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Gc 977.202 olls 1874182
M. L.
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02302 3952
HISTORICAL SKETCH
OF THE
CONVENT AND ACADEMY OF THE SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS IN OLDENBURG, INDIANA,
AND OF THE
WORK OF THEIR COMMUNITY IN THE UNITED STATES.
A SOUVENIR OF THE GOLDEN JUBILEE, CELEBRATED 1901.
OLDENBURG, IND. Published by the Community.
1901
1874182
NEW CONVENT BUILDING, FRONT VIEW. Donor: Mrs. L. Korte Moormann.
NEW CONVENT CHURCH. Donors: Misses M. and L. Dillhoff.
PREFACE.
OON after the foundation of the Convent and opening of the Academy, it was the privilege of the author of this sketch to dwell in the sacred pre- cincts, and to take part in the dear Sisters' trials and consolations. She therefore deems it a pleasant duty to offer them sincerest congratulations and the best wishes of a grateful heart on the auspicious occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the Community.
in token thereof, these reminiscences of the past five decades are dedicated. If these grateful memories contribute but a mite to the edification of the present generation of Sisters and pupils, the object of these pages shall have been attained and their purpose ac- complished.
Sincere thanks are due on the part of the writer, and are hereby cheerfully given, to the Sisters who so kindly placed for reference the Annals of the Com- munity at the disposal of
THE AUTHOR.
Feast of the Sacred Heart,
June, 1900.
TO MARY IMMACULATE, OUR MOTHER.
TO THE VENERABLE SISTERS WHO CHERISH THE MEMORY OF THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN CALLED TO THEIR REWARD, TO THE FRIENDS OF OUR YOUTH, THE PUPILS OF OLDENBURG ACADEMY, AND TO ALL, WHO HAVE, SHARED IN THE EXPERIENCES OF EARLY DAYS,
THESE PAGES ARE AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED BY ONE OF THEIR NUMBER.
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OUR FOUNDER
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We loved him for the life he led, The life of priest and saint ; 'Twas pure as morning's lily fair, Yea, free from worldly taint.
We loved him for his gentle smile That dried the sinner's tear ; We loved him for his kindly word, So full of hope and cheer.
He led us through the dark'ning gloom, A bright, resplendent star ; He led us to a brighter land, To dream of bliss afar.
He was "Our Priest "- his life was pure, With sanctity aglow; He taught us virtue, mercy, hope, Therefore we loved him so.
REV. FRANCIS JOSEPH RUDOLF.
ART FIRST.
1850-1860.
CHAPTER I.
Introduction .- Present Status of the Community .- Its Object, the Education of Youth .- Annual Return of the Sisters to the Mother-House.
HE parable of the mustard-seed may well be applied to the Oldenburg Community of Franciscan Sisters: "The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard-seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; which is the least indeed of all seeds; but when it is grown up, it is greater than all herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come, and dwell in the branches thereof." ( Matt. XIII., 31, 32.) Thus did our Divine Saviour illustrate the law according to which the natural and spiritual life is developed. The minute grain of seed which the husbandman entrusts to the kind bosom of mother Earth reposes quietly and securely, shielded from all adverse influence. Presently it is thrilled with organic life, an enliv- ening force bursts its bonds, and expanding its slender rootlets it firmly grasps the nurturing soil. It is greeted by the sun's life-giving rays; it unfolds its branches, leaves and blossoms appear, and at last golden fruit is the reward of the labor and patience expended.
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HISTORICAL SKETCH.
When we cast a retrospective glance at the establishment and progress of the Oldenburg Con- vent of Sisters of St. Francis, we shall find that Divine Providence has not departed, in its case, from this all-wise course. Arrived at the close of the first half century of its foundation, the future lies before us, a sealed book-a veiled vision. Let us, therefore, pause a while, and admiring the work of God as it is presented to our gaze, follow our guide through the sacred domain of memory.
Great, indeed, are the changes wrought since the first days of the Convent, but their very achievement demonstrates the wisdom and pru- dence of its Founders. The stately halls of to-day echo their names and are pervaded by their spirit.
