The Contribution of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917) to Catholic Educational Practice in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries
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The Contribution of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917) to Catholic Educational Practice in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries Maria Patricia Williams Ph D Thesis University College London Institute of Education 1 I, Maria Patricia Williams confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. 2 Abstract My thesis evaluates the educational practice of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917). Cabrini, a schoolteacher from Lombardy, founded the Institute of Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC) in Codogno, Italy in 1880. When she died, a United States citizen in Chicago, USA, she had established 70 houses in Europe and the Americas. One thousand women had joined the MSC. Her priority was to work with some of the estimated thirteen million Italians who emigrated between 1880 and 1915. The literature review considers the relatively little work in the history of education on Catholic educational practice. The research addresses three questions: 1. How did Mother Cabrini understand Catholic educational practice? 2. How can Mother Cabrini’s understanding of Catholic educational practice be seen in the work of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries? 3. How far did Mother Cabrini develop a coherent approach to Catholic educational practice? A multiple case study approach is used, focussing on the educational practice of Cabrini and the MSC in Rome, London and New Orleans, within the transnational context of their Institute. Practice in schools and orphanages, the community and in the education and formation of sisters and lay teachers is investigated. Sources studied include Cabrini’s 2054 published letters and unpublished documents in the MSC archive, including the Rule, house annals, job descriptions for teachers, memories of individual sisters and pupils and records of celebrations. In analysing 3 data, reference is made to the work of Catholic philosophers and theologians to provide a ‘lens of faith’, for example, that of Servais Pinckaers OP. Cabrini’s approach is shown to be a new application of ancient principles. In this way, she contributed a progressive lived tradition to Catholic educational practice. Positionality Statement My interest in researching Mother Cabrini’s educational practice originated in the 1980s when considering Brian Simon’s article on the lack of pedagogy historically in England.1 He contrasted this with the strong tradition of pedagogy in continental Europe. As a history teacher and visiting tutor on the history PGCE programme at the Institute of Education I had been considering my experience as a pupil in an MSC primary school in London. In the light of my professional training and experience, the practice there appeared progressive. I recalled a child-centred approach. Teaching was adapted to the learning needs of individuals and a range of resources used. I was interested to see if this was rooted in the Italian origins of the MSC. My degree in European history and languages had prepared me to research the topic but the demands of my work in London comprehensive schools resulted in my commencing the project in retirement. 1 Brian Simon, ‘Why No Pedagogy in England?’ in Learners and Pedagogy, eds., Jenny Leach and Bob Moon (London: Sage, 1999), 34-45. 4 Impact Statement Benefits Inside and Outside of Academia This research on Mother Cabrini’s contribution to Catholic educational practice will have a beneficial impact both inside and outside academia. It provides an insight into a progressive child-centred strand of Catholic educational practice in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It also contributes to knowledge of international currents of educational ideas and practice in the same period. In developing aspects of Catholic theology and philosophy for use as analytical tools it offers new methodology for researching the history of education in a faith or multi- faith tradition. This is the first academic research on Cabrini’s educational practice. It can provide contextual data and methodological ideas for scholars researching practice in areas still unexplored, such as the work of Cabrini and her sisters in Latin America and China. It contributes a useable past relating to educational issues of current interest outside of academia. It provides a historical perspective on international networks of schools and formal and informal education of migrants. It can build on the significant public interest in the work of Cabrini, following the celebration of the centenary of her death in December 2017. The current world-wide focus on migrants has introduced her to new audiences. It will also be of interest to those engaged in debates on faith education. Disseminating Outputs I will disseminate outputs from my research through scholarly societies, journals and participation in global educational projects bringing together scholars and practitioners. I have given 19 conference presentations on my research. I will continue to be an active member of societies including 5 the International Standing Conference for the History of Education, (ISCHE) the British Educational Research Association and the Network for Researchers in Catholic Education. I expect to make a particular contribution to the ISCHE Standing Working Group, ‘Migrants, Migration and the History of Education’. I have had an article published in History of Education. I have been invited to submit articles to three other journals. I am also using the insights from my research in a chapter for a volume in a new history of education series. I will continue to work on three global educational projects. The first is setting up the Cabrini Institute at Cabrini University, Radnor, Pennsylvania. This will develop their archive of documents, pictures and artefacts as a resource for scholars, practitioners and the general public. The second, the Cabrini Education Committee, is organised by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus who continue Cabrini’s work today. It oversees the work of Cabrini schools in Europe, the USA, Latin America and Africa. The third project is ‘“A Pedagogy of Peace” the Theory and Practice of Catholic Women Religious in Migrant Education’, an international collaboration led by the University of Notre Dame, USA. I am one of four principal investigators. The project brings together scholars and Catholic sister practitioners educating migrants in locations including Lampedusa, Nigeria and the Philippines. 6 Table of Contents Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3 Positionality Statement ………………………………………………………………………………………………4 Impact Statement………………………………………………………………………………………………………..5 Abbreviations .................................................................................................................... 8 List of Maps .................................................................................................................. 9 List of Tables ............................................................................................................. 9 List of Images .......................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................................. 11 Chapter 2: Literature Review ......................................................................................... 40 Chapter 3: Research Methods ........................................................................................ 77 Chapter 4: Provision Across Nine Nations .................................................................. 108 Chapter 5: Rome Case Study 1887-1917 .................................................................. 157 Chapter 6: New Orleans Case Study 1892-1917 .......................................................... 210 Chapter 7: London Case Study 1902-1917 .................................................................... 266 Chapter 8: Mother Cabrini’s Educational Practice ........................................................ 319 Chapter 9: Conclusion .................................................................................................. 355 Postcript: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………364 Bibliography ................................................................................................................. 365 Appendix: Case Study Protocol .................................................................................... 394 7 Abbreviations AG Archivio Generale dell’ Istituto Suore Missionarie del Sacro Cuore di Gesù, Rome. AL ‘Annotazione sulla fondazione di questa casa di Londra, ricevate da quello che ricordano le sorelle’. CR Cabriniana Room, Cabrini University, Radnor, Pennsylvania. FR ‘Fondazione della Casa di Roma’ (Dalle Memorie di M. Serafina Tommasi). LA London Archive, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Honor Oak, London. M1 Memorie 1: ‘Memorie della Casa di New Orleans 1892’ . M2 Memorie 2: ‘Brevi Memorie, conversione e testimonianze’. M3 Memorie 3: ‘Missione di New Orleans Insedimento dell’opera’. M4 Memorie 4: ‘New Orleans – Anno 1892’. MF ‘Memorie della fondazione del collegio in Forest Hill, Woodville Hall, Honor Oak Road’. MO ‘Memorie Ortranotofio New Orleans 1904’. ML ‘Memorie Londra, sulla fondazione in Londra’. MSC Missionarie del Sacro Cuore OP Order of Preachers RR ‘Relazione