Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine
Encyclopedia
The Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women, have served health, education and social service needs in the Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio
, since 1851.
, planned to establish a hospital in the city under the supervision of Catholic Sisters. He sought candidates unsuccessfully in France for a time while on a tour of his native country in 1849-50. Finally he was directed to Mother Bernardine Cabaret, the Mother Superior
of St. Louis Hospital, run by the Hospitaller canonesses regular, who followed the Rule of St. Augustine
, in Boulogne-sur-Mer
. There Rappe set forth his invitation for some members of the community to come to America and establish a hospital in his diocese.
Mother Bernardine immediately volunteered to go herself. Securing the commitment of Sister Françoise Guillement to accompany her, she put her proposal for the mission to the community. Though the Sisters were reluctant to lose her talents, they voted unanimously to authorize the mission to America. Bishop Rappe, eagerly awaiting the Sisters' arrival, had written in the spring, "Come, my daughters, I have now prepared a place for you. On it is good spring water and good fresh air." Mother Bernardine then persuaded two of the postulants, Louise Brulois and Cornelie Muselet, to join in this missionary venture. The small group left France on September 24, 1851, with little more than chapel
furnishings and boxes of linens for their home and nursing needs. During the voyage, they studied the basics of English
to prepare for their new home.
When the group arrived in Cleveland on the following October 10, they found that the bishop had indeed procured a house for them, but that it was still occupied. By luck, a community of Ursuline
nuns had also come to Cleveland from Boulogne the previous year to open a school. They provided the newcomers hospitality until their own house could be occupied. This they were able to do the following March. They then opened St. Joseph Hospital, the first such public facility in what is now Cleveland.
Within six months, though, the two canonesses sought the permission of the bishop to return to France. Perhaps this was due to the hardships of the frontier, dealing with an unfamiliar language and a historically severe winter Cleveland had experienced during their first winter there, as well as failing health led them to this decision. The two young members of the group, already professed as Religious Sisters
chose, however, to remain.
, to help him guarantee the continuation of his project. He knew and trusted Sister Angela due to her service to the local community in the years before she had entered the convent. She had been active in the catechetical instruction of the local Catholic children, and in a cholera
outbreak of 1849, she had gathered and nursed widows and children suffering from the disease in an abandoned house until the plague had passed. Sister Angela agreed to transfer to the new community and took vows as a Sister of Charity on October 21, 1851, in the chapel of the Ursuline convent. She was named the first Superior General
of the new congregation, which had received two new candidates from the local population.
The community continued the operation of the hospital, and added an orphanage to care for the children left behind by those who died in the hospital. To support themselves, the boys were taught tailoring and carpentry
, making cassocks for the local clergy
and furniture to be sold to the public. By 1856, the needs of the orphanage were so great that they Sisters closed the hospital to use it for their charges. Within three years, they had completed the building of St. Vincent Orphanage. This institution once again needed to expand to meet its mission. The Sisters then built St. Louis Orphanage, housing 100 boys and several Sisters.
, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous
, and his first patient in this new program to deal with this condition. One member of the congregation, Sister Ignatia
Gavin, C.S.A., (1889–1966) became a leading figure in this work.
In 1922, at the request of Bishop Joseph Schrembs
, the congregation expanded to work in the field of education, at which time they opened St. Augustine Academy on the grounds of their motherhouse
. In 1925, the first project of the newly-founded social arm of the diocese, Catholic Charities
, was to re-locate all the orphans cared for by the Sisters at Saint Vincent and at Saint Louis Orphanages onto 180 acres in the town of Parma
, the new facility becoming known as Parmadale, the nation's first cottage-plan home for dependent children.
The Sisters formed in 1982 what they feel was the most significant development of their health-care facilities: the formation of the Sisters of Charity Health System, a system created to strengthen each of the sponsored facilities and to ensure that the charism and philosophy of the Sisters are implemented and enhanced in the institutions and programs within the system. They continued to look to the future, as they marked the 140th anniversary of the founding of the congregation, by beginning construction of the Regina Health Center, a 200-bed retirement home
and geriatric nursing center for Sisters, to be shared with other religious congregations in the diocese.
