The Context and Expectations of Four Congregations of Atlantic Canadian Women Religious’ Latin American Missionary Endeavours

This paper examines the process through which four congregations of women religious from Atlantic Canada sent members to work in missions in Latin America in the post Vatican II era. It considers not only how their actions answered John XXIII’s call for religious congregations to serve for a time in Latin America, but also how these new missions were indirectly facilitated by the relinquishing of traditional ministries, understandings of Perfectae Caritatis, and demographic changes in membership. The analysis will be based on a combination of archival data—especially General Chapter records—and oral interviews with sisters who served in Latin America.  Analysis will include discourse analysis of the congregations’ decision making process in sending and maintaining sisters in Latin America, as well as sister-participants’ evaluation of the efficacy, and ultimately, the success or failure of the missions. The paper will also consider the lasting impact of Latin American missions on the congregations, particularly as each of the four congregations under study served in economically depressed areas in Canada; in other words, did having sisters serve in an especially impoverished part of the world affect how the congregation, or particular members, tried to serve the poor in Atlantic Canada.  Finally, the paper will examine how each of the congregations viewed Latin America as a new field for vocations, just as North American vocations were in decline.