Holy Cross History Conference: 133 years of service
SALT LAKE CITY — The twenty-seventh annual conference on the history of the Congregation of Holy Cross opened June 12 with a Mass in the chapel that once served as the chapel at Holy Cross Hospital – now Salt Lake Regional Hospital. The chapel filled early for the 6:30 p.m. Mass - Sisters and staff from Holy Cross Ministries came. Holy Cross sisters serving in other ministries in the Diocese of Salt Lake City came. Lay women who trained as nurses at Holy Cross Hospital years ago, and people who have been touched by Holy Cross Sisters over the 133 years they have been in service in the Diocese of Salt Lake City all came. Holding the history conference in Utah was meant to honor those 133 years of service. The Mass was celebrated by Holy Cross Father Jim Connelly, president of the Holy Cross History Association, and was concelebrated by Diocesan Vicar General J. Terrence Fitzgerald, a presenter at the conference, and Father Matthew Wixted, pastor of St. Marguerite’s Parish, Tooele, and for years a chaplain at Holy Cross Hospital. "We are here this evening in Thanksgiving for all who have been touched by Holy Cross – the donors, the sisters, the brothers, and the fathers," said Fr. Connelly. "This is an historic occasion, and for most of us this is the first time we’ve been in this chapel in many years," said Msgr. Fitzgerald. Fr. Connelly, a professor of history at the University of Portland, Ore., said when Jesus spoke of being the vine, and everyone else being the branches, "He is telling us we need to do things differently," and that means making changes in Holy Cross institutions. "Years ago we did things in specific ways. They worked then, but they don’t work now in this day of fewer members. The branches remain attached to the vine. "The hundreds of Holy Cross sisters who worked here in Utah bore much fruit, and we give thanks to the Lord for each and every one of them. Even through the trials and tribulations and the sadnesses of a Catholic hospital. But there was great satisfaction. "There is great satisfaction in the many works they have undertaken today. We are expected to stay attached to the vine and we are still expected to bear much fruit." On the following two days, at the Red Lion Hotel, a series of talks were offered, including "Reflections by Alumnae of Holy Cross Hospital Nursing School" by Jessie Embry; "An Overview of the Sisters of the Holy Cross in Utah," by Msgr. J. Terrence Fitzgerald; "How, Why, and When the Sisters Came to Utah," by Holy Cross Sister Mary Jeanne Finske; "We’ll Find a Place: Mormon History and Teaching," by Jessie Embry; "Catholic - Mormon Relations in Utah in the 19th and 20th Centuries," by Dr. Fred Woods; "Sisters of the Holy Cross and Orphans," by Holy Cross Sister Kathryn Callahan; "Creating a Coordinate College for Women at St. Edward’s University," by Dr. Kathleen Wilburn; "Revisiting the Life and Death of Holy Cross Father Richard Novak," by Mary Ann Novak; "Holy Cross in the Province of Alberta," by Holy Cross Father Wilfrid Murchland. "Sisters of the Holy Cross in Park City" by Holy Cross Sister Mary Ann Pajakowski and the Park City Historical Society was presented at Old St. Mary’s Church Hall in Park City. In "The Sisters of the Holy Cross in Utah 1875-2008, Msgr. Fitzgerald traced the history of the Diocese of Salt Lake City from 1873, when Archbishop Alemany of San Francisco assigned Father Lawrence Scanlan as the first pastor of the Utah Territory... "probably the largest parish in the United States, 150,000 square miles that included all of Utah and seven counties of eastern Nevada." Fr. Scanlan was soon joined by Father Denis Kiely of San Francisco. "It was the Holy Cross Sisters who soon joined Frs. Scanlan and Kiely in Utah," Msgr. Fitzgerald said. "Shortly after his 1873 arrival Fr. Scanlan wrote to Holy Cross Father Edward Sorin, founder of Notre Dame University and director general of the American Sisters of the Holy Cross, requesting sisters for Utah. Although they were not yet serving in the west, Fr. Sorin responded quickly. Mother Augusta Anderson, who would serve three years in Utah and eventually be elected Mother General of the Order, and Sister Raymond Sullivan, who would serve 17 years in Utah soon arrived. Fr. Scanlan purchased land for the first school and raised $25,000 for its construction while the two sisters made plans