Historical Perspectives on Elizabeth Seton and Education: School is My Chief Business

Elizabeth Ann Seton”the first native-born U.S. citizen to be canonized”and her passion for education are the subjects of this historical essay. Implications for contemporary educational leaders are also discussed

Revisiting The Vincentian Family Tree

Betty Ann McNeil presents an update to the findings of The Family Tree Project, which were published as The Vincentian Family Tree in 1996. The project was to trace the Vincentian Family’s development and worldwide expansion. In 2006, the total of “institutes of consecrated life, societies of apostolic life, lay associations, and non-Catholic religious institutes” with a Vincentian connection had risen to 305 from the 268 that had originally been identified. The project’s criteria were revised in some cases. Corrections, additions, exclusions, and other kinds of updates to The Vincentian Family Tree are explained. The project’s uses are discussed. Areas for future research are highlighted

The Daughters of Charity as Civil War Nurses, Caring without Boundaries

Betty Ann McNeil uses the words and experiences of five Daughters of Charity to illustrate the service of the 270 sisters who nursed wounded soldiers on both sides of the Civil War in Union and Confederate territory. According to McNeil, the sisters “crossed boundaries of locale, politics, and religion . . . for the sake of the Vincentian mission.” This included crossing army lines. They faced great personal danger and hardship and adapted their organization to meet ever changing wartime conditions in a variety of settings, including major battlefields. They also had to acclimate themselves to regional cultures. Despite the upheaval of the times—their motherhouse at Emmitsburg, Maryland was even subject to martial law—the sisters persevered in their service and opened many new missions

Daughters of Charity Recall the 1871 Chicago Fire: \u27It traveled like lightning.\u27

Accounts of the Chicago Fire are presented here from two Daughters of Charity who witnessed it, Sister Angeline Carrigan and Sister Walburga Gehring. At the time of the fire, the Daughters had three schools, a mission for social services, an existing hospital, and another hospital under construction in the city. They lost a school and the social services mission (of which Sister Carrigan was sister servant) in the disaster. After the fire, they cared for poor persons of the burned districts in their hospital and in the hospital established by the city’s Relief Committee. Sister Gehring was in charge of the latter and of the Daughters’ hospital that was underway, St. Joseph’s. She gives an extensive history of St. Joseph’s origins and construction

The Sulpicians and the Sisters of Charity: Concentric Circles of Mission

This article focuses on the Sulpicians’ role in the establishment of the Sisters of Charity and their union with the Daughters of Charity. It also “discuss[es] mission determinants and their implications for contemporary ministry.” The Sulpicians became the superiors of the Sisters of Charity to meet the needs of the Church in the United States, an adaptation of the Sulpician charism of educating the clergy. They introduced the Rules of the Daughters of Charity to the Sisters, which they adapted to suit life in the United States and to suit their community as an independent American foundation. The Sulpicians also influenced the Sisters’ mission. The Sulpicians were the moving spirit behind the Sisters’ union with the Daughters. The history of that union is explained in detail. The ways in which the Sisters governed themselves prior to the union are also described. Useful timelines regarding the 1846 separation of the Sisters in New York, the Sulpicians’ involvement with the Sisters, and the union with the Daughters are provided. A table from the Sisters’ beginning until the union shows the leadership of the Sisters, their Sulpician superiors and superiors general, and the archbishops of Baltimore

Last Will and Testament of Saint Louise de Marillac

Louise de Marillac’s will and two codicils are provided, along with a commentary explaining them. The commentary gives an overview of important events in Louise’s life and describes her chief interests, especially her concern for her son’s welfare. According to the commentary, the will “gives us insight into her own most pressing concerns, significant relationships, spiritual activities, and evolving priorities.” Louise’s relationship with God is often mentioned in these texts, along with her family, the two Vincentian communities, Vincent de Paul, and the poor

The Journal of Mother Rose White: The Earliest History of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Joseph\u27s, Emittsburg, Maryland

Rosetta Landry White was the assistant to Elizabeth Seton and succeeded her as superioress of the Sisters of Charity for two nonconsecutive terms. Her journal, which covers the period from June 1809 until sometime around 1817, is given here. It records the community’s beginning in Baltimore, the hardships of the sisters’ first winter in Emmitsburg, and their adoption of the rules of the Daughters of Charity (with modifications). It also includes the sisters’ first novitiate and vows, and the first missions outside of Maryland, which were orphanages in Philadelphia and New York. Betty Ann McNeil’s introduction to the journal gives background on White, her career, and the early history of the Sisters of Charity

Flames of Love—Louise de Marillac and Elizabeth Ann Seton

Many of the same values motivated the missions of Louise de Marillac and Elizabeth Seton. Both had a deep respect for human dignity and saw Jesus in the people they served. They were attuned to God’s presence in their lives and carried out his will as they discerned it. They relied on providence and were daughters of the Church, focusing on the events of the liturgical year and their experience of God in the eucharist. Their own suffering made them acutely aware of the paschal mystery, and they encouraged others to participate in it. Their “hunger for the Word of God,” their devotion to Mary, and their view of eternity are also discussed in this article

Unfolding the Legacy—Key Figures in the Tradition

Betty Ann McNeil surveys the stories of major figures in the Vincentian Family, including Catherine Laboure, Rosalie Rendu, Frederic Ozanam, Elizabeth Seton, and modern superiors and superioresses general. She traces the workings of providence in their lives and in their responses to events, as well as its role in the overall history of the Vincentian Family. In doing so, she “highlight[s] the mission of charity century by century” and “reflect[s] on the role of zeal, collaboration, and servant leadership for ministry today.” Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac’s understanding of providence is discussed, as is God’s call to ministry to Vincentian Family members. Attention is given to the spread of the Vincentian charism in the United States and elsewhere in the world

Spes Unica—Path to Glory: The Canonization of Louise de Marillac

The preservation of Louise de Marillac’s relics, the process of her canonization, the miracles attributed to her, and the celebrations of her canonization are described in detail. The Daughters of Charity’s General Council began the process leading to her canonization in 1882. In 1895, her cause for beatification was introduced. Louise was beatified in 1920 and canonized in 1934. Three miraculous cures occurred before her beatification and at least two occurred between her beatification and canonization