File 3 - Circular Letters – Sister General Margaret Guest

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.