New Kelly Exhibit Highlights Unique Role of the Sisters of Service in Canada

The Big Maps: The Sisters of Service as Canadian Trailblazers, an exciting new exhibition coming to the John M. Kelly Library, will document the history of an unconventional and uniquely Canadian women’s religious institute whose members engaged in groundbreaking work across the country.

The Big Maps opens October 23 at 6 p.m. with a talk by Mark McGowan, Professor Emeritus of History and Celtic Studies at the University of Toronto and Principal Emeritus of St. Michael’s College, on the pioneering vision of Sister Catherine Donnelly, who founded the order, and the role of the Sisters of Service (SOS) in welcoming, housing, and teaching new Canadians from diverse cultural backgrounds.

The exhibit, located on the first floor of the Kelly Library and curated by Kelly archivist Francesca Rousselle, links the Institute of the SOS with an informal defining motto: “Look at the big maps. Take the long view. Don’t tie yourselves down with too many written rules and customs. Always remain flexible”, which was framed on the office wall of co-founder Rev. George Daly, CSsR.

In time, as Donnelly’s vision of teaching Sisters in Western Canada was expanded to encompass all Catholic immigrants, her spirit and determination was embedded into the SOS charism. The Kelly’s new exhibit unveils Donnelly’s personality with an iconic image of her, axe in full swing, chopping a tree to clear a rugged road in British Columbia. It also includes artifacts and photos from the 60 SOS Canadian missions.

Also displayed will be a habit introduced in 1963, years before other women’s religious communities changed to a modified habit, a detail that demonstrates the Sisters’ adjustment to the societal and Vatican II changes of the 1960s.

James Roussain, the William D. Sharpe Chief Librarian and Director of Special Collections at the Kelly Library, says the exhibit documents the role the Sisters played in the history of Canada. “In telling their stories, we are highlighting the role the SOS played in the founding and growth of immigrant communities across Canada,” says Roussain. “These women were strong builders of community and looked after themselves.”

Sister Anna McNally, who held a series of educational positions in North Saskatchewan upon the closing of residential schools, remarks that the SOS sought people in the greatest need. “Our commitment was to come to help the people until they could take over, which they did,” she says.