"Monseigneur, you ask for the Sisters for your schools and your diocese in urgent need. The journey will be long, difficult, costly and even dangerous...Your poverty does not permit you to pay our traveling expenses. You ask for sacrifices. Well, we will do it for God."
FCJ Superior General Mother Josephine Petit
History
The Faithful Companions of Jesus came to Canada in 1883. Welcomed in Calgary on July 26, 1885, the Sisters were given the Oblate Fathers' home as their residence and immediately opened their doors to children for classes in September
Calgary Roman Catholic Separte School District #1
From the beginning, Mother Mary Greene, the local leader of Sacred Heart Convent and Principal of Sacred Heart Convent and Boarding School, worked to gain government recognition. The education standards of the school were such that on December 18, 1885, what eventually came to be called the Calgary Roman Catholic School District #1, came into existence.
Expansion
School enrollment quickly increased and, in 1893, the Convent building was replaced on the same site, by the present building, Sacred Heart Convent. The school flourished, leading to the construction of St. Mary's School in 1909 (demolished in 2002) and to further additions to Sacred Heart Convent in 1924.
Image: Glenbow.org
Education, both of children and adults, and retreat work were two ministries envisioned and embraced by the foundress of the FCJs. After nearly a century of primarily providing education for children, the ministry of the FCJ Sisters was adapted to new needs and the focus became Christian formation and retreat work. Extensive renovations were done to the Convent in 1979 -1980 to provide appropriate facilities for the newly inaugurated FCJ Christian Life Centre. Further renovations were completed in 2000, our 20th anniversary year, adding a formal reception space, additional offices, and a refurbished food service area.
More Than Retreats
Today the FCJ Christian Life Centre, an ecumenical retreat and conference Centre, offers hospitality to non-profit groups and individuals looking to "discover their centre". Within a warm, welcoming and peaceful atmosphere, the Centre hosts more than retreats, offering workshops on spirituality and personal development, outreach, spiritual direction, lay ministry training programs, quiet days or alternate conference space for groups who fall within the mandate of the FCJ Centre.
Comprehensive History
To learn more about the Sisters, Faithful Companions of Jesus, we invite you to consult the series of annual summaries of the missionary work and educational activities of the order in western Canada, available at the archive of the Glenbow Museum.