New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-08-15
THE COLLEGE OF ST. ELIZABETH
nv Sisters of Charity ia New jersey


~ the venerable Mother Mary Xavier
Mehegan-still happily governing her
large community, after a lapse OF hfty-
two vears-is q fitting sequel to the
splendid tale Of zeal and conquest when
oarked the work Of the Sisters Of the
New York province led by the lnde-
fatioable and sanity Mother Ellzaoetn
BovIe. And both these foundations
form beautiful tribute to the mus
trious foundress Of the SISTERS OF
Charity in the United States Mother
Elizabeth Ann Seton. o.
The New Jersey branch OF inc Dis
tiers of Charity emanated Directly As
did that Of the Halifax branch, from
the Motherhouse in New YORK. WIN
the growing needs of the Church IN
the United States missions had
been opened across the Hudson
i'm the cities OF Paterson and New
ark. An orphan asylum had been es,
tabished in the city Of Newark ana
a small school for the children OF the
parish. The Newark mission, IN
charge of Sister PHILIPPINE, had also
among its workers Sister Mary XAVIER.
At the Paterson mission. school LOT
the poor also, was Sister Mary Catn-
crime Nevin. In 1858 the See Of New
ark was created, with the Rt. Rev.
lanes Roosevelt Bayley, d. D., as its
first bishop. he was anxious 10 nave
a separate Motherhouse under his own
Jurisdiction and TO establish a diOce-
san branch of Sisters of Charity who
would be distinct from the New YORK
house and become more closely anil
ated with the work of the New Jersey
foundation. The proposal TO create
new Motherhouse met with little en-
couragement, for the number OF SIS
ters was barely sufficient to supply
the demands of the home missions, and
the New York Province could III anord
at the time 20 give even one TO form
the new foundation.
He desired as the first superior Of the
new band the services of Sister Mary
Xavier, who was then engaged in the
school at st. Mary's, but he lett TO
the personal decision of the Sisters
themselves the choice of remaining In
Newark or Of returning TO New York.
At the expiration of the time for max
ing their decision only two OF the
number, Sister Mary Xavier and Sister
Mary Catherine Nevin, then engaged
in Paterson, agreed to enter upon the
new field and to form the nucleus OF
the New Jersey branch Of the Sisters
of Charity.
It became necessary for the Bish-
On to cast about for a suitable novi-
tiate for the recruits, as the New
ark house was all too small for
its school and orphanage and tenn
porary hospital. Besides, the clty's
tumult and noise was Ill adapted to
promote the quiet and retirement so
necessary for religious thought, and
after some efforts to place his pro-
spective children he found in the
Cincinnati Motherhouse, Mount st.
Joseph's, an offshoot of the Emmits-
burg foundation, a hospitable and low
ing novitate for the five young women
who had presented themselves as the
first candidates for the Newark branch.
On the I'd of July, in the year
1860, the Sisters in charge of Mother
Xavier left the Newark house and pro-
ceeded TO the new Motherhouse at
Madison. Sister Mary Catherine and a
detachment of Sisters remained at
st. Mary's, Newark, which served as a
subsidiary mission. As they journeyed
to Madison on that hot July day the
ardent young Mother carried all the
. a
Lady, nor would she allow any of the
Sisters TO relieve her of her precious
burden until she had deposited it her
self in the little chapel used for the
/ Seton Hall seminarians and offered
her labors and those of her community
to God under the protection OF Our
Lady of the Visitation. This statue,
which occupies an honored place in the
room OF Mother Xavier to-day, is a
constant reminder of those first days,
the seedtime of the community; often
/ times, too, it is a sad memory TO the
/ great hearted foundress of the first
/ Sisters who bore with her the heat
and the burden Of the day, but who
were not permitted to enjoy with her
| the rewards of their years of faithful
toll
The name of Elizabeth, therefore,
/ was chosen for the new home of the
7 Sisters Of Charity, thus jointly honor
/ ing the Feast of its establishment at
/ Madison, July 2, and the name of the
/ sanity foundress Of the Sisters of
/ Charity in the United States, Mother
Elizabeth Seton.
/ As soon as practicable, it was ar
ranged to open a boarding school for
young ladies at the Madison house, and
thus provide the needful funds for
carrying on the work of the Sisters
and support the rapidly increasing
novitiate. Pupils were soon forthcom-
ing. and it was not long before st.
Elizabeth's became the centre of edu-
cational life and activity in New Jer-
sey, while it also furthered the work
of religious zeal and piety by the de-
votion of the young Sisters TO their
sacred calling. The first directress Of
| the academy was Sister Mary Agnes
O'Neill, who filled her post with in
defatigable zeal and conspicuous abil-
/ ity for more than twenty years. It
was also largely due 10 her self-sacri-
fcing efforts to promote the interests
of both community and school that the
labors of the Sisters were so prosper
Gus and the number of pupils so
rapidly increased that separate hall
of studies became necessary.
In 1862 the new academy, a five
story brick structure, with stone trim
mings, was erected, and in 1863 a
building near by was provided as a
preparatory school for boys.
In 1873 the first ground was broken
for the new st. Elizabeth's, and the
cornerstone was laid by the Rt. Rev.
Michael A. Corrigan, d. d., on August
10, in the same year; additions we're
made from time to time as the needs
of school and community demanded
them until, in 1885, the entire group,
designed by p. c. Kelley, of Brooklyn,
was completed. BY this time, how
ever. greater needs had made still
| further improvements necessary, and
| the extended curriculum of the
Academy of st. Elizabeth and the adj
vice of eminent educators induced the
Sisters to assume in addition TO their
already advanced course of academic
studies the higher branches. and pro-