Les Soeurs de l’Assomption de la Sainte-Vierge de l’Alberta is a separate chapter of an order founded in 1891 at St. Gregoire-le-Grand, Québec. The town was primarily populated with Acadian immigrants, which is coincidently reflected in the name as our Lady of the Assumption is the patron saint of the Acadians. The sisters quickly became renowned for their educational work and by 1872 had to move to Nicolet as they had outgrown St. Gregoire-le-Grand. In 1891, the religious teaching community established an Indian mission in Onion Lake and the Alberta chapter was founded. Education has always been the central mission for the Sisters and their preferred mode of charism. This included, but was not limited to, Indian missions, normal schools, catechetical works and pastoral ministries.
Like in other schools, the goal of this system was to remove Indigenous 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, which lead to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) in 2007. The agreement provided a system of compensation for residential school survivors and also initiated a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 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. The order is technically separate from Les Soeurs de l’Assomption de la Sainte-Vierge de Nicolet, which was also named as a corporate catholic defendant under the IRSSA. They share a common history however, and records relating to the three residential schools are found in both corporations. The original records of this religious congregation are held in the Archives Centrales des Soeurs de l’Assomption de la Sainte-Vierge.
1890-1985