Treasures from Archives

Our Archives has numerous pieces of correspondence from graduates of the Academy, the predecessor of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. Craigie Gunn Mitchell is one such alumna who has a plethora of letters that have been saved in our Archives. Craigie, of Bedford, Ind., was born in 1854 and attended the Academy from 1868 to 1872. She served as president of the college alumnae board for many years. Just to give you a little historical perspective, Craigie was born before Saint Mother Theodore Guerin died (May 14, 1856) and she lived during the years of the Civil War (1861-1865). Now that we have that perspective, let’s turn our attention to the letter at right.

On Aug. 25, 1935, Craigie, writing from Somerset, England, penned a letter to Mary (Sister Marie Grace Molloy, a volunteer in Archives, and I believe this to be Mary McNutt, who was also an alumna). Craigie wrote:

“One month from today I will be somewhere on the Atlantic, homeward bound. I had my Italian passports before I left home, and thought, if at the time of my return I was free enough from rheumatic twinges, that I might go over to Rome for ten days and sail from Naples. But not now, with all this trouble brewing, and war talk of Europeans and British African interests to be protected against Mussolini’s arousing race and tribal menace. I was here in August 1914 — and think my little corner of Indiana more desirable than elsewhere, if Italy continues her preparations against Abyssinian.”

In a Sept. 20, 1938, letter (written in Bedford) to Mary, Craigie wrote:

“The news from Europe continues alarming. When you have but one grandson, and he is exactly the age to be called in the event of war, you can only try to imagine what it all means to me. John has been a 1st Lieutenant in the Yeomanry for two years. It is an organization between our militia and regular army, subject to call in case of war. He is a 1st Lieutenant — the higher ups being regular Army men & older. All of which is no consolation to me, for German guns do not respect youth nor age, nor anything else.”

Craigie Gunn Mitchell, who is pictured above on her 85th birthday in 1939, died in 1945.

Treasures from Archives

Another foray into the inner sanctum of Archives has produced another gem. In the Properties/Buildings/Shrines area is a large Hollinger box with a plethora of information about the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. One of the folders within that box contains invoices and other communications regarding the building of this gorgeous chapel.

The invoice that particularly struck me was the one dated Aug. 29, 1923, from the Daprato Statuary Company’s Chicago studio. This was the bill for the 8,000-pound block of Carrara marble as well as for the design for the altar and platform upon which the monstrance resides. The total bill for this altar was $29,500. This invoice also caught my eye because the printing is stunningly beautiful!

The Congregation received permission for perpetual adoration of the Eucharist after Mother Mary Cleophas Foley, general superior from 1890 to 1926, was granted a private audience with Pope Pius X on Nov. 19, 1913. On June 10, 1914, the Right Rev. Francis Silas Marean Chatard, bishop of Indianapolis, formally opened Perpetual Exposition in the crypt of the Church of the Immaculate Conception. On June 7, 1920, the cornerstone of the chapel was laid. Inside the cornerstone is a box that contains a list of the Sisters of Providence who were living at that time, some medals, a relic of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, and a short history of the “Development of Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament at Saint Mary’s.”

Four years later, on May 19, the Blessed Sacrament Chapel was consecrated by the Most Rev. Joseph Chatrand, bishop of Indianapolis. The consecration included a procession as the Eucharist was transferred from the crypt of the church to the chapel.

Included in the Hollinger box is a file containing information about the donations that were received for the building of this magnificent chapel. A ledger lists the names of people who donated to this sacred structure. Each donation, from the smallest at 50 cents to the largest in the thousands of dollars, was received in deepest gratitude by the Congregation. Also inside this file is a typed page from Sister Ann Kathleen Brawley (RIP), former archivist of the Congregation. Sister Ann Kathleen wrote:

“ … most of the cost of the erection of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel was covered by the gifts and donations from the family and friends of the Sisters. … All of the jewels and most of the gold in the monstrance came from the families of the Sisters. According to correspondence there were many jewels left over and returned to us to be used in other sacred vessels. …”

To learn more about the Chapel of Divine Love as Bishop Chartrand called it during its consecration in 1924, visit our website.

