In July 1951, Bishop Francis P. Carroll invited the Sisters of the Precious Blood, who lived in Edmonton, to move to Calgary. The sisters agreed and settled in a former rectory. In 1971, the diocese gifted the sisters land on which a monastery was built. More details are available on calgarynka.
Who Are the Sisters of the Precious Blood?
The Sisters of the Precious Blood are a contemplative religious community devoted to praising God through both liturgical and private prayer. The nuns wear distinctive red and white attire.
This community is Canada’s first contemplative order. Contemplative monasteries are entirely separated from the world, with sisters dedicating their lives to God in solitude and silence. Unlike other monastic communities, they do not engage in teaching or nursing.
The order was founded by Catherine Aurelia Caouette with the support of Bishop Joseph LaRocque in September 1851 in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec. Catherine was deeply inspired by the Paschal Mystery. Her spirituality was rooted in the symbol of the Precious Blood of Christ, representing love and triumph over suffering.
The Early Days at the Monastery
The monastery was established on a hill in a quiet area offering beautiful views of downtown Calgary and the Rocky Mountains, located 80 miles away. Behind the monastery is part of St. Mary’s Cemetery, where the sisters are buried on the highest point of the hill.
In the early days, the sisters faced financial hardships but gradually became self-sufficient by laundering church linens and baking communion hosts. Local priests and parishioners also provided financial support. The hosts, used for the sacrament of the Eucharist in Catholic and Anglican traditions, are made from unleavened dough consisting solely of flour and water. Using special molds, Christian symbols—most often a cross—are embossed on the hosts.
During the monastery’s first years, one or two nuns spent entire days making hosts by hand. In the 21st century, this process became automated, taking only a few minutes. The hosts are now manufactured in a factory in Hamilton, while one or two nuns at the monastery handle packaging and shipping orders to parishes.
The Sisters’ Daily Schedule
The nuns gather in the chapel four times a day. They dedicate 30 minutes before the Blessed Sacrament to private prayer, interceding for the needs of the Church, particularly the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary, and asking for God’s blessings on the world.
The sisters also set aside time to pray for individuals. They receive hundreds of letters and phone calls with prayer requests, which they write on slips of paper and attach to the chapel door as reminders. Once they have prayed for these intentions, they place the slips in a special box.
Dedication to the Blessed Eucharist is a daily obligation for the Sisters of the Precious Blood. In Calgary, daily Mass continued even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The monastery also has a library. Each sister has specific responsibilities, such as managing books, organizing the library, or sorting host orders. The sisters take turns handling household tasks like cleaning and cooking.
Declining Numbers in Religious Orders
By 2019, the number of Sisters of the Precious Blood had decreased to six, all residing in Calgary. According to the Canadian Religious Conference, the number of men and women in religious orders in Canada fell from 16,900 in 2012 to 12,220 in 2018. The statistics also revealed that there are approximately twice as many women as men in Canadian religious orders, but the number of women’s orders is declining at a much faster rate.