Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
“I was so glad to hear from you and also to know that you arrived safely from prison to your home.”
This is the first line of a letter written by Catholic Sister Sophie Hasuik to Ethel Phillipson on May 1, 1929.
The five-page letter rested under the floorboards of an attic in a Saskatchewan home for almost a century. It was uncovered recently when the house was being renovated and returned to Ethel’s family.
The letter from Sister Hasuik indicates that the recipient, Ethel Phillipson, was a resident of St. Agnes’ Priory School sometime before 1929. St. Agnes Priory was then referred to as a “reform school,” where “delinquent” girls were sent when they ran afoul of the law or broke societal conventions of the time.
A copy of Sister Sophie’s letter recently found its way to me, and I have been studying it in detail.
The content of the letter is fascinating, but it presents more questions than answers. There is very little information about Ethel or the reason she spent time in “prison” before her 21st birthday.
Sister Sophie’s letter refers to people Ethel encountered at the school. It provides evidence that there were reciprocal bonds among the residents, Mother Superior and the other nuns. If it wasn’t for the “prison” references, it would appear to be a correspondence among friends.
The content of the letter seems to indicate that the crime Ethel committed was of less importance to the women she encountered at the Priory than it was to the authorities who sentenced her for that crime.
While I am in Saskatchewan this week, I am on a journey to discover who Ethel Phillipson was, and the circumstances of her short life.
I have written to St Agnes Priory, which still exists as a youth and family service organization, now called Marymound, asking for historical records about Ethel’s time there. They responded saying that my request has been turned over to an archival department. I have also reached out to elders in the community where Ethel was born, hoping someone has information that will lead us to Ethel.
To my knowledge, no photograph of Ethel exists. This historical photo is from the Marymound website. It depicts residents of the reform school at about the time Ethel was living there.
I picture Ethel as the faceless reflection of one of these students.
Sometimes a story unfolds by beginning at the end and working backwards.
My first mission was to visit Ethel’s grave, but more about that later.
A full copy of the letter is attached below. Let me know if you see any clues in it that could lead us to the story of Ethel’s life. I will report back to you when I have more information about…
… The Nun, and the Girl Who Went to Prison
Letter to Ethel Phillipson – May 1, 1929
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Keith MacDonald
That was an another interesting one, Russ. Thank you.
ENJOY!
Keith
Russ Paton
Hi Keith, The sequel will post tomorrow……