An interesting side note about the Daprato Statuary Company is that it is still in business today with offices in Chicago, New York and Pietrasanta, Italy, just as they were in the 1920s! You can learn more about the company by visiting its website.

Treasures from Archives

St. Sylvester Parish in Chicago has been around a long, long time. In fact, the parish was founded in 1884. The Sisters of Providence played an important role as educators in that parish, beginning in 1903.

The Rev. Michael O’Brien, third pastor of the parish, began his duties at the church in 1897. Two years later, he and the parish built their first school. Opening in 1900, the school was three stories tall and cost $25,000. The Sisters of Mercy initially had charge of the school, but the Sisters of Providence took over on Dec. 31, 1903.

In the files in Archives concerning St. Sylvester are several letters from the Rev. O’Brien to Mother Mary Cleophas Foley, general superior of the Congregation from 1890 to 1926. One such letter appears at right and concerns the proposition that Mother Mary Cleophas made to Father O’Brien concerning the SPs’ educational leadership of the parish school. The letter, dated Dec. 12, 1903, reads in part:

“Dear Sister, The proposition which you made to me last Thursday … that the teachers in my school receive 20 dollars per month and the music tuition go to the Community will be acceptable to me. I saw his Grace the Archbishop today and he approved of the step. …

“He also spoke very nicely of your Community and said he understood it did good work.

“I shall be ready for the sisters about the 30th of this month. I shall let you know just when they can come here. I think it would be well for two sisters to look the house over and if anything should be needed, they can get it at my expense.

“I believe in having sisters very comfortable. It encourages them in their work.”

St. Sylvester Parish, located at 2157 N. Humboldt Blvd., and its school are still going strong.

We celebrate our 90+ year-old sisters!

On Tuesday afternoon, May 29, the Congregation celebrated the women of the Congregation who are 90 years old or older. The Archives Department created the video below to honor these special women. For a list of these women, visit this page.



If you have trouble viewing the video in this blog, visit this page.

Archives: keeper of the stories

Have you ever thought of Archives as being a ministry? Perhaps not, but according to Sister Marianne Mader, Archives researcher, it is. “[Archives] is a way of connecting with other people,” she notes in the summer 2012 issue of HOPE, now available online.

The Sisters of Providence are blessed with an awesome Archives. Truly, this department was created when Saint Mother Theodore Guerin put pen to paper and wrote her journals as well as thousands of letters to her sisters in France, sisters here in the United States and countless friends and donors.

This issue of HOPE is dedicated to the keeper of the stories — the many women who have dedicated their lives to preserving the history of the Sisters of Providence. In this issue you’ll learn about the ways in which Archives collaborates with various entities across the state of Indiana. You’ll also learn about the work Sister Maureen Abbott is doing in writing the fourth volume of the Congregation’s history. Additionally, you’ll learn a little more about the story behind the “CNN Presents” program on the canonization of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin.

As always, you’ll find the usual articles — her-story, photo albums, newsnotes, alumnae/i news, obituaries and upcoming events. Check it out now!

Treasures from Archives

I’ve been digging around Archives looking for Civil War material for a long time. One day, Sister Marie Grace Molloy, a wonderful volunteer, asked me if I had ever seen the Civil War diary of Sister Clarice Asbury’s (RIP) grandfather. No, I hadn’t seen it, so I put the diary on my list of things to scrutinize more judiciously when I had the time. Recently I had time to take a longer look at this historical treasure.

George E. Blaire (sometimes spelled Blair) was the maternal grandfather of Sister Clarice. Sister Clarice was born Elizabeth Asbury on June 6, 1898, in Bozeman, Mont. She entered the Congregation on Sept. 8, 1919, and died Nov. 15, 1993. In her file in Archives is this small, unassuming journal. Sister Clarice noted that this journal was “the Civil War diary of my grandfather.”

