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Children of Mary and Sisters, painting
This early painting on tin depicts the Sisters leading the Children of Mary procession in
Los Angeles, California. The work was presented to the Seton Provincial Archives
by Sister Elizabeth Hurley of Maryvale, Rosemead. -
Figurine of St. Joseph
This figurine was likely hand-carried across the Isthmus of Panama by the Pioneer Sisters traveling to San Francisco, California in 1852. It was among the contents of the corner stone from the original Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum (1852-1873). -
Linoleum blocks used to print front and back covers of the pamphlet, 'The Antigonish Way.'
Two linocut blocks, hand-carved by Sister Irene (Mary Anselm) Doyle in 1940. The linocuts utilize the “multi-block” printing technique, in which each color in a print is made from a different block. They feature thematic representations of Nova Scotian production of the era: fishing, agriculture, handcrafts, mining, and industry. The blocks were used to print an array of material, including sharkskin drapery, posters, and notably the front and back cover for the pamphlet, The Antigonish Way.
Based on a series of radio broadcasts and published by the Extension Department at Saint Francis Xavier University, The Antigonish Way illustrates the history of the Antigonish Movement and its guiding principles. In the early 20th century, the Antigonish Diocese in eastern Nova Scotia experienced the dramatic decline of its resource based economy and extensive poverty. Diocesan clergy, Dr. Moses Coady and Father Jimmy Tompkins, advocated for adult education as a means of improving these social and economic concerns. This became commonly known as the Antigonish Movement and took the form of study clubs that would identify a community’s unique strengths and weaknesses, and then formulate collaborative solutions, such as cooperatives and credit unions.
Then in 1928, Saint Francis Xavier University established the Extension Department, led by Dr. Coady, to teach and implement the methods of the Antigonish Movement in the wider community. Marthas were tasked with heading the Women’s Division, dedicated to encouraging women’s involvement in the movement. Sister Irene (Mary Anselm) Doyle, a talented artist, oversaw the Handicrafts Section which promoted traditional crafts such as weaving, knitting and other textile work, woodworking, canning, leatherwork, pottery, and printmaking.
Sisters also supplied book-keeping services, established lending libraries, arranged study clubs, classes, and conferences, and aided in the production and distribution of Extension literature, such as the pamphlet, The Antigonish Way. It was one of many instructional publications the Extension Department offered to communities around the world that sought cooperative solutions to reduce poverty and strengthen local economies. Sister Irene Doyle’s block prints – a handicraft that illustrated Nova Scotian production and self-sufficiency, were perfectly suited for the cover.
The legacy of the Antigonish Movement perseveres to this day—the Coady International Institute at St. Francis Xavier University, continues to teach its principles, fostering community-based development and leadership education at an international level. -
St. Joseph’s Free School and The Academy of Mount Saint Vincent, stained glass panels, 1810; 1859; 1943; 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.
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.
Panel 2, upper section: Font Hill-On-Hudson, Bronx, New York, 1859
When the Sisters were asked to vacate the McGown’s Pass property in Manhattan for the planned development of Central Park, they purchased the 55-acre estate Font Hill-On-Hudson located on the east bank of the Hudson River. In 1859 when construction of the first building at Font Hill-on-Hudson was completed, the building included accommodations for the new Academy and boarding students. The classrooms, grand study hall, art room, music hall, reception rooms, as well as the Convent and Chapel of the Immaculate Conception were housed in this building, today known as Founders Hall.
Panel 2, lower section: Tuxedo Park, New York, 1943
As the College student population increased, the need for separate quarters for the Academy’s faculty, students, and activities, was addressed. To provide a new location for the school, Archbishop Spellman deeded an estate in Tuxedo Park, New York, that had been donated to the Archdiocese of New York by Mrs. E. John Heidseick. On this property, the mansion ‘Chastellux’ first housed the Academy of Mount Saint Vincent at Tuxedo Park in 1943. In 1947, the Academy expanded in acreage when Mr. Erasmus Lindley deeded his adjacent home and property. -
Steeple from former Bethany Motherhouse Chapel, crowning a reflective pool in the Bethany Centennial Gardens
Built from 1962 to 1963, the steeple stood atop the Sisters of St. Martha’s Motherhouse Chapel for more than 50 years, sheltering the bell and serving as a hillside symbol of hope. Its construction, paired with a new chapel and wing, marked a period of immense growth in the size of the congregation.
Composed of a steel frame and clad in copper, the steeple is topped with a stainless-steel crucifix. This crucifix was a modern addition, replacing the original gold-leaf cross that was damaged during a storm in 2005.
