Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word facts for kids
The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word is the name of two groups of Roman Catholic sisters in Texas, USA. These sisters are part of a "religious institute," which means they are a community of people who live by certain rules and dedicate their lives to God and helping others. They use the abbreviation C.C.V.I. (which comes from the Latin words Congregatio Caritatis Verbi Incarnati).
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History of the Sisters of Charity
How the Houston Sisters Started
The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word in Houston began in 1866. A French bishop named Claude Marie Dubuis asked for help. He was the Catholic bishop of Galveston, and his area covered all of Texas.
Texas was facing big problems after the Civil War. A serious sickness called cholera was spreading fast. Bishop Dubuis asked a group of sisters in France for help. They couldn't come, but three young women volunteered. They learned from the French sisters how to live as a religious community. This is how the new group, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, started.
Three sisters, Mary Blandine, Mary Joseph, and Mary Ange, arrived in Galveston, Texas. They opened Charity Hospital, which was the first Catholic hospital in Texas. It later became St. Mary's Hospital.
Later, a yellow fever sickness hit Galveston. The sisters started St. Mary's Orphanage to care for children. It was first in the hospital, then moved outside town to be safer. Sadly, Mary Blandine died from yellow fever in 1867. Mary Ange got sick but got better and went back to France. More sisters came from France to help.
Mary Joseph became the leader and continued their work in Galveston. In the early 1900s, Houston grew very fast. So, the sisters moved their main office from Galveston to Houston.
Today, these sisters work in Ireland, Guatemala, El Salvador, Kenya, and the United States. They help people with health care, education, and social justice. They also work to fight illiteracy (when people can't read or write) and AIDS.
How the San Antonio Sisters Began
The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio are the largest group of religious women in Texas. This group started in San Antonio in 1869. It was like a "sister house" to the Galveston group.
Bishop Dubuis chose three sisters from Galveston: St. Madeleine Chollet, St. Pierre Cinquin, and Agnes Buisson. He sent them to San Antonio to start a new community and open the first hospital there. St. Madeleine was the first leader. Three years later, St. Pierre Cinquin became the leader and stayed in that role for almost 20 years. In 1870, Bishop Dubuis made this new San Antonio community independent.
Madeleine Chollet, Pierre Cinquin, and Agnes Buisson came to San Antonio to help people. A severe cholera sickness was affecting the city. San Antonio had about 12,000 people after the Civil War, but no public hospitals. The three sisters founded their community and opened San Antonio's first public hospital. Today, it is known as Christus Santa Rosa Hospital.
Before 1874, the sisters mainly cared for the sick, the elderly, and orphans. But a bishop named Anthony Dominic Pellicer advised them to start teaching. In 1881, the sisters founded Incarnate Word Academy. This school later grew into Incarnate Word High School and the University of the Incarnate Word.
In 1885, the sisters opened a school in Saltillo, Mexico. By 1891, they had founded St. Joseph's Infirmary in Fort Worth, Texas. They also managed seven hospitals for railroad workers in Texas, Missouri, Iowa, and New Mexico.
These sisters are involved in health care (as part of Christus Health), education, caring for the elderly, and social justice. The Village at Incarnate Word is a retirement community they started in 1988 for people of all faiths.
The sisters from San Antonio work in the United States, Mexico, Peru, and Zambia.
The Galveston Hurricane and the Orphanage
The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 was one of the worst hurricanes to ever hit the United States. More than 6,000 people died, which was one-sixth of Galveston's population.
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The Saint Mary's Orphan Asylum housed 93 children (ages 2 to 13) and 10 sisters. The hurricane arrived on September 7, 1900. The full force of the storm hit on September 8. It began to wash away the sand dunes around St. Mary's Orphanage. The sisters decided to move the children into the girls' dormitory. This building was newer and stronger.
The sisters led the children in singing an old French hymn called Queen of the Waves. Eventually, the boys' dormitory fell into the sea. When water filled the first floor of the girls' dormitory, the sisters moved everyone to the second floor. They sang Queen of the Waves again. The sisters tied clothes lines around their waists. They connected themselves to six to eight children each to try and save them. Three older teenage boys were not tied.
Finally, the girls' dormitory collapsed. All ten sisters and ninety children died. Only the three teenage boys survived: William Murney, Frank Madera, and Albert Campbell.
Because of this sad event, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word around the world sing Queen of the Waves every year on September 8. They remember the sisters and children who died in Galveston.
On September 8, 1994, a Texas historical marker was placed at 69th Street and Seawall Boulevard. This marker shows where the orphanage used to be.
See also
- Galveston Hurricane of 1900
- Queen of the Waves
- Catholic sisters and nuns in the United States
- History of nursing in the United States
