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September 8
Jesus had unusual healing methods; namely, fingers in ears and saliva on tongues. Such methods show how very involved Jesus gets with us in his and our humanity. We may not cure those who cannot hear or speak, but we have a responsibility to improve people’s lives. How? First, we must be open to the…
Read MoreSeptember 1 – Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today’s gospel focuses on the Pharisees who kept every detail of their traditions, such as washing cups and jugs. Meanwhile, Jesus’ disciples aren’t even washing their hands before eating. What’s the point? While the first group does good things, they disregard God’s commandments in more important things. The Pharisees choose their own interpretation of the…
Read MoreEarly Education in the USA by the Sisters of Notre Dame
The foundresses and their early companions had been trained in Munster by the immediate successors of Bernard Overberg, “master of the schoolmasters.” In contrast to public school teaching in America, the sisters’ teaching was oriented to the development of the human person founded in the Gospel. Children learned that God was a loving Father, and…
Read MoreThe Foundress’ Dream Becomes Reality in 1884
When a man brought his two daughters to Mother Chrysostoma, it became clear that a house for neglected children was needed. This was the first move toward building Mount St. Mary’s. Although collections were taken to build the building, the efforts had little success. Consequently, Mother Chrysostoma began the construction, “trusting solely in the Providence…
Read MoreConnecting Coesfeld, Germany and Cleveland, Ohio
This blog continues the history of the Sisters of Notre Dame in the United States a few years after their arrival on July 4, 1874. Sister Mary Modesta became the provincial superior in 1875. She was asked by Mother M. Chrysostoma to erect a larger house in Cleveland. She purchased property containing woods and stone…
Read MoreLike Germany, Like America
Some of the new foundations in Covington corresponded to the beginnings of the congregation in Coesfeld. Besides teaching, sisters took over orphanages in Cold Spring, Kentucky and in Bond Hill, Ohio. In 1877 the sisters were introduced to St. Aloysius Orphanage. The speaker on this occasion “thanked” his Excellency Count Bismarck whose expulsion of the…
Read MoreA New Postulant
Just two years after the arrival of the first sisters from Germany, the first postulant from America, Katherine Franzioni, asked to enter the congregation and did so on November 15, 1876. In April, 1877, she and two other postulants received the religious habit from the hands of Bishop August Többe. As part of the investment…
Read MoreSister Mary Modesta, A Burdened Superior in Kentucky
Without experience in architecture, Sister Modesta had to erect a building. The project began in the autumn of 1875, and in July 1876 the chapel of the four-story building was completed and dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. While the Sisters were happy to have a center, a heavy burden of debt lay on Sister Modesta’s…
Read MoreCovington, Kentucky: Temporary Center of the Congregation
Ministry in Covington began on August 15, 1874, by Sister Mary Odilia and Sr. M. Ignatia. At first, life was very difficult, and these two sisters had many sacrifices to make. First, there was no convent; consequently, they stayed at a Franciscan convent. In addition, the way from the school on Sixth Street to the…
Read MoreWho Needs Money When the Sisters Have Hearts of Gold?
Father Reichlin, a pastor in Cleveland, had a very poor church and school with mounting debts. Worried about the sisters’ income, he was relieved at the sisters’ modest expectations, and he agreed joyfully to have two sisters take over the school until a third could come from Germany. Sisters began to teach in Cleveland in…
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