USA > California > Alameda County > Oakland > Silver jubilee memorial Convent of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Oakland, Cal., 1868-1893 > Part 1
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SITATIS
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BANCROFT LIBRARY
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51359 (Bancroft Library
Oakland Calif Comment of 0 Lady of the Sacred Heart, Silver jubilee memoria
0 Pupila e
always Loved, always Welcome, Always Kindly Remembered, 3
We Dedicate This Jubilee
18681-1893.
TAYLOR COL . AUG. 1940
FIRST GLIMPSE OF CALIFORNIA FROM STEAMER "GOLDEN AGE," 1868
1 reface
This little Memorial commends itself to the pupils of the Con- vent of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in their moments of pleasant retrospection. Pursuing the paths and by-paths of years, culling here and there a flower of perfumed memory, it will lend a charm we trust, to their leisure hours, while it cannot fail to interest those who have seen their Alma Mater's young and vigorous life culminate in a grand Jubilee demonstration.
No event of the past is fraught with keener emotions or purer joys than a visit to the old homestead, dim as the dear old relic may appear in the twilight of receding years. So a ramble through our school days is attended with a corresponding degree of pleasure, blurred though our favorite pictures are, by the cares and anxieties of life, or by the shadows of time, which are lengthening and deep- ening.
But lo ! a flash from memory's sun-and the whole scene is aglow-radiant with light, color and beauty. There are joys and / sorrows, struggles and defeats, high aims and lofty endeavors-here, a wise counsel, which like a golden thread, has woven itself into our years. Now, a hallowed life, which has set its seal upon our own, again, an influence, whose power for good is abiding.
Friends outside the school circle, of whose names we are justly proud, have come into this memory banquet, and graced the board by their genial sympathy, their beauty of speech, and melody of song. We value the contribution, both for its intrinsic worth and for the gracious kindness which suggested it.
We leave you, therefore, dear pupils, in communion with this messenger of pleasant souvenirs, trusting to the generosity we have so well known in the past, that you will take it to your hearts in kindly approval, and still more kindly welcome.
Convent of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Oakland, Cal. Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, 1893.
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Introduction
A. M. D. G.
On October 6, 1811 at St. Antoine on the river Chambly in Can- ada, a little girl was born to Sir Oliver Durocher. She was baptized the same day and called Eulalia. God had destined this child to be a vessel of election to carry His name and His holy truth to many. From early childhood she heard in the depths of her soul, the whis- perings of the Holy Spirit urging her to consecrate herself to God's service. Faithful to grace and ever anxious to obey these promptings to higher things, she made repeated efforts to enter several different religious Sisterhoods ; but insuperable obstacles always arose to bar her entrance. These disappointments did not dishearten her, nor cool her ardent yearning for self immolation to God's glory. - They served rather to increase that lofty aspiration to detach her heart from everything earthly and to purify its affections.
God's ways are always wise, though not always obvious to ordi- nary souls : but Eulalia Durocher was not an ordinary soul. All indeed seemed dark, yet like all great minds inspired by God to do great things for Him, she trusted and waited. She believed that the Holy Spirit who filled her heart with such noble desires would in His own time and own way show her how to accomplish them.
Having chosen for confessor the Rev. Father Telmont, an Oblate Father of Mary Immaculate, she opened her soul to him; and under his enlightened direction, she at last learned God's designs toward her. She would indeed consecrate herself to God's service, but, it would be in a Congregation of which she would be the foundress.
The Oblate Fathers at Longueuil, were men full of zeal for souls and for the welfare of Holy Church. They gave Missions at this
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time throughout Canada ; and in their extensive journeys they saw with much pain, the need of a superior teaching body for girls and young women. Many of the poor were very ignorant ; and the ed- ucation given even to the richer classes was totally insufficient for the rising generation, living among a people either hostile to the Church or totally indifferent to the teachings of religion. These zealous men sought a remedy for this great evil by introducing from France, the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. Negotiations to this end were opened with the Mother Superior in France ; but they came to nothing.
