Who We Are

Journey Back in Time

Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill who live and minister in southwestern Pennsylvania will travel to Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona, this Fall to celebrate the 75th anniversary of our ministry in the west. This month’s “From the Archives” provides a glimpse of what it was like for our sisters to make those early journeys to Arizona in the 1930s and 1950s.

Sister James Marie Malone writes about the journey in 1933: “By late August half of the assigned Sisters left by train for Arizona (Sister Emily Miller, Sister Cecilia Vincent McCarthy, Sister Francis Mary Coleman, and Sister Rose Catherine Ward). A few days later Mother Eveline Fisher accompanied Sister Emily, Sister Cecilia Vincent, Sister Francis Mary, and Sister Rose Catherine on their western trip.” Mother Eveline only went as far as Tucumcari, New Mexico. She spent several days to check the conditions of Sister Beatrice Gority and Sister Zita Ryan who were hospitalized due to a train wreck on their way from vacation in California in which several [passengers] were killed as a bridge collapsed sending several cars into flood waters. As the four additional sisters (Sisters Ermanilda Knepley, Estelle Hensler, Mary Inez Clark, and James Marie Malone) continued on their journey, Mother Eveline drove to the scene of the accident and watched as the train carrying Tucson-bound Sisters Ermanilda, Estelle, Mary Inez, and James Marie crept slowly over the re-built bridge. Fortunately, no further tragedy ensued.”

In June of 1955 in the St. Peter and Paul Convent Annals:
“On June 20, thirty-five sisters from the various Arizona missions were driven to Seton Hill in a special Greyhound bus. The experiment proved exciting. They left at 11:30 (MST) Monday and arrived at Greensburg at 2:30 a.m. (EST) Thursday.”

August, 1958: “We stood outside the Administration Building as more than 30 sisters boarded the bus. All look bright and eager. There was much waving and singing. The Junior Professed sisters who were staying the East sang a parody to their departing sisters as the bus pulled out of the driveway.”

1957 Annals of St. John the Evangelist Convent Tucson read, “August 23. The bus arrived from Seton Hill at Saints Peter and Paul Convent at 10 p.m. with 39 weary, but happy, Sisters. Father J. Burns and Mr. Harry Harrison were waiting to take the Sisters missioned to St. John’s. Father Murphy was at the door of the new convent to greet us. There were many exclamations as we had a guided tour of our beautiful new home. . . . You may be sure it wasn’t long until we were all in our beds, tucked snugly under a blanket in spite of the Tucson heat, as the new refrigeration system was certainly doing just what its name implies.”

The chartered bus trips of the 1950s are the topics of many conversations as sisters reminisce.

“As I recall we got $10 to buy food along the way.”

“We loved to sing, ‘Shine Glorious Sun’ as we rode along.”

“We received special permission to use the microphone on the bus to recite community prayers and the rosary together. We sang and harmonized with hymns and old songs.”

The last of the chartered bus trips ended with the return of the Sisters to Seton Hill the summer of 1959. The younger sisters of those days traveled by bus in two groups with permission to spend one night of the journey in a motel in Joplin, Missouri, before completing their journey.

Today, 17 sisters minister in the West, carrying on the tradition of these hardy, pioneer sisters.

To learn more about the Western Missions of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill and the 75th anniversary of our Western Missions, watch for the August issue of Celebration. Also, please return to this web page as we will continue to highlight our 75th Anniversary in Arizona through the next few months. 

Interested in Visiting the Archives?

The Archives is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Members of the Archives staff are happy to give tours and to assist persons interested in research. For others who are unable to visit during regular hours, Sister Louise Grundish, S.C., Archivist, will be happy to set up an appointment at a convenient time.   For information or appointments call: 724-853-7948, ext. 126