Blaire was the captain of Company A, 17th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Captain Blaire began his journal in June of 1863. He described marching in the rain and mud, sleeping in the woods and playing “foot ball.” He also described fighting in the Battle of Hoover’s Gap in Tennessee June 24-26, 1863. Amazingly, with no cell phones, TV, radio, blogs or Twitter, Captain Blaire wrote on July 3, 1863, about Lee’s defeat at Gettysburg! In case you need a refresher, July 3 was the last day of the terrible battle.

Captain Blaire wrote about his capture by the Rebels in Chattanooga, Tenn., in September 1863. He journaled how the prisoners were taken by rail car to Atlanta and then back up north to Richmond, Va., and the infamous Libby Prison. Eventually, Captain Blaire was imprisoned in Charleston, S.C. It was there that he and his fellow prisoners were freed in September of 1864.

And there in our Archives in a small envelope within the file of Sister Clarice Asbury is a wonderful piece of our nation’s history. A treasure indeed!

Treasures from Archives

One day while gathering some information for a blog on the death of Sister St. Francis Xavier Le Fer, I ran across some intriguing information about an artifact belonging to her. I found the information in the capacious first volume of the Congregation’s history written by Sister Mary Borromeo Brown. The information concerned a pair of slippers that belonged to Sister St. Francis Xavier. On page 766, one reads:

“Sister Saint Francis Xavier’s health, as we know, had been delicate for years. Though somewhat above medium height, she was very slight of build. A pair of bedroom slippers, probably sent from France and hardly worn, preserved in the museum, are almost incredibly small. This frail physical constitution all but prevented her ever seeing Indiana at the very outset of her religious life. We have noted that on the ocean during her voyage to America in the summer of 1841, she overheard the superior of the religious of the Sacred Heart who were traveling with her, Mother Sallion, speaking to the captain about the disposition to be made of her remains after she expired.”

When I read that these slippers were “preserved in the museum” I was pretty excited. I figured the museum that Sister Mary Borromeo referred to was in old Foley Hall. So I contacted Sister Mary Ryan, archivist, and she found the archival box containing these slippers in the inner sanctum of Archives!

Mother Sallion didn’t know the real constitution of Sister St. Francis Xavier for she made it across the ocean and served her Provident God in Indiana until her death on Jan. 31, 1856.

Sister St. Francis Xavier

Tracking the trail of facts and memories

When we last visited with you, we hinted that Sister Maureen Abbott may have taken on a Sherlock Holmes persona to sift through the mysteries in Archives in order to write volume four of the Congregation’s history.

Danger lurks for Sister Maureen as she continues to examine files and documents in her search for truth!

The time period for this project covers 1926 to 1966, which eases into changes brought by Second Vatican Council. Dramatic shifts in Catholic culture occurred, for sure. But there is more reason to be concerned as Sister Maureen continues her investigation. Many of the sisters currently in community actually LIVED some of this history.

 “A lot of this is recorded in people’s memories. Whatever you put out there, you had better be right. People have their memories, people in general, not just the Sisters of Providence. They have their memories of how the sisters were or how they changed. This is going to be real hard-core information (in the book) actually drawn from the Archives and comments from the times. Almost everyone who reads it (the transcript) says, ‘Oh, I remember that!’” Sister Maureen said.

As we continue to bring attention to Women in History Month, it seems to be an appropriate time to introduce Sister Maureen’s work by letting her share some of the process that has led her through this journey. She plans to conclude her research and writing by the end of the year. We’ll let you know when the book, volume four of the Congregation’s history, is available.

In the meantime, what do you remember about how the Sisters of Providence influenced you at one of their schools, or in one of their other ministries? What kind of relationship did you have with one of your teachers? Please share your thoughts and reflections.