to establish Holy Cross Hospital and Saint Mary’s Academy, later to become Saint Mary of the Wasatch on the east bench of Salt Lake." Making use of maps, Msgr. Fitzgerald revealed each of the institutions begun by the Holy Cross Sisters, the years they were begun and the number of sisters who served there. The institutions included: • Holy Cross Hospital, Salt Lake City, 1875-1994 and the School of Nursing 1901-1973 (274 Sisters) • Saint Mary’s Academy, Salt Lake City, 1875 -1926 and Saint Mary of the Wasatch 1926-1970 (380 Sisters) • Saint Joseph School for Boys 1879-1903 • Sacred Heart Academy, Ogden 1878-1938 (164 Sisters) • Saint John’s Hospital, Silver Reef 1879-1885 (10 Sisters) • Saint Joseph’s School, Ogden 1881-1986 (114 Sisters) • Saint Mary’s School, Park City 1882-1933 (65 Sisters) 1887 - Father Lawrence Scanlan named Bishop of Vicariate • Saint Lawrence Hospital, Ogden 1887-1889 (10 Sisters) 1891 - Diocese of Salt Lake erected; Fr. Scanlan made Bishop • Kearns-St. Ann Orphanage, Salt Lake City, 1891-1953 (107 Sisters) • Saint Joseph’s School, Eureka, 1891-1941 (68 sisters) 1915 - Death of Bishop Scanlan • Judge Memorial Grade School 1920 and Judge Memorial High School 1927 - 1992 (110 Sisters) • Cathedral Parish Grade School 1949-1970 (49 Sisters) • Bishop Glass Grade School, Salt Lake City 1955-1987 (55 Sisters) • Diocesan Pastoral Center, Salt Lake City 1980-present (4 Sisters) • Holy Cross Center, Cedar City 1981-1986 (5 Sisters) • Peace House, Richfield 1983-1986 (4 Sisters) • Holy Cross Ministries, Salt Lake City, 1994-present (4 Sisters) In addition, individual Holy Cross Sisters served at: The Skaggs Catholic Center, Draper; Christ the King Parish, Cedar City; Blessed Sacrament School, Sandy; Our Lady of Lourdes School, Salt Lake City; Saint Joseph Parish, Ogden; Saint Thomas Aquinas Parish and Newman Center, Logan; Newman Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City; and Guadalupe Early Learning Center, Salt Lake City. Msgr. Fitzgerald quoted the 1941 foreword to the "Centenary Chronicles of the Sisters of the Holy Cross," by Bishop John J. Mitty, Archbishop of San Francisco, previously the third bishop of Utah, as he described the early days: "In 1875 the Mormon territory of Utah, with its 10 Catholic families was part of the far flung Archdiocese of San Francisco. Caring for the Catholic people in this outpost of the Archdiocese was an intrepid priest, Lawrence Scanlan. To aid in his work for souls he called the Sisters of the Holy Cross from Notre Dame, Indiana. From the June day in 1875, when two sisters arrived in Salt Lake City until today, the sisters have transmitted their message of knowledge, of culture, of charity, and of faith to the people of the mission diocese of the west." "Within seven years," Msgr. Fitzgerald said, "by 1882, 42 sisters joined the two priests in this Mormon stronghold. Thirteen were assigned to Holy Cross Hospital and 29 to Saint Mary’s Academy. "In his 1881 letter to Rome, Fr. Scanlan wrote: ‘Six years ago, there was no sister here; now there are over 40 and still they come. These sisters have done more to remove prejudice and give tone and prominence to our case than we priests could have done in many years of hard work.’" Msgr. Fitzgerald continued: "The numbers and longevity of the Holy Cross Sisters brought stability to Utah’s missionary effort. Records provide the names of 1,374 different Holy Cross Sisters who served in this diocese over the past 132 years, of whom I have known 144. Over 100 were missioned here for a second or third time. Forty-eight native Utah women entered the Holy Cross Community. For 93 sisters, our Mount Calvary Cemetery was their last earthly assignment." The length of assignments insured stability for Utah, Msgr. Fitzgerald said. At Salt Lake’s Holy Cross Hospital Sister Consuelo Hoffelder remained 49 years; Sister Pancratus Murphy 48; Sister Edwin Morris, 44; Sister Luella Kelly, 40; Sister Visitation Gannon 37; Sisters Sebastian Aaron and Ignatia O’Connor, 35. Numerous other sisters remained 25 or 35 years at the hospital. "Two hundred and seventy-four different sisters served for over 119 years at Salt Lake’s Holy Cross Hospital and School of Nursing... The sisters were pioneers in caring for those with contagious diseases, more recently, those with AIDS."
© Copyright 2024 The Diocese of Salt Lake City. All rights reserved.
Stay Connected With Us