Halifax, Nova Scotia, May 18, 2010--On behalf of the Honourable Jim Prentice, Canada's Environment Minister and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, the Honourable Stephen Greene, Senator, today unveiled a Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque commemorating the national historic significance of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, Halifax.
"We are pleased to recognize the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, Halifax, as an event of national historic significance for their role in the advancement of educational, health care and social services in Nova Scotia, Canada and abroad," said Senator Greene.
The congregation traces its roots to a small group founded in Emmitsburg, Maryland, in 1809, by Elizabeth Ann Seton. Sisters were invited to Nova Scotia by the Bishop of Halifax to teach, and soon took on a leadership role in social and educational matters. Among the most notable of their foundations was Mount Saint Vincent Academy, which expanded from its creation in 1873 to include the British Commonwealth's first degree-granting institution exclusively devoted to the higher education of women by 1925. The Congregation's role as caregivers for orphaned and abandoned children began with the establishment of an orphanage at its first convent in Halifax soon after the sisters' arrival.
"The group initiated many programs dedicated to education and health care, including Mount Saint Vincent, which, founded as an academy in 1873, went on to become the first degree-granting college for women in the Commonwealth," said Minister Prentice. "It is a testament to the Sisters of Charity's legacy that their crowning achievements in Nova Scotia – Mount Saint Vincent University and the Halifax Infirmary – endure today."
For additional information, please see the accompanying backgrounder at www.parkscanada.gc.ca, under Media Room.
Information:
Carla Wheaton
Cultural Resource Manager, Mainland Nova Scotia Field Unit
Parks Canada
(902)426-1992
(902)488-4494
Backgrounder associated with this News Release.
Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, Halifax
