Series 1 - Founding

2m of textual records.- some photographic and published materials

The largest amount of material about the founding and development of the community are preserved in the personal papers of Sister Donnelly and Fr. Daly. His correspondence with Archbishop McNeil and Fr. Coughlan were kept in his second-floor office in the Sisters' Motherhouse at 2 Wellesley Place in Toronto. He remained to direct the Institute of the Sisters of Service spiritually and fiscally for 34 years from the founding in 1922 until his death in 1956. The contents of the series were stored at the Motherhouse in Toronto after the deaths of Fr. Daly (1956) and Sister Donnelly (1983). The records were transferred to the community's archives upon its establishment in 1988.

While a teacher in southern Alberta, Catherine Donnelly nursed two families during the influenza pandemic in November 1918. Struck with the absence of religious faith in the settlers’ homes, she saw education as a solution through a women religious community, dedicated to teaching in rural public schools. After her unsuccessful attempts of enter a teaching congregation, she and Fr. Coughlan set in motion the planning of an untraditional women’s community. Coughlan contacted the Toronto archbishop and appointed Fr. Daly as a temporary director to find candidates and finances for the new community.

The majority of the records were created during the early years between 1922 and 1938 of the Sisters of Service and document that period through the official and personal correspondence. Arranged alphabetically and chronologically, the records contain much of Fr. Daly's and Sister Donnelly's writings, manuscripts and articles of their specific direction of the community and their general reflections throughout their lives. A complete set of Fr. Daly's circular letters to the community reflect his administrative and spiritual direction. Sister Donnelly's accounts and correspondence capture her underlying philosophy for the community, and are found in memoir Ecumenism Blossom. Her catechetical tours in 1934 and 1936 in the British Columbia interior of the Cariboo area provide an application of her philosophy.

The series is divided into the following subseries:

1. Archbishop Neil McNeil
2. Rev. Arthur Coughlan, CSsR
3. Rev. George Daly, CSsR
4. Sr. Catherine Donnelly, SOS
5. Early History

No future accruals expected.

Series arrangement maintained as received during transfer to USMC.

Access is open.

Created by F Rousselle, 4 November 2024.
Revised by F Rousselle 25 June 2025.

Archival History and Content descriptions by MC Havey, congregational archivist, and inherited upon USMC transfer.