St. Joseph’s Home Care is guided by the principles and values that our founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton instilled in our organization: that it is an honour to serve – and in particular to ensure that those most vulnerable and marginalized have access to compassionate, high quality care.

Living the Legacy

The Sisters of St. Joseph came to Hamilton in 1854 and began to work for the poor and needy residents of this growing and important trade centre. For the Sisters, it was an honour to serve others, and, with the onset of a cholera epidemic, the Sisters health care mission began in earnest. Working in railway sheds near the Hamilton harbour, they risked their lives to care for the sick and dying victims of the deadly disease.

 In 1921, Bishop Dowling of the Hamilton Diocese directed the Catholic Women’s League to form a service to meet the needs of people during the flu epidemic – it was to be called St. Elizabeth Visiting Nurses’ Association (SEN) which was incorporated in 1958 and became a member of St. Joseph’s Health System in 1996. The name was changed in April of 2005 from SEN to St. Joseph’s Home Care (SJHC).