Sisters of the Holy Cross mark beatification of founder

photos courtesy of Holy Cross Sisters

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In recognition of the Sept. 15, 2007, beatification of Father Basil Moreau, founder of the Congregations of the Holy Cross Fathers, Sisters, and Brothers, Sisters of the Holy Cross in service in the Diocese of Salt Lake City are present at a prayer service (above) on the day of the beatification held at the Pieta on the grounds of Skaggs Catholic Center, Draper. The statue was dedicated to the Holy Cross Sisters. Pictured are Sister Celine Dounies, Amanda Roth (candidate), Sisters Jacinta Millan, Yvonne Hatt, Miriam Joanne Frankenfield, Martha Ann Norwood, and Joseph Cecile Voelker. The Sisters of the Holy Cross also had a tree planted at Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery. Pictured from left to right are Candidate Amanda Roth, Sisters Catherine Kamphaus, and Bernadette Mulick during a prayer service to bless the tree. At center, the plaque installed at the foot of the tree honoring the beatification of Fr. Moreau. According to Bernice Maher Mooney’s "Salt of the Earth: The History of the Catholic Diocese in Utah 1776-1987," Sisters of the Holy Cross arrived in the diocese from St. Mary’s, Ind., in 1875 at the request of Father (later Bishop) Lawrence Scanlan. They established St. Mary’s Academy and Holy Cross Hospital in 1875, and St. Joseph’s School for Boys the fallowing year. In 1885, Fr. Scanlan would open All Hallows College for Men. On their arrival in Salt Lake City, the sisters lived in the Marshall home, once owned by Judge Thomas Marshall and his wife, Sarah. The Marshall’s only child, Nannie, was the first pupil enrolled in the sisters’ school. In a letter to the Propagation of the Faith dated Nov. 16, 1875, Bishop Scanlan said, "The Sisters of the Holy Cross, came prepared to encounter and if possible to surmount every obstacle: and hence without losing a moment brooding over the hardships and crosses and suffering that stared them in the face, they at once set themselves to the unpleasant work of collecting funds wherewith to make a commencement." In 1880, he reported, "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 time and prominence to our cause than we priests could have done in many years of hard work."

photos courtesy of Holy Cross Sisters