively with seculr hisrins, begn nlyze ir hisric hisricl roles. For mny, represents deprture from s previous ir prctices, hisricl identity silent servg led some communities view vow obedience s embodyg humility neir cmpigned for public recogniti for ir chievements nor systemticlly studied ir pst. pst four decdes hs witnessed rise scholrly vestigti, with work mny Irish scholrs ctributg growg field. While mny studies be might referenced, fluence followg uthors hs been significnt frmg Cndin. Mrgt McCurt's substntil body work presents mny importnt scholrly sights complexity diversity Irish. In her troducti "Religi, Science, ology Ethics" secti Field Dy Anthology Irish Writg, McCurt writes tht "Women seemed be present everywhere churches neteenth except ltrs" n observti with resnce ctemporry who ctue struggle negotite ir identities with ptrirchy tht is Romn Ctholic Church.6 Her essys, especilly "Lte Field: Ctholic Sisters Twentieth Century Irel New Religious Hisry" "Godly Burden: Ctholic Sisterhoods TwentiethCentury Irel" richly form scholrly debte nture role cnvs lrger socil hisry.7 McCurt's 1994 collborti with Americn hisrin SueEllen Hoy is n importnt ctributi hisry migrnt. From Dubl New Orlens: Journey Alice Nor presents nlyzes ship bord diries two Irish Domicn novices who journeyed from Cbr cvent jo New Orlens. McCurt Hoy's focuses importnce ctext when explorg lives cers.8 Recent biogrphers Irish hve furred scholrly secr. Mry C. Sullivn's biogrphy C McAuley plces her life works lrger hisricl ctext.9 Phil Kilroy's Mdele Sophie Brt:A Life demstrtes how e cn be both respectful subject cse founder Religious Scred Hert be scholrlycriticl. Drwg extensively rchivl holdgs Itly Frnce, supplemented provcil rchives Society, 14,000 letters penned Brt herself, Kilroy cretes work tht is pstkgly documented very redble, womn founder n livg ge " drk, hevy religi [tht] gve clergy gret power over ner lives men."10 This volume provides importnt cgregti sights governnce opertis s it developed multilgul, multi ethnic orgnizti. Citri Cler's studies rise Irish cvents neteenth sets ctext gst which situte comprtive studies.11 She out pots how, usg vriety pubuc privte sources, greter cn sights be ged growth opertis se unique types 's orgniztis tht so visible yet so frequendy overlooked socil hisrins. Yvne McKenn's methodologicl overrchg comprtive studies ssist risg questis. In her 2003 rticle "Sisterhood? Explorg Power reltis CoUecti Orl Hisry" problemtizes role resercher process orl hisry especiuy when ethno culturl identity lks resercher This subjects.12 iuumtes vriety wys which ethnicity both enhnces hibited development reltiships mg subjects. As McKenn notes, " who entered EngUsh cgregti found tht ir Irishness worked gst m."13 work se scholrs hs thus richly formed both design development This Course At present, Reserch I m engged reserch tht ims document three nlyse reported phse Cndin course below. ir work elementry, secdry higher educti. I m employg ols orl hisry, document mteril culture exme my sources. Phse 1 csisted dt couecti orl hisries cross seven. Phse 2 ws n tensive orl hisry couecti e cgregti. Phse 3, comprehensive crosscgregti orl hisry document, cludg shifts missi trnsference stitutis ly hs, is just begng. Phse 1 begn with tensive redg reserchg socil, ologicl hisricl evoluti communities Cndin. Seven communities selected for. communities French, Irish Cndin orig. y representtive vriety communities sisters tht hve work Cnd. I mde ctct with tems ledership with two requests: g ccess rchivl records hve ir support vite members dividuuy prticipti orl hisry compent. Interview procols developed csultti with communities formed work femist scholrs scholrs orl hisry such s Kthleen Csey, Susn Geiger Crol Rogers.14 terviews cducted open ended explortis under generl hedgs persl bckground, decisis enter Ufe, cer s techg sister, impct Vticn II, impct chngg government poucies educti, helth c socil service n ssessment ir persl ctributis tht ir communities. In Phse 1, over 150 terviewed. terviews hve rnged from 2 hour 4 hours ( few ctued formuy over severl dys). With terviews de fce fce site t few exceptis, respective CJIS/RC?l 32:1 65

