Evening star., 1925-09-20
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18TH ANNIVERSARY
Community of Sisters of the
Visitation to Be rs Years
Old Thursday.

The seventy fifth anniversary OF
the founding of the Community oil
the Sisters of the Visitation. formerly
located on Connecticut avenue and
which now is established on the old
Georgetown road, above Bethesda
will be celebrated on Thursday.
Right Rev. c. T. Thomas, rector OF
st. Patricks Church, will be the cele
brant at a solemn high mass which
will be held at 10 o'clock in the morn
ing, and a sermon will be delivered
by Rev. Joseph kirwen, o. S. F. S. Al
490 o'clock in the afternoon there
viii be "a solemn benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament.
a cordial invitation has been ex-
tended to all friends of the commu-
nifty to attend the celebration.
Began in 1850.
This community of clustered nuns
dates from 1850, when the Sisters OF
Charity withdrew from their house al
Tenth and + streets upon their af-
filiation with the Daughters Of St
Vincent de Paul, which was followed
by an appeal by Archbishop Eccleston
for assistance from the Visitation
Order.
After some deliberation, on Sep
tember "a. 1850, under the superior
ship of Mother Juliania Mathews
three sisters from Georgetown, three
from Baltimore and one from Fred
erick began their work in the inter
est of education and religion at the
Academy at Tenth and + streets
After years operation, the growth
of the school necessitated larger
quarters and two houses were pur-
chased at Tenth and G. streets. A gift
of $4,000 from Archbishop Eccleston
and other financial assistance from
Rev. William Mathews, then paste,
of st. Patrick's Church, placed the
institution on a firm basis.
In 1867 the Community of the Sis
ters of the Visitation built a new
home at Connecticut avenue. Seven
teenth, l. and De Sales streets, where
now stands the new Mayflower Hotel
Trained Many Children.
During its residence there the Com
munity of the Visitation Schoo
trained hundreds of children of Wash
ington Catholic and non Catholic fami
lies, but with the change of the sec
uon from a suburban to a crowded
residential section. which now border.
on busy commercial center, tn,
authorities of the order desired Il
OitIdllI d IuOTe SeCIuUeU nome Tor Cht
cloistered nuns. In 1919 the conven
property on Connecticut avenue wa.
sold, and while the new home wa:
being erected at Bethesda, Md, wher,
a large tract had been secured, the
sisters of the institution were assign
ed to various houses of their order
in other cities. The new convent wa!
completed in 1924, where 27 sister:
now are living with their superior
Mother Raphael Broughton.
The community now conducts NJ
school for the upkeep of the home
for the nuns and is thus following
| the behest of st. Francis de Sales
founder of the order. that it should
be an order removed from the world
one for spiritual development ant
prayer.
Plus X, in a letter to the order
| incident to its tercentenary anniver
Sary, wrote
''As the world redoubles it's i'm
| piety, in like measure does it become
| the duty by constant prayer and sac
rifice to appease divine wrath. Thi:
holy man-St. Francis de Sales-wel
| understood that to bring down the
mercy of God and to assist our fellow
man nothing avails more than daily
sacrifice and a spotleSs life"