The Sisters of Saint Martha was established as a religious congregation

in response to a call from the Bishop of Antigonish in 1900. By the 1920s, they were well—known from the east coast to the prairies where they ministered to the sick, homeless and neglected children, unmarried mothers, families in need and students in rural schools. They became part of the Diocese of Charlottetown in 1916.

Sister Mary Angela professed her vows in 1933, and began studies

for a career in nursing. She received her Registered Nurse designation from St. Joseph’s Hospital in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia in 1936, and the following year was granted one of the first Bachelor of Science degrees in nursing from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish. Returning to Prince Edward Island, she worked at the Charlottetown Hospital for 11 years, first as Director of Nursing and then as administrator. All the while, she upgraded her skills by taking courses in areas such as hospital administration, accounting and operating room management.

Her greatest accomplishment came with the establishment of a rural hospital in Alberton. For years, local residents and clergy had worked towards the establishment of a much—needed hospital in that area of the province. Sister Mary Angela, with support from the Sisters of St. Martha, oversaw the raising of funds, equipment and staff, and the Alberton Hospital was opened in 1943.

In 1963, Sister Mary Angela was elected General Superior of the Sisters of St. Martha and for the neXt ten years guided the order through the challenges of Vatican II. The congregation responded to the Church’s call to a renewal of religious life. Sister Mary Angela led the members of the congregation in theological studies and periods of religious renewal.

Marion, the 12th child, was born in 1920, and went on to study at Prince of Wales College. When she turned 20, she followed her sister Edith into the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Martha, taking the name Sister Mary Edith in tribute to her older sibling. She made her final profession in 1942. Following a term at the Charlottetown Hospital, then operated by the Sisters of St. Martha, she went to the Hotel Dieu Hospital in Kingston, Ontario where she obtained certification as a radiology technician, an emerging field at the time. She returned to the

52 KATHLEEN MURPHY, MAITRIARC