4 morhouses. exceptis de through dividul udio or video cferencg. Durg my time site, rchivl sources systemticlly reviewed, ctegorized copied. From Books Recepti Ququnel Reports, sttisticl dt compiled chngg demogrphics. Qulittive dt drwn from necrologies collecti obituries nnls, reports tht documented dily ctivities. In Phse 1, sister subjects given nymity. Phse 2 overlpped with Phse 1 ws prt hisricl celebrti. For e hundred fiftieth nniversry Sisters St. Joseph Tor, ledership decided tht it would undertke n orl hisry project which ech member would be vited prticipte. resultg volume, coedited Sisters St. Joseph Tor's rchivist Ld Wicks myself, Wisdom Rises Her Voice: Sisters St. Joseph Tor Celebrte 150yers, reflects not ly how hisry s field hs chnged but lso dictes chnge life.15 Over 150 sisters nrrted ir memories reflected ir lives work. Ech sister who greed prticipte creted n dividul terview. In udiotped sessi mutes durti, sister described her fmily bckground, her educti, her cll life, her time formti, missis which she served chnges she hd observed over time. terview ccluded with sister's commentry chrism Sisters St. Joseph reflecti future life. se orl hisries cover lmost s experience sisters rnged ge from ir forties ir neties crete mosic lives memories Sisters St. Joseph Tor. Wisdom volume supplies, ir own voices, life hisries experiences Sisters St. Joseph Tor. recollectis provide rich commentry fely gred portrit complex compellg world. volume's chpters cstructed round eight foci terview thus, orl hisry is divided eight chpters. Ech begs with Mxim tken from writgs Jesuit founder, J.P.Medille, serves s ctext for comments sisters which follow. Ech sisters is nmed phse. Phse 3, orl hisries cross documentti shift missi tht mrk end stitutil phse life enterprises, is just begng. Ongog Reserch first two phses course reserch ct mny exmples ntive born, first secd generti Irish whose ethnic identities seem hve been n importnt element ir pressil lives. As Terrence Murphy Rober Per, Terrence Fy hve demstrted, ethnic identity plys key role hisry Cndin Ctholicism.16 How is evident csoudti seprti. members Order St. Ursul ( Ursules) demstrte former. Two Ontrio brnches Ursules, e from French foundti e from n Irish foundti, cme ger mid yers twentieth. Interestgly, ethnic identity did not prevent n Irish UrsuUne from becomg generl superior. Yet, cse Grey Sisters Mtrel, ntil, lguistic ethnic identities ctributed emergence selfgoverng brnches. In course neteenth twentieth centuries, two domntly Irish English spekg dependent foundtis emerged: Grey Sisters Scred Hert Grey Sisters Immculte Ccepti. re lso stnces seprtg lter, corng bck ger. Institute Blessed Virg Mry ws estbushed Tor 1847 from Rthfrnhm, Irel. It ws creted s North Americn Generlte 1881 reunited with Irish Brnch How members North Americn Brnch wiu tegrte with ir Irish brnch wul revel much bout identity n ge culturl plurusm. Loret Sisters lso provides Irish prctices pouticl Cndin n trce opportunity how cusms trnsfer cross borders. Wht simurities differences exist cross se mstittrtis higher educti for tht estbushed round world? To wht