Treasures from Archives

Rev. Emile J. Goossens

In one of my recent forays in the stacks of Archives, I stumbled upon a unique item. In an archival box marked chaplains I discovered a black leather wallet in the file of the late Father Emile J. Goossens. No, there wasn’t any money, but there was a wonderful pin — a little tarnished — marked Chaplain, St. Mary’s Fire Dept.

Father Goossens was named the Congregation’s chaplain in 1941. He was born May 11, 1903, in Hartford City, Ind., and was ordained on May 28, 1928, in St. Meinrad, Ind. Prior to coming to the Woods, Father Goossens served the Church in Indiana in Indianapolis, Boonville, Linton and Evansville.

Besides his duties as chaplain, Father Goossens was responsible for teaching the young novices at the Woods Church history, religion and ethics. He also was involved in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Village. Realizing the great need for a local fire department, he found like-minded men in the Village. These men formed the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Fire & Safety Association in the summer of 1955. This association then sponsored the volunteer fire department that was incorporated in 1956. Father Goossens was named the chaplain of the department and received a pin indicating his position.

Unfortunately, Father Goossens left this world way too early. On the morning of Sept. 21, 1959, he suffered a heart attack in the sacristy of the church. Mother Gertrude Clare Owens in her letter circular to sisters described his death in this way: “With his unvarying promptitude and fidelity, Father Goossens came over as usual at six o’clock to distribute Holy Communion to the sick before saying the Community Mass. When the clock struck six, he was at the altar and apparently tried to open the Tabernacle, but as he said afterwards, he was dizzy and could not see. The Sisters at the altar railing waiting to receive Holy Communion and those in the church who noted the prolonged delay, thought he was having difficulty opening the Tabernacle door, until with hesitant step he left the sanctuary and did not return. In the sacristy he suffered an acute coronary attack. The nurses hastened to give every attention while awaiting the ambulance. …”

Father Goossens died early in the morning of Sept. 22, 1959, at St. Anthony Hospital in Terre Haute, Ind. The celebrant for his funeral Mass was his brother, the Very Rev. Msgr. Victor L. Goossens., pastor at St. Mary’s Church, Indianapolis. Father Goossens is buried in the convent cemetery.

Volume four of Congregation's history heading into home stretch

Can't you just see Sister Maureen Abbott donning a deerstalker cap and doing her best imitation of Sherlock Holmes, pouring over reams of aged documents with a magnifying glass in hand?

That’s an oversimplification, of course. Sister Maureen has spent countless hours culling morsels of information for volume four of the Sisters of Providence history. Her work will fall in line behind the more than 1,800 pages of documented history already written in three volumes by Sisters Mary Borromeo Brown (RIP), Eugenia Logan (RIP) and Mary Roger Madden. This segment will cover the years 1926 to 1966.

The annual observance of Women in History Month seems like an appropriate opportunity to begin sharing Sister Maureen’s journey, even though the conclusion is several months away.

Sister Maureen accepted the challenge to write volume four while she has continued working in other ministries, most notably for the tribunal of the Archdiocese of Portland (Ore.) She has made periodic visits to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods since November, 2004, to gather information. She has exchanged phone calls and emails with the Archives staff to check and obtain detailed facts. She writes in her basement office in Portland.

The end is in sight. She intends to have her writing finished before the end of this year. “I’m hoping it will be finished by fall. I don’t know about the editing. On December 31, 2012, I’m out of here!” she said, chuckling.

“I have to say I have learned a lot. I am a good writer, but I had no experience in doing historical research. It was a real learning curve for me.”

The Sisters of Providence have definitely made their presence known as women in history (also the present for that matter) and as the annual observance continues, we’ll share a couple more postings later this month about Sister Maureen’s work. In the meantime, what are your memories about some of the Sisters of Providence you have known? Why not post some of your thoughts to share with others?

