Nazareth Convent and Academy
Encyclopedia
The Nazareth Convent and Academy in Concordia, Kansas
is the official Motherhouse and Home for the 160 Sisters of St. Joseph
of Concordia. It was built in 1903 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
. The beautiful Lourdes-Park, restored in 1990, offers a place for walking and enjoying nature and the large stained glass
window is known as "the beacon light of Concordia" as it looks over the community from the convent.
In 1884, the Rev. Joseph Perrier invited the Sisters of St. Joseph to come to Concordia to open a school in the Catholic Parish. Mother Stanislaus Leary, superior, and five sisters answered the invitation. They came to Concordia and established the Nazareth Motherhouse and Academy in a new building located next to the church.
The cornerstone ceremony was held on May 15, 1902. The main building was completed in late June 1903 and a section known as the Music Hall was added in 1906. 1908 saw the edition of a Chapel wing to the east end of the building.
. The order founded the hospital in the building which had been used for the academy after it had been moved to its location in the newly built Mother House. The hospital would change locations again in 1950 to a new building.
The sisters added a school of nursing in 1919 and continued in Concordia until Marymount College
in Salina (another project of the Sisters of St. Joseph) introduced a complete nursing schooil in 1964.
Concordia, Kansas
Concordia is a city in and the county seat of Cloud County, Kansas, United States. Located on the Republican River in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains, Concordia was founded in 1871 and is an economic and cultural center in north-central Kansas...
is the official Motherhouse and Home for the 160 Sisters of St. Joseph
Sisters of St. Joseph
The title Sisters of St. Joseph applies to several Roman Catholic religious congregations of women. The largest and oldest of these was founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France...
of Concordia. It was built in 1903 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The beautiful Lourdes-Park, restored in 1990, offers a place for walking and enjoying nature and the large stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
window is known as "the beacon light of Concordia" as it looks over the community from the convent.
Early years
The cornerstone ceremony was held on May 15, 1902. The main building was completed in late June 1903 and a section known as the Music Hall was added in 1906. 1908 saw the edition of a Chapel wing to the east end of the building.
St. Joseph's Hospital
The year 1903 brought the St. Joseph's HospitalCloud County Health Center
Cloud County Health Center is a medical facility located in Concordia, Kansas. The health center was originally founded as St. Joseph's Hospital in 1903 by the Nazareth Convent and Academy in Concordia . In 1995, ownership was transferred from the Sisters of St...
. The order founded the hospital in the building which had been used for the academy after it had been moved to its location in the newly built Mother House. The hospital would change locations again in 1950 to a new building.
The sisters added a school of nursing in 1919 and continued in Concordia until Marymount College
Marymount College (Kansas)
Marymount College was a four-year liberal arts college located in Salina, Kansas. Originally opened in 1922 as a women's college, Marymount was the first Catholic liberal arts college to open in the state....
in Salina (another project of the Sisters of St. Joseph) introduced a complete nursing schooil in 1964.
Education
The sisters quickly gained a fine reputation for the education of young women at Nazareth, giving them a sound academic program as well as instruction in the fine arts, music, French and the social graces. In 1903, the Sisters of St. Joseph entered the health care field in Concordia with the establishment of the St. Joseph Hospital on the original site after the new Nazareth Motherhouse was built at its present location.Present day
The Sisters of St. Joseph remain active to this day.- "As the needs of the late 20th century have changed, so have the ministries of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Today, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia are drawn to missions of mercy, social justice and human rights, working for change in the world wherever cries for love, help and mercy may beckon."