The Sisters of Saint Ann are a Catholic religious congregation that focused on charitable works and spreading Catholicism. The congregation started in Quebec by Marie Esther Sureau Blondin. In May 1833, Blondin began teaching in Vaudreuil, Quebec and in 1850, she gathered several sisters to form the Sisters of Saint Ann, a congregation dedicated to teaching children. Bishop of Victoria, Modeste Demers, requested that the Sisters come to Victoria to teach children and care for the sick in 1857. The Sisters arrived in Victoria a year later and set up various missions and schools in the area.
During the Residential School System, the Sisters often worked as teachers and caretakers at several residential schools in British Columbia. At these schools, the Sisters collaborated with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who often were principals and school administrators. In 1969, the Government of Canada took complete control of the Residential School System. Some of the Sisters stayed on to continue their work as government employees. The last residential school closed in 1996.
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 of 2019, the Sisters still send missions across the globe.
1846-1982