Father Telmont who had wished to send his penitent to that congregation, now felt inspired to organize herself and companions, Mélodie Dufresne and Henriette Céré, into a religious Community. He did so, and sent them to Longueuil, where Father Honorat was Superior of the Oblates ; and Father Honorat himself became the first Superior, and Father Allard, first Chaplain and Novice Master and teacher of the young Community.
Earnestly and faithfully Father Allard trained them to solid virtue and true perfection ; till having been transferred to Ottawa, and later consecrated Bishop, he was sent to Natal, in South Africa. He labored there till old age forced him to seek a rest. Providence called him to Rome, where he greatly aided his early penitents and novices whom he found seeking the approval of the Holy See for those very constitutions and rules in which he had so long instructed them. It was due to him that they were approved so soon.
It was on Nov. 1, 1843 that Eulalia Durocher, Mélodie Dufresne and Henriette Céré were formed into a religious Community by the permission and with the blessing of the Bishop of Montreal. After a year's instruction and probation, they pronounced their first vows, December 8, 1844 ; and in 1846, August 15th, they took per- petual vows. Eulalia Durocher became Sister Mary Rose; and when, elected Superior, she was called Mother Mary Rose, the title by which we shall henceforth know her. Her companions were named respectively, Sister M. Agnes, and Sister M. Madeleine.
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INTRODUCTION
The new Congregation had a lowly beginning, like all great bodies that have done much for the honor of God. Its first years were passed amid trials, difficulties and great tribulations. These were years of poverty, of suffering and of heroic endurance in the face of strong opposition, sometimes even from those consecrated to the same cause. The Mother House at Longueuil was very small, one room serving for dormitory, study-hall, work-room and a place of recrea- tion; another was used now as refectory and again as parlor. The chapel was 11 x 12 feet ; and its sole ornaments were a crucifix and a statue of the Blessed Virgin. In this house the Sisters kept, besides the infant community, seventeen boarders ; and so low were their finances, that in order to give the children enough to eat, the Sisters would deny themselves not only every luxury, but often the most ordinary food, their meals being often only potatoes and salt.
These privations were a source of real joy to the three brave women. Was not this the cross stamping their work ? And must not the Cross mark all of God's great works ? They were children of faith ; and they saw in these effects of poverty a sign of His love who chose to be born in a manger. Mother Rose knowing how God's children are purified and sanctified by sufferings, rejoiced in the depths of her great heart ; and throughout all these tribu- lations, she remained calm and happy. She looked beyond the breakers into the great future, and in strong hopeful words of prophecy spoke of the final success, spread and triumph of her children.
Not the least of the early trials of the Sisters was the death of Mother Rose, five years after her vows ; yet in that short time she had so imparted her spirit to her saintly companions and daughters that the Congregation scarcely felt her loss. She continued to live in Mother Agnes, Mother Madeleine, Mother Veronica and Mother Teresa. They had her strong faith and burning zeal for God's glory and the good of Holy Church. Very humble and mortified, totally forgetful of self, inflamed with ardent love of Jesus, whom they
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received almost daily in holy Communion, these noble souls carried on the work of their Mother. No sacrifice was too great, no labor too difficult when there was question of God's glory, and the salvation of souls. Nothing disheartened, nothing appalled them in their efforts to give a Christian education to those for whom Christ had died. Their hearts like that of Mother Rose went out to the little children of the land.
A three-fold blessing fell upon this rising Congregation. The first was its early poverty and consequent sufferings ; the second the union of mind and heart between the Foundress and her first com- panions who continued her work in the same spirit of faith and by the same lofty means ; the third, in the enlightened and zealous Spiritual Fathers whom God sent them ; viz : the saintly Bishop Allard, its first Novice Master and life-long friend ; Rt. Rev. Dr. Guigues, Bishop of Ottawa, whose devoted friendship and assistance it long enjoyed; and finally the venerable Archbishop Bourget, who during forty-two years was its father and constant protector. From the day he blessed the beginning of the Congregation in 1843 till his death in 1885, this great and wise prelate watched over all its affairs, gave it advice, assistance, counsel and protection. He was, in fact, a second founder.
