Catlwlic Educational Endeavors
321
schools in San Antonio, two in Seguin, two in San Angelo, and one in each of the following: Scotland, Pampa, Marfa, Ranger, Dallas, Ysleta, Del Rio, Bandera, Weslaco, Kerrville, and Eagle Pass; hospitals in San Antonio, San Angelo, Fort Worth, Amarillo, Corpus Christi, Marshall, and Paris; two orphanages in Dallas and one each in San Antonio and El Paso; a home for the aged Sisters; and one social welfare agency in San Antonio; and the Motherhouse and Novitiate in San Antonio. 63 Sisters of Holy Cross in Te:xas, r879. The Congregation of Holy Cross, originally founded by the saintly Abbe Basil Anthony Moreau, was a triple society of Priests, Brothers and Sisters patterned upon the Holy Family of Nazareth. The Sisters of Our Lady of the Seven Dolors, gen- erally known as Marianites, were reorganized independently as the Sisters of Holy Cross in 1841. They came to the United States in 1843 and established their first Convent in Notre Dame, Indiana. Since that day they have been active throughout the country in educational, hospital, and charitable work. Upon their formal separation from the Motherhouse in France in 1869, the Very Reverend Edward Sorin, Provincial Superior of the Congregation of Holy Cross, became the ecclesiastical superior of the Congregation of the Sisters of Holy Cross. Sister M. Euphrosine, who went to visit the Motherhouse in France in 1869, made the return trip to America in 1870 in the same ship with Bishop Dubuis and other volunteers that were coming to undertake mis- sionary work in Texas. 64 Convinced by the Bishop of the great need for Catholic education in his diocese, Sister M. Euphrosine, on her arrival in New York did not return to Indiana, but continued to Texas, accompanied by another Sister. They first established a small convent and school in Corpus Christi, where her zeal and devotion inspired Catherine Dunne to join the community as Sister M. Joseph, the first Texan to become a Sister of the Holy Cross. 65 Hardly had their work begun before Bishop Dubuis asked the Sisters to go to Nacogdoches where their services were desperately needed. The recently established community of Corpus Christi was accordingly moved 63 From a summary sent to the Author by Sister M. Laserian, C.C.V.I., from the Motherhouse in San Antonio. Details of their hospital work will be found in the chapter on Hospitals and Welfare Work in the book. 64 S<>Uthern M essmger, July 9 and 16, 1936. 65 Mary Wiedeman, "The Beginnings of Catholic Education in Eastern and North- eastern Texas," I 1. Unpublished essay in Our Lady of Victory College Library, Fort Worth, Texas.
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