Treasures from Archives

Foley Hall conjures many memories for many people. For those of us who never had the privilege of seeing this magnificent edifice, old photographs help us to imagine what an awesome structure Foley must have been. Another way in which we can appreciate the grandness of this building is to peruse some old documents wonderfully preserved in our Archives.

The cornerstone of Foley Hall, then known as the Academy, was laid in 1860 with the three-story structure completed in 1868. Electric lights were first installed in 1890, and a fourth-story front section was completed in 1898.

By 1909, the Sisters of Providence sought a contract with the Otis Elevator Company out of Indianapolis for an Electric Push Button Passenger Elevator for the Academy. The car pictured above, number 3036, was the design that the company suggested. A specification sheet dated Oct. 28, 1909, stated that the elevator had to travel from the first to the fourth floor, an approximate distance of 44 feet. It had to travel at a speed of 150 feet per minute, and it had to be able to lift 2,000 pounds in addition to the weight of the car. The engine for the elevator was to be located in the basement. The price for this part of the elevator was $2,750.

The contract also included design number 3218 (pictured above) for the enclosure work. This was priced at $678.

This invoice from the office of D.A. Bohlen and Son, architects, shows that the entire bill for the project cost $3,428.

Archives to host Indiana Historical Society gathering

The Archives Department of the Sisters of Providence will be hosting an In Your Neighborhood meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 22, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (EST). In Your Neighborhood is offered by the Local History Services of the Indiana Historical Society. The guest presenter will be Cinda May, Wabash Valley Visions and Voices project coordinator. Also present will be members of the Local History Services staff. The public is invited to attend this gathering.

The meeting will take place in Owens Hall in the auditorium. Free parking is available. If you need directions to the Woods, please click here.

Attending In Your Neighborhood meetings is a great way to meet, share and connect with other historical organizations and county historians. In these casual gatherings, learn what others have done that has worked well or not so well in their local history organizations and find out about available resources.

Registry records every woman who has entered the Congregation

Since Nov. 9, 1840, every woman who has entered the Sisters of Providence has had her name recorded in one of two entrance books that are kept in the Congregation’s Archives. Now, thanks to our partnership with the Indiana Historical Society, the first entrance book has been digitized and is now available online in an easy-to-read format.

Working with the IHS’s Historic Document Preservation Program and the Preservation Imaging Lab, the 300 pages of this unique registry provide a wealth of information to genealogists and other researchers.

The first volume of the entrance books ends with number 3,306 — Sister Evelyn Theresa Hickey on Jan. 11, 1936.

Indeed, what a treasure from our Archives!

Picture of the Week: April 29

Recently the lovely terazzo floor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception got waxed and prettied up. This meant that the pews were temporarily relegated to the hallways and the shiny reflective surface was more accessible than usual, tempting anyone who walked by to slide around on it in socks. (That was my temptation, at any rate.)

I took this picture from the sanctuary side:



which reminded of me of this picture of the church, taken from the end of the nave side in the early 1900s when the church was nearing completion. (The Church was officially consecrated in October 1907.) It's such a neat photo, don't you agree?



See more photos of the Church of the Immaculate Conception.

(If the images above aren't showing up correctly, you can see them at http://flic.kr/p/9D3xpt and http://flic.kr/p/9D3xiv.)

Lest We Forget: The Civil War Service of the Sisters of Providence

Less than a month after the April 12, 1861, attack on Fort Sumter, Indiana Gov. Oliver Perry Morton requested that the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., provide assistance in the administration of City Hospital in Indianapolis, which had been turned over to the federal government for the care of soldiers. This hospital soon became known as Military Hospital and the Sisters of Providence became “Angels of Mercy” to Union and Confederate soldiers alike.

