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notre dame sisters celebrate 150 years of christian service at cathedral

Bishop Edward K. Braxton was the Principal Celebrant and homilist at October 4, 2009 Mass of Thanksgiving commemorating the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the arrival of the School Sisters of Notre Dame at the Cathedral of St. Peter Parish on October 5, 1859. Many members of the community, as well as former students gathered for the sesquicentennial celebration. Pictured to the left of the Bishop is Sister Joan Markus, S.S.N.D., Provincial Leader of the Sisters’ St. Louis Province. Bishop Stanley G. Schlarman concelebrated the Mass and blessed a statue of Notre Dame (Our Lady) near the side entrance of the Cathedral to mark the occasion. Bishop Schlarman attended the Cathedral School and was taught by the celebrated Sister Mary Pacifica S.S. N.D., who taught at the parish school for more than fifty years.
In his homily Bishop Braxton reflected on the theme of family unity, harmony, and love that are addressed in the readings from Genesis (2: 18-24) and the Gospel of St. Mark (10: 2-17).

He noted that Blessed Theresa of Jesus Gehardinger, the foundress, and Sister Caroline Friess incorporated these very values into the religious houses they established in the United States, including Immaculate Conception Academy at the future Cathedral Parish. In the course of one hundred and fifty years, the Sisters demonstrated a special concern and love for the children of poor families. They taught the young of the parish to learn their faith, love their faith, and live their faith. ‘The Sisters lived by the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospel. They allowed the little children to come unto them, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven. They understood that those who do not accept the Kingdom of God like children will not enter it. For a century and a half dedicated Sisters ‘embraced the children blessed them, and placed (their) hands on them’”

“The reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (2:9-11) declares that, in bringing many children to glory, God made the Leader of their salvation, Jesus Christ, the High Priest perfect through suffering. The mystery of the Cross, the inscrutable mystery of innocent suffering enters the lives of all Christians. So it entered to lives of the Sisters at the Academy when twenty-two young girls and four Sisters perished in the terrible fire of January 5-6, 1884 that destroyed Immaculate Conception Academy. The special bond between the Cathedral Parish and the School Sisters became even stronger when on January 6, 1928, twenty-eight years to the day from the Academy disaster; the Cathedral itself was engulfed in flames and nearly destroyed.”

After expressing profound gratitude to the Sisters on behalf of the Diocese and the Cathedral Parish for the “astounding event” of the great service of the two hundred and eighty nine Sisters who have served at St. Peter Parish and the fifty-six vocations to their community that have come from the Cathedral, the Bishop turned the attention of the congregation to the future. Asking what the world, the Church, the Diocese, the Parish and the School Sisters of Notre Dame would be like one hundred and fifty years from now in 2159, when none of us will be here, he urged them to be confident in God’s abiding presence. He urged them to face the challenges and the uncertainties of the future with hearts full of faith and hope. “Go forward, heeding the words of the Blessed Mother found in your own constitution. ‘Do whatever Jesus tells you to do!’ No matter what, ‘Do whatever Jesus tells you to do!”