Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-06-08

|
istering to this scattered hock-he must
nave churches, and especially Cathedral
ehurch IN anticipation Of the early es-
9aDilshment of the new Episcopal See at
wheeling; but above all, he must have
schools for the impartng of solid, Chris
Of all Diocesan nc e this his Seemed to him
\ the most urgent-to supply it as far as
possible, he was determined to spart no
he saw that the future OF the church
must be shaped by the training her chill
conviction and mindful Of his responsible,
ity as the shepherd of souls, he looked
around for co-laborers In this grand.
Christian work and he found them in the
We may well imagine the joy that filled
his heart when on that eventful 4th of
April 1S4S, he extended a cordial greeting
and fatherly blessing to that little band
Of visitandines who had so generously
responded to his appeal for assistance.
1t is their arrival in Wheeling that we
are concentrating to-day-it Is the work
which they at once entered on and which
by them and their associates has been
that we are now reviewing. They then
laid the foundations of the Convent and
Academy of Mt. de Chantal, whose Gold
en- Jubilee we are celebrating these festive
days.
Modest, indeed were the beginnings
Of this now famous institution. But is 1t
not the rule that most Of these great en-
terpriseS, illustrating the gospel-parable
of the mustard seed. have their origin
IN SMALL BEGINNINGS?
Such certainly was the case with Mt. de
Chantal A private residence had TO
serve the manifold purpose or monastery.
academy and boarding school. And small
as was the band of sisters their duties as
envy: they MA had charge also Of the girls
parochial school. This school. as many
OF you know, was not composed OF large,
parish school buildings that now grace
the city of Wheeling-it was the southern
half Of the. ddingy basement . the Cathe-
dra. To this double task of higher edu
cation in the academy and Of elementary
instruction in the parish school, the Sis
tiers consecrated themselves with all that
Self-sacrificing devotion characteristic OF
the daughters of ST. Francis of Sales.
Many We're the dscomforts and privauons
heS bore N
| cheerful spirit, as the annals of their In
stitute, would testify. In their early
struggles, as in their subsequent efforts
to carry successfully their noble mis-
sion. they relied mainly on the support
and encouragement, of the Jealous and
sanity prelate by whom that mission had
been confided to them. In fact he carried
his paternal solicitude to such extent
as to, spend hours and hours, month after
month, in imparting TO the younger mem
berS of the community valuable Informal
ton on the best methods Of rendering
in the higher branches of education, such
as belles-lettres philosophy, mathematics,
etc 1t therefore, despite so many diff
| CuilleS, Jnelr EFFORTS IN DullU1nS up d
school Of learning adequate to the press
ing needs Of the day, were gradually
crowned with success. Much of the sue,
cess was due to the prudent counsels and
| practical interest Of the first Bishop OF
Wheeling. The difficulties against which
this, school in it's first years had to con-
tend came not only from dearth of pecu-
mary means. That was indeed difficult
ly. Not many of our Catholic families at
terrs the advantages of an academic edu-
cation. and among non-Catholics there
prevailed, strange to say, a feeling so an
tagonistic to Catholic educators that l
have been told that newspapers Of that
day refused to insert an advertisement
of the Sisters school, 1t was only grad
ually that this antipathy wore away; and
| make bold to say here to-day that
there are no more devoted friends and adj
mirers of the Mount.n ao1;s who enter Si,
Golden Jubilee-than the hundreds of nom
Catholic ladies who love to salute it as
their alma mater.
said, the only drawback against which
this infant school had to struggle. There
was also lack of teaching material. The
force was too limited for the work that
must be done. The few Sisters who
BORE THE BURDEN
OF teaching were over-taxed. Help must
! come, the work must suffer, perhaps
be abandoned Again were the ACTIVITIES ss les
to preserve an institution which gave
promise of such rich fruit. Earnestly and
| elOQuently ne PLEADED Tor the neeQeQ nelp.
Baltimore Convent responded to his ear
nest appeal by sending four other Sis
ters-two in 1S49 and two more in 1850
Six years later: Georgetown Convent. the
cradle Of the Visitation Order in the Unit
| ed States added three more to the num-
Der, two Sisters and one postulant-all
| three ladies of such pronounced ability
as to place the Mount at once among the
leading convent schools of our country. .
the oVerwo rie t sisters can nj imagine
see the good Bishop rubbing his hands
in joyful glee and prophesying: now this
convent and school will live and prosper
And it has lived and it has prospered. and
to-day we are giving thanks to God for
the untold good which it has accomplish
istence. 1t is in this spirit we are keeping
its Golden Jubilee, 'sanctifying the fif-
| tieth year
For some seventeen years the nuns Of
the Visitation remained in the building
assigned them on their advent to Wheel
ing But the building had been enlarged
to accommodate the largely increased num-
Der of pupils. The community, too. had
grown stronger by the reception of new new
| and efficient members. Rapidly their
school began to take rank among the
foremost female educational establish
ments of the country. The superior tall
: ent of many of its teachers was soon
recognized In the high grade of culture to
which their pupils attained: Then prob
lem presented itself for solution, namely,
the acquiring of another and more suit
able site for convent and school. With
the increase of numbers, both in the mon
| dSLeTy ana tcduelny, more COmInOulOuS
grounds and larger and better regulated
buildings seemed a necessity. The needed
accommodations could be better provided
outside the city limits. Moreover. the
t services Of the nuns in the parish school
could now be dispensed with. as their
places there could be taken by the Sisters
of st. Joseph
"In casting about for a new location.
this present site. comprising one hundred
: acres, commended itself to both the Sis
! tiers and the Bishop as in every respect
: the most suitable. 1t was convenient to
the city-readily accessible by the rail-
road and National Turnpike. 1t was ele-
waited and yet surrounded on all sides by
. higher hills serving to screen it from I'M
: due intrusion. 1t looked indeed, like an
ideal spot for a convent school-a retreat
for the clustered religious, and shell
tered home for the earnest pupil seeking
| the treasure of knowledge, undisturbed
by the worlds din and dissipation. But
the problem confronting the Sisters was
: not solved by the selection of this To-
cation All admitted its adaptability to
=, the purpose for which they sought to Sc
cure it. But how were they to raise the
t purchase money-thirty thousand dollars ?
How were they to defray the enormous
cost of erecting suitable buildings for
: monastery and academy y They had no
money--or at best their little savings
We're but trifA compared with the large
debt which they must needs contract If
they were bold enough
TO MAKE THIS VENTURE
. I confess had been their spiritual guide,
, | I should not have endorsed a measure
| that looked so full of risk-or peril. But
holy audacity. does many things that