The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary U.S.-Ontario Province is an international congregation of Catholic Sisters with offices located in Oregon, Washington, California and Windsor, Canada. The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) have a long history of educating young women and other ministry work dating back to the founding of the order in 1843. Their story in the United States begins more than 150 years ago when 12 SNJM Sisters from Montreal disembarked from a steamer ship in Portland, Oregon. They arrived on October 21, 1859, at the request of Portland Archbishop Francis Norbert Blanchet, to establish schools in the Northwest territory. These dedicated Sisters, only a few of whom were fluent in English when they arrived, quickly set to work and on November 6, just a few short weeks after their arrival, opened St. Mary’s Academy to the girls of the city. In 2006, the U.S.-Ontario Province was formed, uniting the five predominantly English-speaking provinces of the Congregation.
