St. Joseph's Morrow Park Catholic Secondary School is a school for young women and is attached to the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto. The Congregation was founded in LePuy, France, in the year 1648 by a French Jesuit named Jean-Pierre Medaille. From the beginning, the community was active in the care of orphans, the sick and in the education of the young. The Sisters of St. Joseph arrived in Toronto in 1851 and since that time have made an impressive contribution to Catholic education in Toronto.
St. Joseph's Morrow Park came about as a result of the relocation and expansion of St. Joseph's which was then operating at Bay and Wellesley. The new Motherhouse was built in Willowdale on the property given to the congregation by Frederick Morrow and after whom it is named along with the name of the patron saint of the congregation. A day school and boarding school were part of this complex. In September 1960, St. Joseph's Morrow Park opened with an enrollment of 147 girls and a staff of nine sisters and one lay teacher.
Today the school is operated by the Toronto Catholic District School Board. The school is organized on a semester system.
Presently, a new school is being constructed at 500 Cummer Avenue, which is designed by ZAS Architects Inc. The projected occupancy is January 2020 and the cost is $31,636,000.
Description of the new school:
The 105,000 s.f. school is 3-storeys, situated at the south end of the site. With the need for a full play field and parking, the decision was made to add a 93 spot parking structure underground. The shape of the school is unique in that it curves and encloses an internalized Courtyard which introduces light and air into an otherwise efficient and compact plan which is capped off with 2 large green roofs over the atrium and gym. The academic and administrative block of the school is configured in a L-shape around the central Courtyard. Immediately adjacent and proximal to the Courtyard are the majority of public student spaces: Cafeteria, Gymnasium, Library and a private Chapel. The chapel is also a distinct building which creates a private enclosure for the court yard and is always in view from the students.