The constitutions and rules received from the Sisters of the Holy Names in France were modified under his supervision so as to meet the wants and fit the circumstances of a new people and a new world ; and out of respect to those Sisters the same beautiful name was retained for this young American Congregation.
These constitutions as adopted by Mother Rose's Sisters are a masterpiece of religious legislation, and they display great spirit- ual foresight and an intimate knowledge of the wants of the people as well as the dangers to be met in supplying those wants.
The end proposed to one entering the Congregation is the loftiest possible-God's greater glory and the salvation of souls ; and the means by which this divine end must be ever and untir-
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INTRODUCTION
ingly sought, are at once most practical and truly wise, securing first the spiritual advancement and perfection of the religious, and yet urging her onward in procuring the salvation of others.
. They provide for the formation of thorough Christian teachers- heroic women whose time, strength, talents, zeal are all constantly directed to the one grand object. Hence the greatest discretion and prudence is demanded in admitting postulants to the Congregation; and when admitted, very great care in training them to be ideal teachers, religious, learned, apt. zealous-imbued not only with the true science of the saints, this is a sine qua non qualification, but also thoroughly instructed in all branches of learning.
If any have tastes and talents for special branches of science or art, they are assisted and urged to cultivate them. A mistress of studies chosen for her talents, learning and experience instructs the young teachers, and supervises their studies and reading ; and the rule imposes two hours of daily study upon all.
This constant attention to the education of the novices and their formation into intelligent and practical religious teachers, re- veals the secret of that marvellous success which has followed the labors of these ladies all over the country. The first teachers in the Congregation were of very superior order and highly cultured in the sciences ; and there have always been among them many gifted souls, eminent not only for virtue but also for their great knowledge and marked success in imparting their learning to children.
Mother Rose wished her daughters to strive to excel in all that goes to make à true teacher ; but they must be eminent for their knowledge of the Christian Doctrine and possess tact and skill in imparting it to others. In her visitations she was wont to impress this upon the minds of all ; and the children would say, " All she tells us is : 'Love God and learn your catechism.'"
The Sisters of the Holy Names must be not only learned, pains- taking teachers, their rules require them to be Apostles ; they must
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form their pupils into Christian women, into women of enlight- ened faith, of high principle, of angelic purity and true Christian charity : they will in the words of the rule, (chapter I, Art. II,) " inspire children with hatred of vice, desire of virtue and with the fear and love of God; " and lest the good seed sown so lovingly be de- stroyed or bring forth no fruit, the teachers must as far as possible watch with renewed care their pupils after they have left the school and gone forth amid the snares and dangers of the world.
Their rule bids them welcome these young souls seeking counsel or sympathy, and when possible to unite them into sodalities, to procure for them good reading and all healthful help and association. that may assist to bring to perfection the seed sown in the class-room. They must in the words of the rule, " Assiduously foster the growth of virtue in the souls of their pupils more particularly of those who having left school are engaged in active life." (Chap. II, Sec. 3.)
Though the primary object of the Congregation was the Chris- tian education of the children of the poor and middle classes, as is expressly stated in the constitutions; yet from the beginning, the Sisters have directed schools and academies for the higher studies suitable to young ladies, and in these Academies have been given courses in Belles-lettres, the sciences, music, etc., and those accom- plishments usual to a finished female education.
In 1863 the saintly Pius IX praised the labors of the Sisters of the Holy Names ; on Sept. 4, 1877, the Congregation was formally approved by the Holy See, and the constitutions, rules, etc., were approved by a Brief of Pope Leo XIII, dated Dec. 22, 1886.
Space does not permit us to dwell longer upon these admirable constitutions, nor to speak of the wise form of government they em- body. In reading them and above all in witnessing their applica- tion to the exigencies of the time, one discovers the over shadowing influence of those two master-minds, the gentle Bishop of Geneva, St. Francis de Sales, and the soldier of Loyola, St. Ignatius.
The early growth of the Congregation was slow and steady, yet
UNION S.E
BIRTHPLACE OF MOTHER ROSE, SAINT ANTOINE
MOTHER MARY ROSE, FOUNDRESS
FOUNDATION HOUSE, LONGUEUIL, P. Q.
