The Monastery of St. Joseph at St. Agatha
The first Carmelite presence in English Canada was established in 1952 by the nuns. The community was canonically erected on October 3rd of that year, feast of St. Therese of Lisieux. The first Nuns from the Carmel of Cleverland Heights, Ohio, arrived in Kitchener, Ontario on October 22, with Mother Mary of the Angels as Foundress. At first the sisters were guests of the Sisters of St. Joseph and a few months later they moved to their temporary monastery in Kitchener as well. With the growing number of vocations, a new site was found among the rolling hills near the village of St. Agatha. Construction on the first phase began in November 1962, and in May 1963 the community moved into the almost-completed building with first Mass celebrated on the 18th of that month. Other additions were carried out in subsequent years until 1984. The Carmel of St. Joseph at St. Agatha cherishes its off-spring with the establishment of a monastery dedicated also to St. Joseph in Armstrong, British Columbia.

The Carmel of the Infant Jesus at Zephyr
On April 25, 1992, the Carmel of the Infant Jesus was officially inaugurated in Canada. Four sisters, including the foundress Mother Emmanuel of the Sacred Heart, flew from Hong Kong to Toronto the previous 8th of the month. As it was getting closer to the return of Hong Kong to Communist China in 1997, many left their homeland and settled overseas, especially in Canada. The new immigrants urged the sisters of the Hong Kong Carmel to come to Canada for spiritual support and encouragement. Formal enclosure was established on July 16, 1992 at their House in Markham. In 2006 the community, now twice the original number, transferred to the newly built monastery of the Infant Jesus at Zephyr, Ontario.

Contact Discalced Carmelite Nuns & Sisters