When the Motherhouse was deconstructed, from 2018 to 2019, the remaining grounds were transformed into the Bethany Centennial Gardens. The steeple was then installed amid the garden. Refurbished, it now surmounts a granite and concrete reflective pool, and rests upon a weathered-steel base, bearing the inscriptions of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Martha’s “CSM” symbol, and a quotation from previous Chapters’ Directional Statements, “standing together in undaunted hope”. Still skimming the hillside, the steeple provides a peaceful place for contemplation and continues to be a visible symbol of the Marthas’ presence and faith. -
Order of Alhambra
In 1832, cholera ravaged the city of Philadelphia. The Daughters of Charity accepted the invitation to nurse in the city, the Almshouse, and the General Hospital to care for the victims of the dread disease. Two Daughters died during their service during this service.
Over 100 years later, the memory of the Daughters bravery in the face of a brutal epidemic remained strong. The Order of the Alhambra, a Catholic fraternal order, erected a plaque in Philadelphia General Hospital in a memorial to the Daughters’ service. -
Sr. Alice Matthew’s Trunk
The trunk was a symbol of the Daughters of Charity and their ability and willingness to travel to wherever they were needed. The trunk was meant to be a semi-lightweight and convenient way to pack up all the clothing, habits, and necessities of life, while encouraging a sense of personal moderation amongst individual sisters. This trunk, in very good condition, belonged to Sister Alice Matthews, and still has the shipping information as she began her ministry at Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C. -
Rocking chair, kneeler and wheelchair used by Foundress, Mère Marie-Anne
Rocking chair, kneeler and wheelchair, were used by Foundress, Mère Marie-Anne; she was 73 years old when she, with 52 sisters, founded Religieuses de Notre-Dame-Du_Sacre-Coeur
(Our Lady of the Sacred Heart). This is the first wheelchair used in the Congregation. -
Sisters Caring for Cholera Victims on McNabs Island, 1866.
The painting depicts a scene on McNabs Island in Halifax Harbour during a cholera outbreak in 1866. In the foreground are two Sisters in black habits. One is offering a cup to a woman in a shawl. The other Sister is surrounded by children. A third Sister is seen in a tent caring for a person. Makeshift tents are set up next to trees. Two ships are anchored in the Halifax Harbour.
The SS England, a large ship carrying 1300 passengers bound for New York, was suddenly struck by a cholera outbreak was forced to make an emergency stop in the Halifax Harbour in Nova Scotia. By the time the anchor had dropped, 50 passengers had already died of the disease. Archbishop Thomas Louis Connelly was concerned about the care of the sick, especially the orphaned children, and asked for volunteers to go to the island. Despite the very serious risk of contracting the disease, every Sister volunteered. Three Sisters were selected to minister to the sick on McNabs Island, and none contracted cholera.
Within the congregation, this event is referred to as the start of health care ministries for the Sisters.
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Lap Desk used by Mother Regina Mattingly circa 1855
A small brass plate inscribed “Sr. Mary Regina” affixed to a varnished wooden box - a black velvet-lined writing surface – small compartments for pens and ink – and tucked beneath, a secure space for writing paper, snippets already penned, or letters received. Mother Regina’s lap desk was a well-loved and treasured possession.
When did she acquire such an item? On how many journeys did it accompany her? Imagine her carrying it as she made her way to Dayton to open the new St. Mary’s Academy in 1857. Or later, when she was Mother of the Congregation, did it accompany her as she traveled to visit the Sisters on the various missions? Did she use it as she sat in quiet corners at Cedar Grove, the Motherhouse of the Community at this time and the current site of Seton High School, writing in her journals? Or in her last months as she lay in a hospital bed suffering the ravages of cancer?
Well-educated as a young woman, Mother Regina Mattingly was a deeply reflective person, a lover of books, a devoted educator, a keeper of journals, and a prolific letter-writer. Surely, for such a one, the familiar feel of the polished wood and the worn velvet cloth provided a sense of comfort and peace as she settled in with pen and paper.
As she began her journals, she told herself, “All that I may promise in these pages shall be the true exponent of self, as far as circumstances will permit….I wish to be real in all things – real in friendship, real in practical piety, real in the correction of my many faults, real in my intercourse with others, and above all real in my love of God and His Sacred Heart.” She returns again and again to these themes, often starting a passage by describing some event such as the felling of trees at Cedar Grove, then shifting to a spiritual reflection, as when she writes, “It forcibly reminded me of the roots of our human passions with some of us have been tugging at for so many years.”
A great lover of natural beauty, she often remarked on her surroundings as when she and Mother Josephine Harvey visited the Western missions where she was extravagant in describing the magnificent sights of the Colorado Rockies, and the gorgeous hues of the New Mexico Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
By reading her journals and letters, it is possible to see deeply into the soul of this prayerful woman who was so influential in the foundational years of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. How many of these passages were written on her beautiful lap desk?