The Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of New York
The Mount Saint Vincent archives documents the history of the Sisters of Charity in New York since the beginning of the Congregation in 1846, when the Community occupied the first Motherhouse at McGown's Pass, Manhattan. The Community moved to a new Mount Saint Vincent property in the Bronx in 1857.
The archives is an integral part of the corporate operation of the Sisters of Charity. The sister archivists reported to the Secretary-General, each appointed by the Mother and in later years, the President. The Executive Council minutes mention the appointment of the succession of the Community's historians who were responsible for maintaining the archival collection in addition to their full-time assignments. The life-long enthusiasm of Sr. Mother Mary Fuller (1907-1975) focused the importance of the archives.
Sisters who endeavored as archivists were: Sr. Teresa Liguori Kempston (1856-1962); Sr. Maria Dodge (1832-1893); Mother Mary Rose Dolan (1841-1924) and Sr. Mary Carmita Kiniry (1865-1962). Sr. Miriam Gabriel MGarvey (1878-1961), was placed in charge of the archives in 1945 and remained at this post until her death in 1961. In addition to their full-time assignments, secured the records of events that became the kernal of the archives. Without an official archivist during the early 1960's, the maintenance of the archives was the responsibility of the Secretary-General. By 1965, Sr. Marie deLourdes (Marjorie) Walsh (1908-1986), appointed Congregational Historian, became the full-time archivist. During this time, she authored the comprehensive three-volume, 'History of the Sisters of Charity of New York, 1809-1959.'
The archives were held at the Motherhouse which included classroom and housing for the Academy of Mount Saint Vincent and the early years of the College of Mount Saint Vincent. During the presidency of Sr. Margaret Dowling (1971-1979), when the administrative center moved to LeGras Hall, Sr. Noreen Sugrue was asked to select a new location to house the archives and Elizabeth Seton museum. A former carriage house, a Gothic Revival Italianate granite structure built in 1849 was chosen. The renovated building named in memory of Elizabeth Boyle, the Congregation's first Mother and Mother Elizabeth Seton's close friend, opened in 1980. Sr. Noreen, the first archivist at the new repository, organized 150 years of documents and artifacts brought together at one location. Sister archivists in succession were: Sr. Anne Courtney, from 1986-1991; Sr. Rita King, from 1991-2007, and Sr. Constance Brennan, from 2008-2015. In 2017, the first professional archivist was hired.
Today, the archives holds approximately 750 cubic feet including documents, photographs, audio-visual material, pamphlets, over-sized material, textiles, artwork and ephemera. In addition to the organizational collection, the archives of St. Vincent's Hospital, Manhattan (1869-2010), including the St. Vincent' Hospital School of Nursing is housed at the archives. In 2021, new high-density shelving was installed which tripled the storage capacity in the archives storage room.
The items below are the submissions selected by the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of New York's archivist for the History of the Sisters of Charity Federation Communities in Objects collaborative exhibit:
Charity 'Poor Box' from St. Patrick's Orphan Asylum
The first New York mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph in New York, the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum, was incorporated in 1817. Known as St. Patrick’s Asylum due to proximity to St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, the orphanage was quickly filled, to capacity. To raise funds for a new building, a poor box was placed in St. Patrick’s Orphan Asylum by Sr. Elizabeth Boyle, who became the first Mother Superior of the Sisters of Charity of New York in 1846. The donations placed in the poor box were a source of support for many years.
The two stained glass panels depict the locations of the origin and continuation of the Academy of Mount Saint Vincent.
The First School at Emmitsburg, St. Joseph's Academy
The Academy of Mount Saint Vincent in New York is related to the first school established at Emmitsburg by Mother Seton. The tradition of exemplary Catholic education for girls was maintained when the newly established New York Community opened an Academy at McGown's Pass, Manhattan, in 1847. The Motherhouse and the school moved to Mount Saint Vincent, Bronx in 1859. The Academy relocated to Tuxedo Park, New York in 1943 and closed in 1972.
Panel 1, upper section: Emmitsburg, Maryland, 1810:
In 1810 when Elizabeth Seton arrived in Emmitsburg, Maryland, the new community of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Joseph’s, opened a free school, the two-story Federal-style building depicted, today known as the ‘White House.’ On February 22, 1810, three girls were the first day students to attend Saint Joseph’s Free School, the first free Catholic school for girls staffed by religious women in the country.
The Academy of Mount Saint Vincent, Manhattan
Panel 1, lower section: McGown’s Pass, Manhattan, 1847:
Mother Seton’s school in Emmitsburg was the precursor to the Academy of Mount Saint Vincent, Bronx, opened after the New York Sisters separated from Emmitsburg community in 1847. Under the patronage of Reverend John Hughes, the first Archbishop of New York and brother to Mother Mary Angela Hughes who led the Community 1855-1861, the Academy at McGown’s Pass was regarded as one of the pioneer institutions in the East for the education of Catholic girls. In 1851, the Academy received its charter from the New York State Legislature. McGown’s Pass at approximately 109th Street and 5th Avenue, had been the location of Revolutionary War headquarters for George Washington and his army.
