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Silver pitcher
In 1858, as Community foundress Mother Xavier Ross prepared to leave Nashville, TN., where her Community had first began, The people of Nashville, TN. gifted Mother Xavier with a silver pitcher engraved: “A token of esteem and gratitude, respectfully inscribed to the Sisters of Charity, by the citizens of Nashville, Dec. 4th, 1858.” The pitcher has become a treasured historical artifact of the early days in Nashville and the work the Sisters did there. -
Artists’ Palette and Brush used by William Lamprecht circa 1901
Description
For the eight months it took to execute the mural, William Lamprecht and his wife, Augusta, resided at Mount St. Joseph where he loved to take long walks to enjoy “God’s great Panorama.” A faith-filled man, the artist recognized his talent as a gift from God. He never began a project without preceding it with a novena of prayer and fasting. Each morning, he rose with the tower bell at 5 AM, attended Mass with the Sisters and received Holy Communion. When he began his painting each day, he left strict orders not to be disturbed.
Lamprecht’s mural in the Motherhouse Immaculate Conception Chapel sanctuary dome, painted on a doubly curved surface like the inside of a bell, is of Mary Immaculate. Mary is depicted as the “woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Rev. 12:1). The figure of Mary is 15 feet tall and the entire mural rises 65 feet above the wainscoting. Above the figure of Mary is God the Father and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. The central figure is surrounded by angels, each representing a scriptural symbol associated with Mary’s role in redemption history. Below the figures of Gabriel and Michael, are angels carrying a crown, a lily branch, a psaltery, a palm of victory, the rod of Jesse, the Ark of the Covenant, a star, and a harp. The herald angel at the base carries a scroll: “In unbra manus suae protexit me” (In the shadow of His hand He hath protected me).
When he completed his work, Mother Sebastian asked the artist how this mural compared to his other paintings. He replied thoughtfully, “It is my last and my best.” Shortly after completing the mural, Lamprecht’s health began to decline and, in 1904, he retired to his native country of Germany. He died March 19, 1922.
Generations of Sisters of Charity, students at Mount St. Joseph Academy and the College of Mount St. Joseph, families, and guests have been awed and inspired by Lamprecht’s work as well as his devotion that shines through each brushstroke. A true blessing for many! -
Sister Mary Ellen Verdon, S.C. Oral History
Description of Sister's preparation to become a nurse/missioner in Bolivia -
Verhalen, Sr. Cyrilla, D.C. Oral History (Excerpt)
Sister Cyrilla Verhalen discusses her time in the Seminary of the Daughters of Charity and her first mission in Perryville, Missouri during the outbreak of the Spanish flu in 1918
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Sister Agnes Socorro Ward, S.C. Oral History
Description of Sister's early years in Harrison and at Convent Station; stories of Mother M. Xavier -
Wood, S. Susan, Oral History, 6/30/2017
Susan begins with what it was like coming to the Community just post-Vatican II. She discusses the changes of Vatican II from a personal as well as a theologian's point of view. She talks about beginning her missions in the Community as a teacher but not finding she was strong at it. She then speaks of having her epiphany that she wanted to work in theology and her path to get there. She also talks about feeling connections to charisms from other Communities as she works and finding deeper meaning in the Community through that. -
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Motherhouse, Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of New York at Mount Saint Vincent
The Motherhouse and Academy of Mount Saint Vincent-on-the-Hudson