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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
MAY 22, 1937 ...
First Ursulines Came to S, Carolina in 1834
NUNS WERE INVITED
TO COME TO STATE
BY BISHOP ENGLAND
; Their Work Has Arisen
j ; Triumphant Over Ravages
i of War, Fire and Earth
quake
i‘ In May, 1834, the Rt. Rev. John
• England, first Bishop of Charleston,
brought over from Blackrock Con
vent, County Cork, Ireland, a colony
of Ursuline Nuns of the Congregation
of Paris, and established them in
Charleston.
They were Mother Charles Moloney,
first Superioress, Mother Borgia Mc
Carthy, second Superioress Mother
Antonio Hughes, Mother Joseph
■ Wotilfe, who came over as a postu
lant and was the first novice received
' and professed in the Diocese of
■ Charleston. Later, the Bishop brought
over Sister M. de Sales Coleman and
; ’Sister M. Ursula Dignam,, postulants,
j i Two years afterwards, Miss Nora Eng-
i •' land, niece of Bishop England, entered
i: the convent, receiving the name, Sis-
i ■ ter M. Augustine. In their thirteen
j: years’ stay in South Carolina ■ they
■ wrought much for Catholic education.
; In 1847, Bishop Reynolds having suc
ceeded Bishop England, then dead,
: circumstances compelled the Usulines
; to withdraw from the diocese. The
original Mothers; returned to Black-
' rock Convent, Ireland, while the oth-
} ers entered other houses in America,
the majority going to Cincinnati, O.,
and later to St. Martin’s, Brown
County, Ohio. Bishop Reynolds later
urged them to return to Charleston,
: and in his last illness, charged the
; Rev. Dr. P. N. Lynch, “whom he had
= recommended as his successor in the
t See of Charleston, to bring the Ursu-
: lines back into the Diocese.
’ After his installation as Bishop of
r Charleston, Dr. Lynch visited the
(t Convent at St. Martin’s,' Boone Coun-
i ty, Ohio, soliciting the return of the
; South Carolina nuns. Meanwhile,
: Miss Ellen Lynch, a-sister of Bishop
i Lynch, having entered the Order and
.been professed as Sister Mary Bap-
"tista, was a member of the Brown
‘County Community. Mother Baptista
.’Lynch, Mother Ursula Dignam, and
‘Mother Augustine England, with Sis-
jter Agnes Coffey, Sister Martha
Lamb, and Sister Loretta Morin, were
5 chosen to form the new colony; Moth-
?er Baptista Lynch being appointed
Superioress, Columbia was selected as
’.the home of this second foundation,
and the nuns arrived in Columbia
September 1, 1858.
; The Academy was opened Septem
ber 15, 1858, and before the dose of
.’the second semester it became evi
dent that a larger building must be
■procured before the opening of a new
^scholastic year,. ;■ .. •
The American hotel, at the inter
section of Main (then Richland) and
B landing streets wlas offered at pub
lic sale and a friend purchased it for
; Bishop Lynch. The nuns bought it
' from the Bishop, paying $1,600 in cash
and a balance of $3,000 in install
ments, clearing the debt in a very
short time.
The passage of the Act of Secession
, extended the sphere of the Ursulines.
. Parents withdrew their children from
Northern convents, and placed them
in the Columbia convent. Other pu
pils came there for safety from the
floating, demoralizing society induced
by war.
On February 17,1865, General Sher
man’s army entered Columbia. About
noon, a Federal cavalry officer rode
up to the convent and asked to see
the Mother Superior, to whom he in
troduced himself as Major Fitz Gib
bons, a Catholic, and offered any ser
vice he as an individual could ren-
■ der. The Reverend Mother declined,
i thanking him for the offer. He said,
i “Columbia is a doomed city; at least,
! that is the talk of the army; and I
I do not know if a house will be left
! standing.”
; Such an announcement startled the
i Superioress; yet she and her com-
j panion answered that such threats
i could not apply to the convent since
'General Sherman had given a patron
of the institution the assurance that
her daughter, a pupil, was in a place
of safety.