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, since 1851.
Foundation
The first Bishop of Cleveland, the Rt. Rev. Louis Amadeus RappeLouis Amadeus Rappe
Louis Amadeus Rappe was a French-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Cleveland from 1847 to 1870.-Biography:...
, planned to establish a hospital in the city under the supervision of Catholic Sisters. He sought candidates unsuccessfully in France for a time while on a tour of his native country in 1849-50. Finally he was directed to Mother Bernardine Cabaret, the Mother Superior
Superior (hierarchy)
In a hierarchy or tree structure of any kind, a superior is an individual or position at a higher level in the hierarchy than another , and thus closer to the apex. It is often used in business terminology to refer to people who are supervisors and in the military to people who are higher in the...
of St. Louis Hospital, run by the Hospitaller canonesses regular, who followed the Rule of St. Augustine
Rule of St. Augustine
The Rule of St. Augustine is a religious rule employed by a large number of orders, including the Dominicans, Servites, Mercederians, and Augustinians.-Overview:...
, in Boulogne-sur-Mer
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
. There Rappe set forth his invitation for some members of the community to come to America and establish a hospital in his diocese.
Mother Bernardine immediately volunteered to go herself. Securing the commitment of Sister Françoise Guillement to accompany her, she put her proposal for the mission to the community. Though the Sisters were reluctant to lose her talents, they voted unanimously to authorize the mission to America. Bishop Rappe, eagerly awaiting the Sisters' arrival, had written in the spring, "Come, my daughters, I have now prepared a place for you. On it is good spring water and good fresh air." Mother Bernardine then persuaded two of the postulants, Louise Brulois and Cornelie Muselet, to join in this missionary venture. The small group left France on September 24, 1851, with little more than chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
furnishings and boxes of linens for their home and nursing needs. During the voyage, they studied the basics of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
to prepare for their new home.
When the group arrived in Cleveland on the following October 10, they found that the bishop had indeed procured a house for them, but that it was still occupied. By luck, a community of Ursuline
Ursulines
The Ursulines are a Roman Catholic religious order for women founded at Brescia, Italy, by Saint Angela de Merici in November 1535, primarily for the education of girls and the care of the sick and needy. Their patron saint is Saint Ursula.-History:St Angela de Merici spent 17 years leading a...
nuns had also come to Cleveland from Boulogne the previous year to open a school. They provided the newcomers hospitality until their own house could be occupied. This they were able to do the following March. They then opened St. Joseph Hospital, the first such public facility in what is now Cleveland.
Within six months, though, the two canonesses sought the permission of the bishop to return to France. Perhaps this was due to the hardships of the frontier, dealing with an unfamiliar language and a historically severe winter Cleveland had experienced during their first winter there, as well as failing health led them to this decision. The two young members of the group, already professed as Religious Sisters
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
chose, however, to remain.
A new congregation
Upon the departure of the two canonesses, Bishop Rappe turned to Sister Angela Bissonnette, an Ursuline noviceNovice
A novice is a person or creature who is new to a field or activity. The term is most commonly applied in religion and sports.-Buddhism:In many Buddhist orders, a man or woman who intends to take ordination must first become a novice, adopting part of the monastic code indicated in the vinaya and...
, to help him guarantee the continuation of his project. He knew and trusted Sister Angela due to her service to the local community in the years before she had entered the convent. She had been active in the catechetical instruction of the local Catholic children, and in a cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
outbreak of 1849, she had gathered and nursed widows and children suffering from the disease in an abandoned house until the plague had passed. Sister Angela agreed to transfer to the new community and took vows as a Sister of Charity on October 21, 1851, in the chapel of the Ursuline convent. She was named the first Superior General
Superior general
A Superior General, or General Superior, is the Superior at the head of a whole religious order or congregation.The term is mainly used as a generic term, while many orders and congregations use other specific titles, notably:* Abbot general...
of the new congregation, which had received two new candidates from the local population.
