Good Shepherd Sisters: Omaha Order facts for kids
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| Formation | April 4, 1894 |
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The Good Shepherd Sisters of Omaha, Nebraska are a special group of nuns. They are part of a larger organization that started in Angers, France in 1835. Saint Mary Euphrasia Pelletier founded the original group.
The sisters in Omaha have an important job. They help and teach girls and women in the Omaha, Nebraska area and nearby states. Their goal is to support those who are having a tough time.
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A Helping Hand: The History of the Sisters in Omaha
The Good Shepherd Sisters in Omaha, Nebraska began their work in 1894. Bishop Richard Scannell asked them to come and help young people in Nebraska. Mother Mary of St. Bernard from St. Louis, Illinois and four other sisters bravely accepted this challenge.
By the end of 1895, the sisters were helping ninety-seven girls. There were also nine sisters working there. They even had to turn away over one hundred other girls because they didn't have enough space. Out of the ninety-seven girls, twenty-eight went back to their families or found jobs. They had become reformed young women. Important men like John Rush, Edward Hayden, and John A. Creighton helped pay for the start of the Good Shepherds in Omaha, Nebraska.
In 1897, the Good Shepherd Sisters and the city of Omaha, Nebraska created a group called the "League of the Good Shepherd." This group helped with good deeds and supported the girls who were struggling. Anyone could join the League, whether they were men or women, Catholic or not.
By July 1900, the Home of the Good Shepherd had grown to two buildings. This gave the girls more room for chores and sewing. Between July 1915 and March 1917, they built a permanent chapel. This allowed for a special group of sisters called the Sisters Magdalen.
The Magdalens were often girls who had been helped by the Good Shepherd Sisters. After staying at the school for a certain time, some chose to dedicate their lives to their religion and join this special order. Their convent was finished and opened in April 1927. In 1968, the Sisters tried to raise seven million dollars for a youth center. However, they couldn't get enough money, so the project didn't happen. The school part of the Omaha, Nebraska order closed in 1972.
How They Got Support and Money
As more girls and women came to the Good Shepherd home, it became harder to pay for everything. The Sisters needed to find different ways to get money. Besides the helpful donations from important men in the community, the nuns also sold crafts that they and the girls made.
In September 1895, a three-week-long fair was held in their honor. It took place at the new Creighton Theater Hall. Many articles in the Omaha World Herald asked people to come support the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. They hoped citizens would donate money to help pay off their nine thousand dollar debt.
During the fair, there was entertainment and music every night. The convent also showed and sold crafts. These included sewing, needlework, featherstitching, and drawings. When the fair ended in the second week of October, the sisters had raised over five thousand dollars. The fair was a big success!
Making a Difference: Their Role in the Community
The sisters in the Omaha, Nebraska order of the Good Shepherd Sisters are trained in many areas after their religious training. They can be teachers, nurses, group mothers, psychologists, social workers, home economists, and directresses of girls.
They helped many struggling girls from eastern Nebraska and other states. Cities like Davenport, Iowa sent girls who were at risk or in difficult home situations to the Good Shepherd Sisters in Omaha, Nebraska. This was seen as a better way to help them change and grow, instead of sending them to a place like a jail for young people.
According to an 1878 Iowa state law, courts could place young girls (and boys) in "homes of the friendless." These were safe places like Omaha's Good Shepherd homes. This happened if the children were orphans, in danger, or might get into trouble or unsafe situations. The city of Davenport often sent girls who needed help to Omaha.
About 85 to 90 percent of all girls who stayed at the Good Shepherd home did well later in life. They became respected, hard-working women.
After the school closed, the sisters continued to work in the community. They gave advice and support to women who had been hurt and families who were having a hard time. They also gave food to people who were hungry and prayed for those who were poor, sick, and had lost everything.
More recently, they have focused on providing safe homes for Sudanese refugees in the Omaha, Nebraska area.
What They Believe In: Core Values
- Mercy
- Reconciliation
- Individual Worth
- Zeal
Where They Were Located Before
- 40th and Jones Streets, Omaha, NE
- 37th and M. Streets, Omaha, NE
- 653 S. 40th Street, Omaha, NE
- 29th and Hamilton Streets, Omaha, NE
- 3321 Fontenelle Blvd., Omaha, NE
Where They Are Now
- 1106 North 36th Street, Omaha, NE
