File 2 - Circular Letters – Sister General Florence Regan, January-May 1937; Sister Margaret Guest, June-December 1937

Born 15 August 1882 in Toronto, daughter of James Regan and Maria Whalen; entered 6 January 1925; first vows 24 June 1926; final vows 15 August 1931; died 8 January 1972.

Growing up in an Irish-Catholic family in Toronto, Florence worked as a stenographer in the manufacturing department of Imperial Oil, rising to the position as executive secretary. Entering in January 1925 at the age of 36, she professed first vows on June 24, 1926 as a pioneer member of the community. Shortly afterwards, she travelled to Western Canada as superior of the newly-opened catechetical mission in Edmonton (1926-1928) to develop the new venture of sending catechism lessons by mail and of teaching in person catechism to children. In July 1927 at the request of Archbishop Mathieu of Regina, she and Sister Mary Rodgers embarked on a tour teaching catechism to children in Saskatchewan.

The following year as the student enrollment of the Edmonton religious correspondence school increased steadily, Sister Regan was appointed by Toronto Archbishop Neil McNeil as the first Sister General and superior of the Toronto Motherhouse. Since the founding in 1922, the community had opened eight missions. For the next nine years, she was intricately involved in the building, planning and expanding the community throughout Canada. Professed sisters voted to reappoint Sister Regan and her General Council of Sisters Kathleen Schenck and Carmel Egan for a second term in 1931 and a third three-year term in 1934, all of whom made final vows on August 15, 1931.

Under her watch, the community opened women's hostels in Vancouver and Edmonton; a rural teaching mission in St. Brides, Alberta, and two new hospitals were constructed in Edson and Vilna, Alberta to replace the original frame buildings. Although she left office as Sister General in 1937, Sister Regan remained as superior of the Motherhouse (1937-1943) and on the General Council, elected to serve three consecutive terms of 1937-1943, 1943-1948 and 1948-1954.

Leaving the Motherhouse in 1943, she moved to the novitiate until moving to the new Motherhouse at 10 Montcrest in 1970. She died at St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, on January 8, 1972 at the age of 89. In Holy Family church, near the Motherhouse, Fr. Bernard Regan, CSB, a cousin and the main celebrant, concelebrated the funeral mass with Fr. Edward Dowling SJ, Redemptorist Provincial Superior Richard Bedard and Fr. William Brown. Her body was buried in the community's plot in Mount Hope cemetery, Toronto.

Born 15 November 1901 in Mineral, New Brunswick, daughter of William Guest and Margaret Haley; entered 29 September 1923; first vows 29 September 1924; final vows 15 August 1931; died 15 October 1987.

One of seven children, Margaret grew up in the central New Brunswick potato farming area and attended St. Michael's Academy in Chatham, NB as a boarding student. After graduating from St. Michael's Academy, she studied at the Provincial Normal School, attaining a childhood ambition as a teacher. She taught in public schools in her native Carleton County, recalling: "I liked the work from the first. It was my one desire to be of help to the child and help and to form and mold character."

At the age of 21, she joined the year-old community of the SOS, professing first vows on September 29, 1924 and final vows with the first group of sisters on August 15, 1931. Immediately after first vows, Sister Guest, one of the pioneer sisters, travelled to Camp Morton, the community's first Western Canadian mission. Located in a rural Manitoba farming area, north of Winnipeg, she joined foundress Sister Catherine Donnelly as a teacher in one of the schoolhouses.

After five years at Camp Morton (superior 1926-1928), Sister Guest returned to the Toronto Motherhouse, replacing Mother Othilia, CSJ, as Novice Mistress (1928-1937) at the Glen Road novitiate. During that time as Novice Mistress, she directed more than 100 novices and was a member of the community's General Council, which was establishing their apostolates of rural education, immigration and catechetics. She also was enrolled in extension courses (1931-1933) at Columbia University, New York City, and arranged for novices and professed sisters to enroll in night and summer classes.

At the first General Chapter in May 1937, Sister Guest became the first-elected Sister General and was re-elected in 1943. At that time, the 70-member community served in 12 missions. Her interest in rural education never waned. Under her two terms, six of the eight new missions were dedicated to rural teaching: Marquis and Bergfield, Saskatchewan (1938); Wexford, Ontario (1939); Sinnett, Saskatchewan (1940); Christian Island, Ontario (1941); and Rycroft, Alberta (1944). A catechetical mission was founded in Fargo, ND (1939) and a university women's residence (1946) in Saskatoon. In ill health and unable to complete the second term, she resigned from office in 1948.

Sister Guest was appointed to St. John's hospital, Edson (1950-1975), developing a second career. Completing courses in hospital administration, medical records and as a records librarian, Sister Guest established the medical record department in the Edson hospital. Working closely with the medical records librarians of the Alberta Hospital Association, she assisted other small hospitals in setting up their own medical records department. A member of the St. John’s hospital board, she upgraded catechetical training for many years of teaching Grades 5 and 6 at the town's Sacred Heart parish.

In 1974, Sister Guest joined the retired Sisters at the Niagara Retirement Manor, St. Catharines, Ontario, where she died at the age of 85 on October 15, 1987. In the Motherhouse chapel, the funeral Mass was celebrated by Fr. William Brennan, a grand-nephew, with Jesuit Fr. Edward Dowling and Redemptorist Fr. Matthew Meehan as concelebrants. Her body was buried in the community's plot at Mount Hope cemetery, Toronto.