On Thursday, April 14, at 6:30 p.m. (CDT) at the Marshall Public Library, 612 Archer Avenue, Marshall, Ill., Connie McCammon, a communications staff member in the Office of Congregational Advancement of the Sisters of Providence, will present “Lest We Forget: The Civil War Service of the Sisters of Providence.” The event is free and open to the public. Connie will share the story of Mother Mary Cecilia Bailly and the courageous sisters who answered a call to service during a turbulent time in the nation’s history.

With the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War this year, the Sisters of Providence are proud to be a part of the Vigo County Indiana Civil War Sesquicentennial Project, a special collection of Wabash Valley Visions & Voices (WV3), a digital memory project. Other partners include Indiana State University’s Cunningham Memorial Library, the Vigo County Public Library and the Vigo County Historical Society. All digitized items are fully searchable online. A Library Services and Technology Act Mini-Digitization Grant from the Indiana State Library provided funding for this project.

To learn more about the Congregation’s service during the Civil War, visit the history section of our children’s website.

Christmas memories

Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas! Take a look at this photo and step back in time to 1946. These young women receiving gifts from Santa were students at Ladywood High School in Indianapolis. In the Sisters of Providence section of Wabash Valley Visions & Voices (WV3) you’ll find some other Christmas photos from Ladywood as well as a photo from Dunblane School in Washington, D.C. Click here to view these photographs.

The Sisters of Providence are one of the founding members of WV3, a digital memory project. Be sure to check out the WV3 blog.

A blog for history lovers

Do you enjoy looking at old photographs? Do you like to examine old court records? Do you like visiting antique stores to find treasures? Then the blog on Wabash Valley Visions & Voices (WV3) might be for you!

WV3 is a digital memory project dedicated to the documentation and preservation of the region’s history and heritage in print, pictures and sound. The Sisters of Providence Archives is proud to be one of the founding members of this project.

You can subscribe to the WV3 blog by visiting here.

Archives and the Civil War

The Sisters of Providence Archives has several historical documents and photos related to the Civil War. The Congregation, of course, provided nursing service at the Military Hospital in Indianapolis as well as the emergency hospital in Vincennes, Ind., during the conflict. Of the 11 sisters who served during the Civil War, our Archives has images of three sister-nurses: Sisters St. Felix Buchanan, Helena Burns and Henrietta MacKenzie.

Every Memorial Day the Congregation recognizes all Sisters of Providence who served in the military. The photograph above is an undated image of students from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College placing flowers at the grave of one sister-nurse. For more images, click here.

‘Nuns of the Battlefield’

“Cloistered by forest, the convent and academy at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, in 1860, would seem to have been too remote, too securely enclosed, to hear the rumblings of approaching war. Echoes of the trouble, however, seeped into this cloistered home. Realizing that if the war must come, so too must service, the latent spirit of nursing was aroused. One and all stood in readiness to serve and when the call did come, the Mother Superior [Mother Mary Cecilia Bailly] wrote: ‘This is an eventful occasion for the Community. May our Divine Lord help us to perform well the duties we are now undertaking.’”

Thus begins the story of the Civil War and the Sisters of Providence in the book “Nuns of the Battlefield” by Ellen Ryan Jolly. In this work, Dr. Jolly traces the service provided by women religious in the North and the South during the Civil War. The story of the Sisters of Providence is told in chapter 20. To view this chapter, click here.

For more information about the Sisters of Providence and the role they played during this tumultuous period in our nation’s history, click here.

The Hand of Providence

In 1949, a small booklet written by the Rev. John F. McShane was published. “The Hand of Providence” is a short history of Indianapolis General Hospital. It was at this facility that Indiana Governor Oliver P. Morton requested the assistance of the Sisters of Providence in running during the Civil War. The Sisters of Providence, under the leadership of Sister Athanasius Fogarty, took over the administration and “domestic arrangements” of this hospital, known then as Military Hospital, on May 17, 1861.

To read “The Hand of Providence,” click here. For more information about the Sisters of Providence during the Civil War, click here.