The community continued the operation of the hospital, and added an orphanage to care for the children left behind by those who died in the hospital. To support themselves, the boys were taught tailoring and carpentry
Carpentry
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
, making cassocks for the local clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
and furniture to be sold to the public. By 1856, the needs of the orphanage were so great that they Sisters closed the hospital to use it for their charges. Within three years, they had completed the building of St. Vincent Orphanage. This institution once again needed to expand to meet its mission. The Sisters then built St. Louis Orphanage, housing 100 boys and several Sisters.
Expansion
By time of the death in 1901 of the last original member of the community, Sister Saint Joseph (the former Cornelie Muselet), the congregation numbered over 100 Sisters. Over the next century, the congregation built a series of medical facilities answering different needs, from regular medical care to the care of unwed mothers. One of their institutions, St. Thomas Hospital, was the first to accept the work of Dr. Bob SmithBob Smith (doctor)
Robert Holbrook Smith was an American physician and surgeon who co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous with Bill Wilson, more commonly known as Bill W. He was also known as Dr. Bob. He was born in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, where he was raised, to Susan A. Holbrook and Walter Perrin Smith...
, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
, and his first patient in this new program to deal with this condition. One member of the congregation, Sister Ignatia
Sister Ignatia
Sister Mary Ignatia Gavin, C.S.A., of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, was known as The Drunk's "Angel of Hope"-Early life:...
Gavin, C.S.A., (1889–1966) became a leading figure in this work.
In 1922, at the request of Bishop Joseph Schrembs
Joseph Schrembs
Joseph Schrembs was a German-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Toledo and Bishop of Cleveland .-Early life and education:...
, the congregation expanded to work in the field of education, at which time they opened St. Augustine Academy on the grounds of their motherhouse
Motherhouse
The term motherhouse is used by religious Orders and religious congregations to designate the principal house or community for that group. It can be either for the entire institute or for a region....
. In 1925, the first project of the newly-founded social arm of the diocese, Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities is a network of charities whose aim is "to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire church and other people of good will to do the same." It is one of the largest charities in the United States...
, was to re-locate all the orphans cared for by the Sisters at Saint Vincent and at Saint Louis Orphanages onto 180 acres in the town of Parma
Parma, Ohio
Parma is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is the largest suburb of Cleveland and the seventh largest city in the state of Ohio...
, the new facility becoming known as Parmadale, the nation's first cottage-plan home for dependent children.
Current period
In the 1960s, the effects of Vatican II were felt by this congregation as well as most others. St. Augustine Academy was leased to another congregation, the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. St. Ann Hospital for unwed mothers was sold. The shift of students out of Catholic schools together with the recognition that children were not the only ones in need of religious instruction caused Sisters in the 1970s to begin to work full time in parish school of religion programs and total parish religious education. In some places Sisters now collaborate in a team-ministry approach to a parish's various needs. The Sisters are involved in parish ministry and religious education in several parishes in the Diocese of Cleveland. Their involvement in education continues through donations to various secondary schools and to the Catholic Educational Endowment.The Sisters formed in 1982 what they feel was the most significant development of their health-care facilities: the formation of the Sisters of Charity Health System, a system created to strengthen each of the sponsored facilities and to ensure that the charism and philosophy of the Sisters are implemented and enhanced in the institutions and programs within the system. They continued to look to the future, as they marked the 140th anniversary of the founding of the congregation, by beginning construction of the Regina Health Center, a 200-bed retirement home
Retirement home
A retirement home is a multi-residence housing facility intended for senior citizens. Typically each person or couple in the home has an apartment-style room or suite of rooms. Additional facilities are provided within the building, including facilities for meals, gathering, recreation, and some...
and geriatric nursing center for Sisters, to be shared with other religious congregations in the diocese.
Sources
- "Living in Love: A Brief History of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine 1851-2010" http://www.srsofcharity.org/history.html