BVMs Are Returning Home
As the Terrace Apartments at Mount Carmel Bluffs near completion and BVMs across the country and the world prepare to come home to Dubuque, Iowa, I’d like to share a brief history of how sisters moved “there” to eventually return “here.”
1832
Where it Began—Ireland
The story of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary begins in Dublin, Ireland. In 1832 BVM Foundress Mary Frances Clarke and her four companions, Margaret Mann, Eliza Kelly, Rose O’Toole, and Catherine Byrne, began a school for girls, “Miss Clarke’s Seminary,” on North Anne Street.
1833
Crossing the Ocean — Philadelphia
One year later, the women immigrated to Philadelphia to teach children of Irish immigrants. On November 1, 1833, with the help of Rev. Terence J. Donaghoe, the laywomen made vows as a religious congregation.
1843
The Hawkeye State—Iowa
After ten years in Philadelphia, Bishop Mathias Loras invited the BVMs to Dubuque (Iowa Territory) to teach the Native American children. On June 5, 1843, five sisters left for Dubuque. They arrived on June 23, 1843, and started teaching on July 5. The remaining 14 sisters arrived in Dubuque on Oct. 8. The mission to teach the Native American children never materialized; instead, they taught the children of the miners and farmers. Dubuque quickly became “home” and future expansion would originate from it.
1845
The Badger State—Wisconsin
The first venture outside of Iowa was to St. Mathias Academy in Potosi, Wis., which began in 1845. Three years later, Wisconsin became a state and Potosi was no longer part of the Dubuque diocese. Bishop Loras recalled the sisters to serve in Dubuque. The last sister to be missioned in Potosi was Gertrude Regan.
In 1880, the BVMs staffed Sacred Heart Elementary School in Tomah, Wis., but the mission only lasted for seven years.
The first “lasting” mission in Wisconsin was Holy Rosary Elementary School which opened in Milwaukee in 1885. It was followed by Holy Angels Academy in 1892 and Gesu Elementary School in 1899.
Holy Rosary merged into Catholic East Elementary School in 1982. Gesu closed in 1968 due to a shortage of teachers and declining enrollment. Holy Angels Academy merged with Divine Savior in 1970 to create Divine Savior Holy Angels High School.
1867
The Prairie State—Illinois
In 1867, the BVMs made their next foray out of Iowa. At the invitation of Arnold Damen, SJ, the sisters went to Chicago and began teaching in Holy Family Parish. St. Aloysius (pictured below) and St. Stanislaus (later called Sacred Heart) schools opened in August and together served over 500 students.
Less than a month later, total enrollment increased to over 700. To meet the needs of the over 2,500 school-aged children in the parish, several other schools eventually opened. These schools included St. Veronica (later renamed St. Pius), Holy Guardian Angel, St. Joseph, and St. Agnes.
The BVMs eventually ministered at over 35 schools in Chicago and an additional 20 throughout the state of Illinois. Though the BVMs have withdrawn from many of the schools where they taught, sisters still actively minister in Chicago and throughout Illinois.
1884
The Show Me State—Missouri
The BVMs next ventured to Missouri. St. Cecelia Academy opened in Holden in 1884, but closed in 1908 as many of the teachers were novices who had to return to Mount Carmel to complete their canonical year of studies. Also in 1884, Annunciation Elementary School opened in Kansas City. The BVMs withdrew from the school as enrollment diminished as families moved out due to increased train traffic. The parish was reestablished in another part of the city by 1902.
In 1917 the BVMs returned to the “new” Assumption parish school where they remained until 1971. Several other schools in Kansas City and St. Louis followed St. Cecelia and Assumption and the sisters ministered in Missouri schools until the late 1980s. Several sisters are still in active ministry in Missouri.
Expanding Globally
Over the next 80 years, BVMs continued to expand their ministry. They journeyed to San Francisco in 1887, the last mission personally approved by Mary Frances Clarke before her death. That same year, Mount Carmel Academy opened in Wichita, Kan.
In 1890, the BVMs went to Colorado (Mt. St. Gertrude Academy) and Nebraska (Cathedral Elementary Cathedral High). Missions in Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New York, Mississippi, Tennessee, the Territory of Hawaii, Minnesota, and several foreign countries followed in the 20th century.
2023
Home
Life has taken BVMs unexpected places. Love brings them “home” to Dubuque. Mount Carmel Bluffs eagerly welcomes “home” all who have been living the BVM mission across the world.
This story was featured in:
WINTER 2023: Many Faces, One HEART
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