Living the Message
SAINT JOSEPH’S LILIES AND THE LORETTO RAINBOW WERE LITERARY JOURNALS, each published quarterly by their respective communities, designed to foster a love of literature and offer a vehicle by which alumnae could stay up to date on community news, including university news. Saint Joseph Lilies, founded by Gertrude Lawler in 1911, was published until 1954, while The Loretto Rainbow, founded by Mother Filament Clancy, began life in 1892 as The Loretto Leaflets, and was published until 1959.
Saint Joseph Lilies
Saint Joseph Lilies was a quarterly literary magazine published by the St. Joseph’s Alumnae Association. The Alumnae Association was established 1911 with Gertrude Lawler serving as first president and founding editor of the St. Joseph Lilies. It had two stated objectives: “to unite the Alumnae of St. Joseph’s College; second to prove the loyalty of the Alumnae to their Alma Mater.”
Beginning in 1912, each quarterly volume contained on average 130 pages of text and at least four photographic plates. Most contributions were prose but poetry was also published. The contributors, both men and women, were drawn primarily from the Catholic community in Canada but also included American and British authors and represented both the religious and secular communities. Alumnae also contributed articles on a variety of subjects. Regular features of the magazine included reports from St. Joseph’s College School, Toronto and St. Joseph’s College at St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto.
This quarterly magazine was published by the congregation until 1954.
Editors of the Saint Joseph Lilies:
Sr. M. Avila McGuane: 1920-1921
Sr. M. Dympna Stritch: 1921-1926
Sr. M. Leonarda Flanagan: 1926-1954
Read the following St. Joseph Lilies publications online
St. Joseph College Lilies 1912-13
St. Joseph College Lilies 1913-14
St. Joseph College Lilies 1914-15
St. Joseph College Lilies 1915-16
St. Joseph College Lilies 1916-17
St. Joseph College Lilies 1917-18
St. Joseph College Lilies 1918-19
St. Joseph College Lilies 1919-20
St. Joseph College Lilies 1922-23
St. Joseph College Lilies 1923-24
St. Joseph College Lilies 1924-25
St. Joseph College Lilies 1925-26
St. Joseph College Lilies 1926-27
St. Joseph College Lilies 1927-28
St. Joseph College Lilies 1928-29
St. Joseph College Lilies 1929-30
St. Joseph College Lilies 1932-33
St. Joseph College Lilies 1933-34
St. Joseph College Lilies 1934
St. Joseph College Lilies 1935
St. Joseph College Lilies 1936
St. Joseph College Lilies 1937
St. Joseph College Lilies 1940
St. Joseph College Lilies 1941
St. Joseph College Lilies 1942
St. Joseph College Lilies 1943
St. Joseph College Lilies 1944
St. Joseph College Lilies 1945
St. Joseph College Lilies 1946 and 1947
St. Joseph College Lilies 1948 and 1949
The Loretto Rainbow
The Loretto Rainbow was a literary quarterly which served as the official publication of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary in North America. The purpose of the magazine was two-fold first, to cultivate the literary taste of the pupils and to encourage young Catholic women-writers by giving them a Catholic magazine of their own during school years while encouraging an active interest in the Catholic press in post-school years. The second purpose was to serve as a link between the schools of the Institute by exchanging news and keeping pupils and friends in touch with “Loretto” activities.
The magazine was edited by a joint staff of students and their religious teachers. It was founded by Mother Filomena Clancy at Loretto Academy in Niagara Falls in 1892, and was published as the Loretto Leaflets until 1906 when the name was changed to the Niagara Rainbow. As more of the Loretto schools became involved, it was called simply The Rainbow and by 1933, became the general Loretto magazine under the name, The Loretto Rainbow.
The contributors included not only the staff and students of Loretto schools in North America, but also of houses of the Institute abroad. As well, leading articles by distinguished writers in varied walks of life were included.
The magazine was published until 1959 under the general editorship of the following faculty members:
Mother Filomena Clancy (nom de plume, “Karalice”): 1892 – 1916
Mother Alberta Chilton (“Hildegarde”):
1916 – 1936
Mother Bernard Donnelly: 1936 – 1948
Mother Margaret Ordway and Mother Marcia Smyth: 1948 – 1959