From The Annals

The Sisters' arrival in Toronto was greeted with great joy. The following is an account written by Matthew O'Connor in The Annals of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto:

"On the 7th of October, 1851, while I was engaged in repairing the house (one of the two houses to be used as an Orphanage) I had the honour of welcoming Rev. Mother Delphine and her three companions, Sister Mary Martha, Mary Alphonsus and Mary Bernard, who had come from Philadelphia. What a lively time there was in that little Orphan Asylum that first afternoon of the Sisters' arrival! Hardly had the Sisters placed their bonnets and shawls in the little front room, when the Superior was inspecting, arranging, ordering from dormitory to cellar! It was not long before a complete transformation was effected. One of the front rooms on the ground floor became a most inviting Chapel... The firm and solid foundation of the community of St. Joseph was thus laid in our City...""

In another record, we are told about the condition of the orphanage:

"The furniture was scant and of the poorest; the beds vermin-infected, and the orphans themselves in a very neglected state. Added to this were almost incredible hardships... So great was their poverty that often they knew not where to find the necessary food for the coming day and at night, light was denied them because it cost so much. Night Prayers were said by the light of the Sanctuary Lamp, thus it become imperative to learn the prayers by heart... To increase their scanty reserve, the Sisters made bags for the stores, washed and ironed for St. Michael's College, and were obliged to chop all their own wood and draw all the water."

Page 288/ Annals, Vol. 1