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INTRODUCTION
with an energy indicative of its American origin, it pushed at once into the front rank. Beside teaching bodies venerable by their long and successful labors in educating the young, and in its subsequent labors throughout the Dominion of Canada and the United States, it has held its place with honor. This is due, after God's blessing upon their work, to the enlightened labors and wise administration of many gifted women whom God called to serve His cause of Christian education in the humble serge of a Sister of the Holy Names.
The Mother House and Novitiate at Longueuil were transferred in 1860 to Hochelaga, now a part of the city of Montreal. This is the residence of the Mother General and her assistants, and the chief Convent of this " Pious Congregation " to use the words of the Papal brief of 1886.
Since Pius IX blessed their work in 1863, the increase and spread of the Congregation have been very rapid ; and now it has Convents and Schools thoughout Canada and in many parts of the United States.
In Canada it has seventy-four Houses and directs thirty- two parochial schools, whilst in the United States there are seven- teen Houses and twenty-eight parochial schools. The pupils attending their Academies and schools number no less than fifteen thousand, and there are nearly three hundred sodalities under their care and direction.
However useful and pleasant it would be to follow the spread of the Congregation and to tell of its great work and triumphs in the cause of education, the limits assigned me warn me to confine my few words to their labors in our own State ; and from what we shall see accomplished here, we may form a fair judgment of their work in other spots favored by their presence.
Twenty-five years ago, on May 10, six Sisters of the Holy Names arrived in Oakland and took possession of a neat Convent building on Webster Street, and a few days later, they began teaching the
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classes in the parochial school at St. Mary's Church. Only one of that pioneer band remains in Oakland, viz. : Sister M. Celestine who now presides over the school in St. Frances de Sales' parish.
On May 31, the first pupil entered the boarding-school on Web- ster Street ; and this little school of the Convent of our Lady of the Sacred Heart has grown to be one of the finest female educational institutions west of the Rocky Mountains. Besides the great Acad- emy for young ladies, there is a large Novitiate and Convent, and each morning bands of teachers go forth to take charge of three large and flourishing parochial schools.
From this Community have been founded the Convent of the Holy Names in St. Joseph's parish, 10th Street, San Francisco, the Academy at Ramona in the South, and that at Spokane Falls in Washington. The six Sisters have increased to be one hundred and five ; and in the interval seventeen have fallen at their posts. Nigh seventeen hundred children are daily under their instruction, whilst all over the State are vast numbers of exemplary Christian maidens and mothers formed by their teaching.
With much reason may the citizens of Oakland pride them- selves on the stately Convent by the shore of Lake Merritt-a thing of beauty to the eyes of men, and a place of benediction in the sight of God. Twenty-five years ago this site was in the country, on one side was wild, brush-covered land that formed a cover for rabbit and quail ; on the other the hunter was lured along a silent shore by flocks of duck and snipe, mud hens and rail.
When in 1865 Rev. Michael King, Assistant Pastor at St. Pat- rick's in San Francisco, was appointed Pastor of Oakland, the whole population of the city did not exceed three thousand souls ; but the young Pastor with true foresight, divined the great future of the City of Oaks, and with characteristic prudence he at once began to prepare for that future. He wished to have the mothers of his par- ish, educated Christian women, wisely reflecting that if he could accomplish that, his work as pastor would redound to the glory of
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INTRODUCTION
God and to the spread of the Church. Happy that land whose mothers are truly Christian.
Whilst Assistant Pastor of St. Patrick's in San Francisco, Father King met Mother Teresa, Mother General of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. She was on her way to visit her Sisters in Oregon and had with her a number of Sisters going thither to teach. At the request of the late saintly Archbishop Alemany, he made arrangements with the Mother General for the foundation of a Convent of the Holy Names in San Francisco. The Mother General promised to send Sisters ; and they were appointed and pre- pared to come, but financial difficulties prevented His Grace from securing the ground for a Convent as he had wished, and hence their coming was postponed until a suitable place and buildings should be procured.
