The California Immaculate Heart Community of Los Angeles was established in 1924 after separation from its Spanish order. The Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) is a Catholic teaching institute with a particular emphasis on education young women. The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary were founded in the North of Catalan, Spain by Father Joaquim Masmitja in 1848. At the request of Bishop Amat of California, ten IHM Sisters were sent to California in 1871. Two schools, one college, and one convent were opened in Los Angeles by 1916.
The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary were responsible for staffing teachers at Christie Residential School after the Benedictine Sisters of Mount Angel withdrew its teaching staff in 1960. Like in other schools, the goal of this system was to remove Aboriginal children from their homes and force them to adopt Western cultural beliefs. The painful legacy of the residential schools became apparent in the subsequent decades.
During the 1990s, the public became more aware of the impacts of residential schools. This led to an increase in litigation against the Government of Canada, which culminated in the creation of the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) in 2006. IRSSA outlined the process by which residential school litigation was carried out in addition to creating the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). As part of their obligations under IRSSA, the Sisters have provided copies of all documentation relating to the Residential School System and the Church’s involvement.
[1800-01-01 - 2015-12-31]