Covington, 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 convent on Eleventh Street was quite far in the terrible heat of Kentucky. Moreover, classrooms were crowded, three classes held in two rooms. After several weeks the pastor Father Teutenberg and his assistant Father Robbers worked on a house, allowing two more sisters to come by the end of September.

No matter the inconveniences, everywhere the sisters felt welcomed by the pastors, and their work was appreciated by the bishops who helped them feel at home in their new environment. Forced to give up their teaching in Prussia, the sisters were grateful for the offer of the American bishops: “It was truly a good fortune, that in America more and more sisters continued to be desired, because there their richly blessed work was allowed” (Jahrbuch 1875).

The rapid growth required the sisters in America to have their own leadership. Sister Mary Modesta became the provincial superior in Covington. Later in her autobiography she wrote that she feared her brother, Bishop August Többe, the bishop of Covington, whom she hadn’t seen in 23 years, could ask of her something in contradiction to her superiors in Germany. That didn’t happen.