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Shonka, S. Marie Madeline, Oral History, 6/29/2017
She begins with a description of her childhood in Nebraska. She belonged to one of very few Catholic families in a small town. Because her family did not have a lot of money, when it came time to get an education, she took advantage of the Cadet Nurse Corps program. She describes meeting SCLs for the first time at her training hospital. Her admiration for their spirit and work ethic drew her to the community. Initially reluctant to be an educator, she tells of becoming the Director of the school of nursing at St. Vincent's and how she grew to love her role there. Eventually, she studied for her Masters in Health Administration and became the Executive Director of St. John's hospital in Santa Monica. She describes the great support for the hospital from the local community and the aftermath of the Northridge Earthquake. -
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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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. -
Convent Kitchen
Sister Mary Francis Irvin, a Sister of Charity of Seton Hill, was a dedicated religious,
inspiring teacher, and gifted artist. While attending the Carnegie Institute of Technology during World War II, Sr. Mary Francis completed a precisionist-style painting entitled “Convent Kitchen.” The piece would go on to win second place in the 1943 Pittsburgh Associated Artists exhibition. “Convent Kitchen” not only reveals the hard work and comradery of women religious, but the painting’s style and perspective reinforce the subject’s simplicity in life and the idea of subjection of the individual identity for the good of the whole in community life. Conversely, the subject of women religious shelling peas is a juxtaposition to the more industrial precisionist paintings of the 1920s and 30s. In a continuation of the story, “Convent Kitchen” inspired a great benefactor of Sr. Mary Francis, helping to further her career as an artist.
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Motherhouse, Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati
The Motherhouse including the archives, located in Marian Hall, the oldest portion of the building.