The Benedictine Sisters of Mount Angel were founded by Mother Bernadine Wachter in 1882 after a long migration from Switzerland to Oregon. The Benedictine Sisters served in and operated parish schools throughout Oregon, as well as schools for Indigenous children in Oregon and British Columbia.
The Benedictine Sisters were responsible for assisting the Benedictine fathers and brothers in administering the Christie Residential School on Meare's Island, British Columbia beginning in 1899. The schools were often underfunded and overenrolled and former students have reported cultural, emotional, physical and sexual abuses. The brotherhood withdrew from the school in 1938, but the Benedictine Sisters remained at the school to assist the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. The Sisters left Christie Residential School in 1960 owing to their struggle to maintain their Oregon college, academy, and nursing home and were replaced by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary from Los Angeles.
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 provided copies of all documentation relating to the Residential School System and the Church’s involvement.
[1800-01-01 - 2015-12-31]