I was attracted to this project because I had long believed that the role played by the Roman Catholic women’s religious orders in the educational, social and religious history of Canada has been largely neglected by the historians. As well, the glimpses I had gained of Catherine Donnelly from my reading indicated that she was a fascinating person; someone who was unafraid to question traditional attitudes and customs in order to accomplish a greater good. Her recognition that new methods must be used by her Church to minister to human needs in the twentieth century seemed to exemplify in a practical way the theology underpinning the Papal Social Encyclicals.
Sister Coffey invited me to come to the motherhouse in Toronto to meet their archivist, Sister Catherine Schmeltzer, and to see if their archives contained sufficient material on which to base a biography. At our meeting, Sister Schmeltzer explained that while many of the papers pertaining to Catherine Donnelly’s life had not survived her many transfers from place to place, some valuable letters were still turning up. A search was being conducted in all of their mission houses, and requests for relevant information had been made to the various dioceses where Catherine had worked. As Sister Schmeltzer had joined the Sisters of Service in 1938, I concluded that she herself would also be an invaluable source of information.
When I indicated that I would be interested in undertaking the biography, Sister Coffey said that the order’s only stipulations were that the book was to be centred on the life and work of Catherine Donnelly, rather than the order itself, and that the book was not to be written as a memorial but as an examination of a life in which the techniques and standards of a historian would be applied. She hoped that sufficient information could be located to reveal the complete story of Catherine’s long life of ninety-nine years, and assured me that all the order’s records would be made available, including those which dealt with its finances and personnel. I was also given permission to interview members of the order privately, particularly those who had worked directly with Catherine Donnelly.
I have found this to be a stimulating professional assignment, made all the more challenging because complete freedom of access to the records allowed me to tell the story as I saw it emerging. At no time did I encounter any attempt to influence my conclusions. When I required additional information on events or people that was not in the written records, it was willingly given to me by the many sisters I questioned, and with complete candour. The only direct comment on the text which I received was when I requested Sister General Frances Coffey, her successor Sister General Anna McNally, and the Council of the Sisters of Service, to peruse it for clarity and accuracy of fact or definition.
Chief among the members on whose expertise and memory I had to rely was the late Sister Catherine Schmeltzer, who died suddenly only two months before the last chapter was completed. Her devotion to her work as an archivist, her sparkling sense of humour, her thoughtful answers to my innumerable questions, and her unfailing kindness made writing this story a joyful personal and professional experience.
Sister Catherine Donnelly’s story has been written for the general reader, of any or of no religious persuasion, who is interested in the history of Canada, and in the struggles of the peoples from every country who settled this land and battled its harsh climate to make homes in a new environment. To succeed against poverty, adversity and loneliness they needed help in a multitude of ways. This book is about them and about one woman’s attempt to break the bonds of tradition so that she and the order she founded could provide for their educational and spiritual needs. In so doing she became a pioneer in extending the role of women in Roman Catholic religious orders.
The title of this biography, To Do and To Endure, is taken from the second verse of the hymn, “Breathe On Me Breath of God,” which is common to both Roman Catholic and Protestant hymnaries.
Jeanne R. Beck
St. Patrick’s Day, 1997
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Telling the story of a person who lived as long and productive a life as did Sister Catherine Donnelly, was a great challenge, for the archival sources had some gaps which had to be filled in before I could understand her motivation and her problems. When I first dipped into the Archives of the Sisters of Service at their Motherhouse in Toronto, two facts about her collected papers were soon apparent. The good news was that Catherine obviously enjoyed writing letters and brief memoirs, for they were forthright, interesting in style and content, and meticulously punctuated. The bad news was that some of the most important documents from her early career had not survived her many changes of location; I would have to use as clues the brief references in letters written long after some of the most important events had taken place. The best news was that her various versions of these incidents, even those written at an advanced age, were consistent with earlier versions.
I knew that I would need help in locating much of this information scattered in letters and memoirs on other topics. I am very grateful to three members of the Order who spent many hours aiding me in the search for biographical details. First, I owe a great debt to the Archivist, Sister Catherine Schmeltzer, who provided constant personal assistance during my search for missing links, and supplemented the Order’s archival holdings with extra details from her amazingly clear recollections of events and of people with whom Catherine Donnelly was involved. Her work was supplemented by that of Sister Leona Trautman, who had undertaken to organize the Archive’s photographic records. She also wrote invaluable notes on her own experiences in the order, particularly the period when she was a student of Sister Catherine. I thank her also for her help in the selection and identification of the photographs which add so much to the biography. I owe a great debt to Sister Mary Phillips, who organized the collection of documents and letters from the Archdiocese of Edmonton as well as interviewing and collecting the memoirs of many sisters who were not able to come to Toronto for interviews. When her packages of documents arrived, the contents were like a Christmas box of goodies! I am deeply indebted to those Sisters of Service who in interviews provided anecdotes about their encounters with Catherine, as well as personal experiences which led to their becoming Sisters of Service. Each detail they recounted gave me valuable insights into the great variety of women who were attracted to the order, of the use that was made of their talents and the additional qualifications they acquired which enabled them to broaden the scope of their service.
I am also very grateful for the words and notes of encouragement that I received from those Sisters who were not acquainted with Catherine Donnelly, but who were pleased and excited at the prospect of learning more about her. Their assurance of support for this work was much appreciated.
To former Sister General Frances Coffey, Sister General Anna McNally, and Assistant General Patricia Burke, I owe special thanks for unfailing support which was given in so many personal and practical ways. The gracious hospitality I received during my working days at the Motherhouse, their encouraging comments, and their helpful explanations and comments on their lives as religious, enriched my understanding of their own and Catherine’s vocation.
I owe much to the archivists of other religious orders and institutions from whom I requested documents and information. In particular, I am indebted to Sister Esther Hanley, IBVM, Toronto, Sister Collette Ryan SSND, Waterdown, Sister Mary Jane Trimble CSJ, Toronto, and Sister Mary Rose Pautler CSJ, Hamilton, and Sister Mary Olga McKenna SC, Halifax. As well, Father James Mason CSsR, of the Edmonton and Toronto Province of the Redemptorists, gave me generous access to the CSsR Archives, and valuable additional information on Father George Daly’s life.
I was fortunate to receive help also from Mrs. Margaret Sanche, Archivist of St. Thomas More College, Saskatoon and the Archivists of the Archdiocese of Toronto, in particular, the former Archivist, Sister Frieda Watson CSJ, the present Archivist Marc Lerman, and the Assistant Archivist, Linda Wicks.
Fellow scholars have been generous in their moral support; as well they offered practical advice on the task of writing religious history, and valuable information garnered during their own research. Their published works, and suggestions for sources enabled me to place Catherine