Father King, full of plans for his parish now bethought him of these Sisters awaiting the call of the Archbishop ; and he be- sought His Grace to waive his claim to them for San Francisco, and to allow them to go to Oakland. He pleaded so well that his petition was granted. The zealous Pastor at once took means to se- cure a lot suitable for a Convent and school buildings. This was not an easy task when money was wanting, and few shared his own ardent aspirations.
Father King had what was better than gold, a stout heart and a strong will with a great confidence in God, and trust in his own flock. Not a few perhaps thought him over sanguine. Why should such a small parish undertake such an extraordinary and expensive work ? Was not the Pastor asking too much ? Would not a more modest school do for many years to come ?
His Grace full of prudence wished him to buy a plot near the church ; but neither pecuniary difficulties, nor the prudent sugges- tions of the Archbishop, nor the thousand other obstacles that arose could check the ardor or change the broad views of Father King.
He ever looked into the great future of Oakland ; and he would
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build for that future. His choice of a site for the Convent was truly happy ; and it would be difficult to have made a better one. The land having been secured, the Convent building must be erected. It was here that Father King revealed his true character and proved that he knew the hearts of his people.
Having procured picks, shovels and a wheel-barrow, and having secured the co-operation of one of his parishioners, Father King with his friend repaired to the land purchased. They took off their coats and having traced the ground plan for a building 30 x 40, be- gan to dig the foundations of the first Convent of the Sisters of the Holy Names in California. The writer thinks a picture telling the story of this first day's work should adorn the Convent walls.
When the Catholics saw their Pastor pick in hand digging away like a common workman, their hearts were stirred and their better nature moved. Father King's Convent was not long building. His flock, charmed and completely won by his self devotion, soon put into his hands four thousand five hundred dollars ; and by May 1868 he had the building ready to receive Sister M. Salome and her five companions, the pioneer colony.
Every year since has witnessed the increase of that little colony, and widened the circle of their work. Pupils have come in numbers to enjoy the great advantages of their teach- ing ; and God has sent into their ranks many zealous, talented women, eager to serve God and instruct God's little ones under the banner of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary.
This increase in number enabled them to open other Convents and schools. Hence in August, 1871, as Father King in 1865 fore- told Archbishop Alemany, a colony went from Oakland to take possession of the Convent in St. Joseph's parish on 10th Street, San Francisco. Nine years later St. Lawrence parochial school, Temescal, fell under their care ; and on October 5, 1886, Sisters of the Holy Names were seen teaching in St. Rose's parochial school, San Fran- cisco. On July 15, 1887, we find them in charge of the parochial
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INTRODUCTION
school of St. Francis de Sales parish, Oakland. But the most im- portant foundation was that of a Convent at Ramona, Los Angeles County. The buildings were erected in 1889, and the Academy opened to pupils in 1890. Besides this wonderful expansion we must not forget the little colony sent all the way to Spokane Falls, Washington, from Oakland.
The little building erected by the zeal of Father King was soon so overcrowded that in 1873 a more commodious structure was built. This also proving inadequate for increasing wants, was so enlarged and repaired in 1885, as to make it one of the best ap- pointed and most elegant Academies west of the Rocky Mountains. In this same year also was completed a large and beautiful Chapel.
The increase in the number of members has been so gratifying that in 1892 a large Novitiate building was added to the Convent buildings. We must also notice the purchase of a farm near Hay- wards, upon which is a pretty incipient villa, called Our Lady's Nook, a country retreat for the convalescent and the much worked and weary teachers. Hither they go on vacation days to find rest, and new vigor for the long hours in class-rooms.
The first Superior, Sr. M. Salome now in Key West, Florida, was succeeded in a few months by Mother M. J. Baptist who governed the Convent of our Lady of the Sacred Heart during nine- teen years, with great ability and wonderful success. Mother Bap- tist was a remarkable woman of superior talents and great powers of administration. Full of the true spirit of her Pious Institute, zealous for God's glory and keenly alive to the importance of a true Catholic education, she threw her whole soul into the work given her Congregation. After God's blessing the great success of the Sisters of the Holy Names in California is due to the energy, good sense and tireless zeal of Mother M. J. Baptist. The happy results of her government in California pointed her out as a fit person to govern the whole Congregation ; and in 1886 she was elected Mother General.
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