“Of course, replied Major Fitz Gib
bons, “I do not say the convent will
be burned; such a thing would hap
pen only by accident—but we all
know what accidents are.’
i Major FitzGibbons returned later
/and placed a guard of seven federal
soldiers tp protect the convent.
Scarcely had the nuns given sup
per to the seven guardsmen when the
alarm of fire was given. From the
windows the nuns saw the'city toward
'the south blazing. Father McNeal
called to remove the Blessed Sacra
ment.
• Parents came ..running for their
(children, yet knew not where to take
them for safety. The clanger became
so imminent and the crowds of sol
diers so great that pupils and the
jyounger sisters were given bundles
< jof clothing, and were marshaled into
(line as for a promenade. At a signal
•given by Mother Superior, they
‘marched quietly out. Father O’Con-
jnell accompanied them to tile Cath
olic Church. About midnight, by the
Ursuline Convent and Academy, Columbia
PAINTING OF CHURCH
PAID FOR BY GUILD !
light of the fast approaching flames,
the destruction of the convent began.
Heavy flakes of fire were falling
over the premises. As the Sisters
stood bewildered, not knowing their
own city, a gentleman cn horseback
called, “Follow me, Sisters, I will
lepd you to safety”. As they follow
ed, sparks fell so fast on and about
them that holes were burned in
their veils and cloaks. In a short
while, however, they were with the
Sisters in the churchyard.
The morning of February 18, 1865,
dawned upon the group of nuns arid
children—cold, hungry, and home
less. They were given temporary
refuge in tile Methodist college, aft
er which General Sheririan gave
them the choice of any 'home in Co
lumbia. They chose General Pres
ton’s mansion.
.Mother Etienne Vassas was placed
in charge. of this house, where she
cared for the invalid sisters; wltile
the Mother Superior with the pupils
and their teachers remained at the
college (now Colonial Hotel) till the
surrender of General Lee and the
return, of families to their homes.
.In May, 1865, General Preston and
his family returned. Mother Etienne
and her charges left the mansion and
rejoined their companions in the
Methodist College.
In the later part of August, they
were notified they must leave the
college by September 1. They had no
place to look for shelter. Day after
day, they vainly sought a residence
for themselves and the thirty pu
pils still with them. A little later
they found means of sending the pu
pils to their homes; and acting on ad
vice of Dr. Lynch and other good
friends, they went to “Valle Crucis,”
a country seat belonging to Bishop
Lynch, who was then in Rome, and
situated about three miles from the
city.
Later the nuns bought “Valle Cru
cis;” .and there under difficulties
and privations that would adorn the
annals of missions in pagan lands,
the nuns continued their ; work of
education with the heroism of true
missionaries for 22 years. .!
The Bishop returned from Rome in
December, and at once did all he
could for the Ursulines. In January,
1866, Rev. Father W. O. Merriwether
was appointed chaplain, and took up
his residence in a cottage on the
grounds some distance from the
convent. For twenty years, this ad
mirable priest filled zealously the
posts of chaplain and temporal man
ager for the convent, conducting
with executive ability the affairs of
the large farm of “Valle Crucis”,
while giving every spirtual aid to
the nuns and their pupils.
The death of Bishop Lynch in Feb
ruary, 1882, filled every heart at
“Valle Crucis” with sorrow. The
transfer of Rt. Rev. H. P. Northrop
from the Vicariate of North Carolina
to the See of .Charleston revived the
hope and coinage of the nuns.
In January, 1886, Father Merri
wether left Valle Crucis finally to
carry out his long cherished design
of entering the Jesuit novitiate.
On the night of August 31. 1886,
Valle Crucis was violently shaken
by the memorable earthquake of that
year, but no one was hurt; nor did
the buildings bear any serious in
jury.
