Key to the St. Joseph Motherhouse (Stokes Mansion) at Seton Hill

Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill (Greensburg, Pa.)
Sisters-Religious life
House key
Engraving (metal-work)

The original key to the front door of the Stokes Mansion which served as the first motherhouse and Academy of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill in Greensburg. Mother Aloysia Lowe, foundress of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, used the key up until her death in 1889. The Sisters preserved the key as a treasured memento of the community’s early years in Greensburg.

In 1932, in honor of the 50th Jubilee of the congregation, Father Daniel Sullivan, the first priest-president of Seton Hill College, commissioned a special engraved metal accompaniment for the key. It reads “With this key Mother Aloysia Lowe unlocked and entered this the first mother house of the Sisters of Charity Aug. 7 1882. Seton Hill.” On the reverse appears a quote attributed to Mother Aloysia which reads “I opened not merely the door of this house, I swung the gates of an era.” This attributed quote reflects the roles of Mother Aloysia as leader, foundress, and visionary. It serves as a reflection of the sisters’ astounding work over more than 150 years.

Unknown

Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill

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c. 1882 (original key)
c. 1932 (engraving)

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Courtesy of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill Archives, Greensburg, Pennsylvania

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Metal (unknown)

English

Physical object

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1882-1932