extent ir Irish origs celebrted? Promoted? Integrted locl culture? Throughout nlyticl phse, re is evidence tht demogrphics reflected chngg ethno culturl immigrti ptterns with hrmious results. re is some evidence tht McKenn's not lwys fdgs repucted some, for ethnic origs do seem hve es impcted chnces for Few ledership.17 Irish rose bckground up rnks tht deeply rooted French Cnd ( Sisters St. Anne e beg exmple). Significy, expnsi missiry ctivity foreign missi field brought some pouticl movements cused m reflect impct diversifyg ir ethnicuy, lguisticuy rciuy. Sce mny studied hve with ir hisry strg Unks Irel eir through ir foundg members or through ctemporry Unks, or volved ititives tht terntil scope, course reserch presents significnt opportunities for reserch Unks between Cnd Irel. In both Irel Cnd, t end e phse ir hisry begng nor. y hve left behd ir lrge stitutis but hve reted ir missis opertg both mrgs centre seculr societies wys tht ctue trnsform not ly ir own stitutis, enterprises orgniztis but lso ctemporry society itself. Studies such s e wiu cpture richness trnsitil phse wiu ctue pose questis tht future genertis scholrs my pursue. impct level is emergg present. ethnicity looms s cuse lrge both 66 SMYTH An Irish Lens

5 Notes: 1 C. McCrthy, CSJ, Out Mists Time: Clkilty (Tor: TruColour Lithogrphy, 1995), 145. Cbbgeum 2 E. Smyth, ' Lesss Religi Science: cgregti Sisters St. Joseph St. Joseph's Acdemy, Tor " (Unpublished Tor, 1990), Ibid, 82. Docrl Dissertti, University 9 M. C. Sullivn, C McAuley Trditi Bend: 10 P.Kilroy, University Press, 2000), Mdelee 11. Notre Dme Press, 1995). Sophie Brt: A Mercy Life (Mhwh, NJ: (South Pulist 1! See especilly C. Cler, Nuns NeteenthCentury Irel (Dubl: Gill Mcmilln, 1988), C. Cler, " Limits Femle Aunomy: Nuns NeteenthCentury Irel," Women Survivg: Studies Irish Women's Hisry 19th 20th Centuries, ed. M. Luddy C. Murphy (Dubl: Poolbeg, 1990), Cndin Religious Cgress, Sttistics Institutes Csecrted Life Societies Aposlic Life Cnd (Ottw: Cndin Religious Cference, 2004), Y. McKenn, "Sisterhoods? Collecti Orl Hisry," 31:1 (2003), Explorg Power Reltis Journl Orl Hisry Society 5 McCrthy, v, vii. 6 M. McCurt, "Religi, Science, ology Ethics, ," Field Dy Anthology Irish Writg ed. A. Bourke, S. Kilfer, M. Luddy, M. McCurt, G. Menet, M. Ni Dhnchdh, M. O'Dowd C. Wills (Cork: Cork University Press, 2000), M. McCurt, "Lte Field: Ctholic Sisters Twentieth Century Irel New Religious Hisry," Chttel, Servnt or Citizen: Women's Sttus Church, Stte Society, ed. M. O'Dowd S. Wichert (Belfst: Institute Irish Studies, 1995), 3444; M. McCurt, "Godly Burden: Ctholic Sisterhoods TwentiethCentury Irel," Gender Sexulity Modern Irel, ed. M. Vluilus A. Brdley, (Amherst: University Msschusetts Press, 1997), S. Hoy M. McCurt, From Dubl New Orlens: journey Nor Alice (Dubl: Attic Press, 1994). 13 Y McKenn, "Forgotten Migrnts: Irish Engl s," Interntil Journl Populti Geogrphy 1:9 (2003), See K. Csey, 7 Answer with My Life: Life Hisries Women Techers Workg for Socil Chnge (New York: Routledge, 1993); S. Geiger, 'Wht's So Femist About Women's Orl Hisry?," Journl Women's Educti 1:2 (1990), 16982; C. Rogers, Poverty, Chstity Chnge: Lives Ctemporry Americn Nuns (New York: Twyne's Orl Hisry Series, 1996). 15 E. M. Smyth L. Wicks, eds. Wisdom Rises Her Voice: Sisters St. Joseph Tor Celebrte 150 Yers (Tor: Trnsctentl Press/Sisters St. Joseph, 2001). 16 See: T. Murphy, R. Per, eds. A Ccise Hisry Christinity Cnd. (Tor, Oxford University Press, 1996); T. Fy, Hisry Ctholics Cnd: Gllicnism, Romnism, Cndinism (Mtrel: McGillQueen's University Press, 2002). 17 See McKenn "Forgotten Migrnts." CJIS/RC?l 32:1 67