After the earthquake they return
ed to the City. They purchased the
Preston mansion. Here they held
their school three years. This place
proving unsuited to their needs, the
nuns sold it to the Presbyterians
and purchased lots adjoining the
Catholic Church property on Assem
bly Street. In February, 1890, they
moved into the convent newly built
on these lots; and there they still
carry on their work.
The Ursuline Academy is now an
accredited high school for girls, both
day and boarding pupils.
The Ursulines also conduct St
Peter’s elementary and high school
for girls and boys.
St. Peter’s School of Nazareth was
opened in September, 1872, in a small
house on West Taylor Street. St. Pe
ter’s elementary and high school now
occupies a handsome building on the
lot between St. Peter’s Church and
the Ursuline Academy, having open
ed there in October, 1919; Both the
Ursuline Nuns Are Affiliated
With Louisville Community
Mother Clare Agnes Maguire, Superioress at Columbia,
Golden Jubilarian, Was Once Youngest Sister at
Famed Valle Crucis There
The recent affiliation with the Ur
sulines of Louisville; Ky., has greatly
enlarged the scope of educational ac
tivities of the time-honored Ursuline
Convent and Academy of Columbia.
Rich in historical background, and
ever keeping alive the traditions of
St Angela, Foundress, the nuns and
their schools, whether academic or
parochial, have always been outstand
ing for cultural, ethical and scholarly
attainment
MOTHER CLAIRE AGNES MA
GUIRE, superioress, celebrated the
Golden Jubilee of her religious pro
fession last summer. She happily links
the past with the present. Enviable
claim can she lay to having been the
acdemy and St. Peter’s school are do
ing great good for the youth of Co
lumbia, Catholic and non-Catholic.
youngest Sister at Valle Crucis, and
now the only one surviving to relate
its joys and beauties. Ever young in
heart and spirit and endowed with
an erudition rich and varied, her in
fluence is far-flung, transcending the
convent and school, broadening out
into the lives and homes of many.
Through her instrumentality, has the
present affiliation with the Louisville
community been effected.
The Louisville Community numbers
approximately 500 memebrs. All school
work from college to kindergarten
comes under their domain, and
branch houses are established in va
rious states. The Reverend Mother
Petra, Superioress of the Mother
House, has recently favored the Co
lumbia convent with a two-weeks’
visit. Gifted with deep religious fer
vor and, like another St. Teresa, with
wonderful business acumen, she en-
Mrs. L. W. Pitts President
of Active St. Peter’s Group
The major activities of St. Peter’s
Guild, St Peter’s Church, Columbia,
S. C., have been a Fall Festival, p
dance which netted $123.00, a Bridgie
Tournament which netted $156.00, and
various small Bridge Tournaments,
and rummage sales, etc., which were
given to pay for the painting of the
interior of the church, and for new
floor covering for the church. The
cost of the painting of the church was
$1,600.00, for which fhe Guild has paid
in full; the floor covering cost $2,250,
for which the Guild has made a pay
ment of $1,125 to date.
At the annual meeting of the Guild
held in March, the following officers
were elected. Mrs. L. W. Pitts, presi
dent; Mrs. A. C. Doyle, vic^-president-
Mrs. J. C. Roberts, Secretary and
Mrs. Mark McDonald, treasurer.
Leaders of circles are Mrs. E. O. Con-
non and Mrs. Frank Maher. A lovely
tea was given at the home of Mrs. .'V
C. Doyle on Senate Street, in honor
of our former president, Mrs. J. Cos
tello, who has recently moved away
from Columbia. A gift of a beautiful
silver dish was given by the Guild as
a parting gift.
visions a splendid future for the Uij-
suline schools in Columbia. i
Compliments
Murtiashaw’s
Shoe Repair Shop j
Columbia, S. C.
Life begins
at FORTY
<HpHE first issue of THE
I COLUMBIA RECORD was
printed 40 years ago this month.
At the 40th milestone THE
RECORD wears its years light
ly. We feel that these are good
times to live in. We look forward
confidently to a greater Colum
bia and to a future that will offer
us opportunities for public ser
vice as yet unsuspected.
feiablkbed April 25, 1897