Jewels from Jane,June 19

"Archbishop Kenrick had a fatherly interest in the Sisters of St. Joseph and was always concerned about their welfare. He had encouraged sending sisters from Carondelet to other dioceses, but as time passed he favored stabilizing and strengthening the congregation by means of an approved central government. He felt that the ties of friendship and loyalty among the various houses needed the seal of authority. In 1856 Father August S. Paris, C.M., the spiritual father of the community at Carondelet, made a trip to Europe and found that the superiors in France favored an independent American government. Mother Celestine planned a general visitation of all the American missions in order to secure the cooperation of the sisters and bishops involved. However, before these plans could be carried out, she died, on June 7, 1857.

"At the election of a new superior, Mother Seraphine Coughlin, superior in St. Paul, was chosen; but on the plea of poor health and inability, she asked to be relieved. Her request was seconded by the petition of Monsignor Augustine Ravoux, administrator of the diocese of St. Paul. Upon the authority invested in him as ecclesiastical superior, Archbishop Kenrick then appointed Mother St. John Facemaz in her stead. [This took place on June 19, 1857, 10 days after the interment of Mother Celestine.] The new superior possessed shrewd business instinct together with a talent for organization. Since her arrival in 1854 from Annecy, France, she had been closely associated with Mother Celestine, and at the time of her appointment was a member of the council at the motherhouse and had been actively engaged in the plans for the adoption of a general government."

from Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet by Sister Dolorita Marie Dougherty

Jewels from Jane, February 5

On February 5, 1845 the third mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph in America - St. Joseph school for Negro Girls - was started. Father Augustus Paris founded the school with full approval of Bishop Peter Kenrick, the new bishop of St. Louis. There, Sisters St. John Fournier, Antoinette Kincaid and St. Protais Deboille taught the basic course as well as French and embroidery. They eventually had a hundred students, without counting the children of slaves who came in the afternoons and on weekends for catechetical instruction. Sister St. John Fournier described the short history of the school saying:

"The first mission in St. Louis [was] a school for liberated Negroes. Obedience sent me there with two other sisters. We also prepared slaves for the reception of the sacraments, and this displeased the whites very much.

"After some time, they threatened to have us put out by force. The threats were repeated every day. Finally, one morning as I was leaving the church, several people called out to me and told me that they were coming that night to put us out of the house. I said nothing to the sisters, and was not afraid, so great confidence had I in the Blessed Virgin! I put some miraculous medals on the entrance gate and on the fences (we already had them on all doors and windows of the house). At eleven o'clock, the sisters woke with a start when they heard a loud noise. Out in the street was a crowd of people crying out and cursing. We recited together the Memorare and other prayers. Suddenly, the police patrol came and scattered those villains who were trying to break open the door. They returned three times that same night, but our good Mother protected us and they were not able to open the door from the outside nor to break it down....

"The day after our adventure, the Mayor of St. Louis advised Bishop Kenrick to close that school for a time and he did so."

Letter from Sister St. John Fournier