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Sisters of Charity Federation Archives

Witness to History

Women religious have lived extraordinary lives of service in diverse settings. From birth and early childhood through social, political, and religious upheaval, Catholic sisters have deeply personal and incredibly historic stories to tell. Learn more about how the Sisters of Charity Federation members have become Witnesses to History.

Sister Judith Metz, SC presents on the work of Sister Marie Agnese Bonanno of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. Sister Marie Agnese dedicated her life to Catholic social service and spent years at the Saint Joseph Infant and Maternity Home in Cincinnati.

Sister Mary Josepha Murphy of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth describes her interactions with Archbiship Robert Seton during her novitiate.

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Sister Mary Clare Hughes, D.C. describes her extensive years of leadership during Vatican II and her witness to the exhumation of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

The gallery below houses additional oral histories from other Witnesses to History, including Sister Ellen Quirke's interview about the changing needs of bilingual students in New York City during the 1960s-1970s and her venture into geriatric health care in the pioneering Department of Community Medicine at St. Vincent's Hospital in Greenwich Village. Sister Cyrilla Verhalen details her first mission in Perryville, Missouri during the outbreak of the Spanish flu in 1918.

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Sister Josephine Rog, SC
Sisters of Charity of New York

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Sister Ellen Quirke, SC
Sisters of Charity of New York

Sister Anna Denise Murphy, S.C.
Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth

Sister Marie Devota Gatley, S.C.
Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth

Sister Cyrilla Verhalen, D.C.
Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul