W O M E N & S P I R I T: CATHOLIC SISTERS IN AMERICA TEACHERS GUIDE Introduction for Teachers 2 Strategies for Incorporating Women & Spirit in the Classroom 3 Classroom Materials 5 1 Who Are the Catholic Sisters? 5 2 Coming to America 9 3 Becoming American 4 Meeting Resistance 22 5 Courage and Care 28 6 Daring to Care: Leaders in Healthcare, Social Services, and Education 36 7 Signs of the Times 48 8 New Frontiers 55 Glossary 60 Resources 62 About Women & Spirit 66 Catholic sisters during the civil rights march on Selma, Alabama, 1965 1 I. Introduction for Teachers Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America is an American history story and a womenʼs history story. This teachers guide and the traveling exhibit it is based on present the innovative women whose passion for justice helped shape our nationʼs social and cultural landscape. Since first arriving in America nearly 300 years ago, sisters established schools, colleges, hospitals, orphanages, homeless shelters, and many other enduring social institutions that addressed critical social needs. As nurses, teachers, and social workers, sisters entered professional ranks decades earlier than most other women. Their work provided blueprints for the nationʼs educational and healthcare systems that continue to serve millions of Americans from all walks of life. Religious commitment is integral to the story of Catholic sisters, and their spiritual life calls them to respond to those who are in need. Women & Spirit focuses on sistersʼ achievements in working with communities they have served. The exhibit brings to light hundreds of unsung heroes and documents a vital and significant perspective on American history. Catholic sistersʼ stories of everyday courage, self-sufficiency, sacrifice, and service resonate deeply with us today. Join us as we explore this world that few have seen but millions have shared. The Sisters of Charity, faculty of the St. John school in Scottdale, PA, around 1920. 2 II. Strategies for Incorporating Women & Spirit in the Classroom. We are all intrigued by mysteries and untold stories. The work that Catholic sisters has done is woven into the fabric of our nation, but very little of it is widely known. Some orders came from cloistered origins in Europe, others originated in the United States and were born and bred in the culture. Catholic sisters were influenced by the Americaʼs ideals of equality and justice. Like the nation, they faltered at times and their story, like the country they are part of, has its shadows. It is a story of determination and vision, when there were few public forums for the voices of women. The history of Catholic sisters can be incorporated into explorations of: • Womenʼs history: individuals and the significance of their history to the nation • Coming to America: an immigration story • The foundations of healthcare and educational institutions • Intriguing and inspiring stories of real women and communities • Womenʼs participation in times of national crisis, such as the Civil War, the influenza epidemic of 1918, disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes, and the struggle for social justice and civil rights Elementary classes studying American history will have an opportunity to investigate: • Pioneers and immigration: What does it mean to leave home? To venture into the unknown? To be a stranger in a new land? • Evolution of social, education, and healthcare services: services we take for granted • The idea of service: family, community, local, state, & national—in times of crisis and everyday heroes • What is the story of Catholic sisters and the impact they have on your local community? Middle and high school classes can explore: • The push / pull of immigration • Conditions in Europe and the Caribbean • Settlement of the United States • Conflict and crises: Know Nothings, Civil War, slavery, American Indians, anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic sentiments, orphans • Growth of healthcare services • Origins of the U.S. educational system 3 • The ferment of the 1960s in the context of Vatican II, Vietnam War, womenʼs movement, Civil Rights movement • What is the story of Catholic sisters and the impact they have on your community? What are other organizations that play similar roles? (local, state, and federal government; other religious organizations, nonprofit service organizations) How do you provide service to others? These materials can be used before and after a classroom visit to the Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America exhibit or can be used to supplement activities for Womenʼs History month or classroom American history studies. About Community Names There are more than six hundred communities of Catholic sisters in the United States, and the names of these communities reflect each groupʼs rich heritage. The names reflect the values to which they are deeply committed— such as mercy, charity, and devotion—and pay tribute to religious figures. Franciscan sisters, for example, honor the work of St. Francis of Assisi, who devoted himself to the poor and the helpless. Community names such as the Little Company of Mary also embody humility, selflessness, and service. Sister Elaine Fortin, Sisters of Charity, working on a construction project in Romania, c. 2004. 4 1. Introduction: Who Are Catholic Sisters? “Catholic sisters are always pioneers. We donʼt set out to be pioneers. What we set out to do is to respond to the needs around us.” Simone Campbell, Sisters of Social Service1 “Need brings out our talent.” —Sister Hyacinth Le Conniat, Daughters of the Cross, letter, c. 1855 Sisters today: 150th Jubilee of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Agnes, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, 2008 Catholic sisters are women called to a life of Christian service in prayer and community. For centuries, women have left home and family to follow this way of life. Catholic sisters live in close contact with other members of their community or congregation and take vows of to live simply, and be obedient and celibate. In the past, some sisters wore habits, which were long dresses and head coverings that identified them as members of their community. Today, some sisters still wear habits, but most Catholic sisters in the United States choose to dress simply and modestly in ordinary clothing. 1 From Women & Spirit introductory video 5 The same community more than a century earlier: Candidates for sisterhood peel potatoes on the grounds of St. Agnes Convent, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, c. 1880 From the republicʼs earliest days, approximately 220,000 Catholic sisters living in hundreds of religious communities participated in the building of America. Theirs is a story of womenʼs leadership, exercised when women did not even have the right to vote. It is a story of determination and vision, when there were few public forums for the voices of women. Here are some examples of the impact Catholic sisters have had on our nation: • Catholic sisters established the nationʼs largest private school system, educating millions of young Americans. • More than 110 U.S. colleges and universities were founded by Catholic sisters. • In 2005, approximately one in six hospital patients in the U.S. were treated in a Catholic facility founded by Catholic sisters. • During the Civil War, the Sisters of the Holy Cross staffed the first U.S. Navy hospital ship, the USS Red Rover. • Sister Pulcheria Wuellner (Wheaton Franciscan Sisters) developed the St. 6 Joseph infant incubator for premature babies. • More than 600 sisters from 21 different religious communities nursed both Union and Confederate soldiers alike during the Civil War. • Mother Alfred Moes built St. Maryʼs Hospital and convinced Dr. W. W. Mayo to staff it. That "partnership" was part of the beginnings of Mayo Clinic. • In the founding days of Alcoholics Anonymous, Sister Ignatia Gavin of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine successfully advocated that alcoholism should be treated as a medical condition. • Sister Mary de Sales Leheney (Sisters of Charity, Cincinnati) received the first medical license given to a woman in New Mexico. • Since 1995, numerous congregations have participated as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) at the United Nations, focusing on global issues such as climate change, human trafficking, and poverty • Today, thousands of Catholic sisters work for social justice and human rights here and overseas. Discussion Questions and Activities I was educated by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart. They believed in the power of young women long before anyone else seemed to. The nuns had high standards––in academics, ethics, morals and in sports. I was scared to death of the nuns, but I admired their service commitment, and most of all their faith–– plus most also had great senses of humor. I am the woman I am today in large part due to the fact I was educated by the nuns. So blame the nuns! ––Maria Shriver, First Lady of California statement, 2009 1. Maria Shriver gives credit to the Sisters of the Sacred Heart for teaching her and believing in her. • Use your imagination and creativity for a tribute to someone or a group of people you have learned from or who helped you. • Consider family members, friends, teachers, coaches, a member of an organization you belong to, or other people in your community. Tributes can be: • Essays 7 • Graphic story (drawings or photos) • Poems • Songs • Raps • Videos • Collages • Drawings • Paintings • Prints A Daughter of Charity reading Babarʼs Visit to Bird Island to nursery school students, c. 1950 8 2. Coming to America Twelve French Catholic sisters—muddy, mosquito-bitten, but bursting with hope for the promise of the New World—arrived in New Orleans in 1727, having narrowly escaped pirates during their transatlantic crossing. These Ursuline sisters founded the first community of Catholic sisters in what is now the United States. From the 1830s to the early 1900s, sisters took part in a great migration along with millions of other European emigrants.