The Oldenburg Community of Sisters of St. Francis of the Third Order Regular, now numbers about five hundred members. The Sisters conduct seventy-six parochial schools, one of them being assigned exclusively to colored children. Further- more, ten Academies are doing successful work in the field of higher education. The property of the Community consists of the mother-house, with four hundred acres of land, and twelve mission houses. The Convent never was the beneficiary of great legacies or charities. The object of the Institute is the education of youth; and whatever has been accomplished in the way of building and
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SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS, OLDENBURG, IND.
acquisition of property, is the result of the faithful adherence to the spirit of poverty, so earnestly inculcated by the Seraphic Founder. The surplus earnings of the Community were not, indeed, laid aside as a provision for the future, nor for personal nse, but devoted to the greater glory of God, and to the salvation of souls. Once only in their history did the Sisters have recourse to charity. When their first Convent building was destroyed by fire, the Most Rev. Archbishop Purcell of Cincinnati invited them to take up a collection throughout the archdiocese, of which kind permis- sion they gratefully availed themselves.
The Community is governed by a Superior General, each mission by a local superior. The annual vacation the Sisters spend in the Mother- house, at which time the spiritual exercises of a retreat are made in common.
The purpose of the following pages is to keep alive in the memory of the Sisters and their pupils, the numerous acts of self-denial, humility and obedience by which their predecessors laid deep and broad the foundations of the Com- mmmmity. If we ask : "Who built this house?" the answer is, "Poverty, charity and confidence in God." It is the tree grown from the mustard-seed, and after fifty years, expanding its branches far and wide, and bearing rich fruit in His honor to Whom alone honor is due.
CHAPTER 11.
Devoted Souls .- " My God and My All!"-The First Convent Building .- Toil and Poverty.
HIE ancient castles in Europe that rear their hoary walls on a solitary mountain's crest, or nestle in a secluded wooded valley, have, as a rule, an apartment devoted to the preservation of the portraits of the family's ancestors and other souvenirs dear for memory's sake. This apart- ment is a sanctuary wherein the household mem- bers enter with silent awe to dwell musingly on the achievements and experiences of former times.
The ancestors of the Oldenburg Sisters' Com- munity are those devoted souls who, fifty years ago, lived, labored and suffered in the spirit of their Holy Father, St. Francis. Retired from the world, unmindful alike of praise or censure, they made their own their Holy Founder's devise, "My God and My All!" They devoted their tinie, their toil and their poverty to the one grand work of saving souls, in accord with the object of their Institute. Silenced in death, they now rest from their labors,
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SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS, OLDENBURG, IND.
but their works are eloquent reminders of their deeds.
The first Convent building in Oldenburg was a primitive stone structure without pretension, what- soever, to architectural style or ornamentation. It was divided into cells for the Sisters, who devoted themselves to the service of God and the salvation of the little ones so dear to our Saviour's Heart. Its history is as simple as was its appearance.
CHAPTER IL.
The Rev. Francis Joseph Rudolf, Founder of the Com- munity and of the Convent .- His Arrival in America, and First Labors .- Arrival at Oldenburg. -Poor Condition of the Mission .- The First Parish School .-. I New Church .- Resolution to Build a Convent.
HE Founder of the Oldenburg Community of Sisters of St. Francis is the Rev. Francis Joseph Rudolf, of sainted memory. He was ordained priest, August 10th, 1839, at Strassburg, Alsace. While yet a student of theology, he had resolved to devote himself to the American mis- sions, but was induced to serve three years as curate in his native diocese. In 1842 he received his dimissory letters and started on his voyage to the United States. On the ocean he had twice the happiness of celebrating the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, at which, as he related later, he included all the souls that would ever be committed to his care. After his safe arrival at the port of New York, he made haste to report to his Ordinary, the Right Rev. Celestine de la Hailandière, Bishop of Vin- cennes, Indiana, who received him with paternal
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SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS, OLDENBURG, IND.
kindness, and appointed him pastor of Fort Wayne, Ind. There he labored faithfully until October 29th, 1844, when he was sent to Oldenburg to take charge of that congregation, which was composed almost exclusively of German immigrants who had settled in the farming districts of that neighbor- hood.
Though the young missionary had been inured to hardships of all kinds, and certainly did not expect a life of ease or worldly advantages, he was scarcely prepared for the privations awaiting him at Oldenburg. On his arrival, he found an unfin- ished log house which was called the "church," a log hut, which served him for a dwelling, and another intended for a school. These were the accommodations awaiting the zealous missionary at the place in which Providence had destined him to accomplish his life work. Who can describe his emotions on first beholding it !
Even then his penetrating mind had grasped the importance of the school question, which since that time has engaged the attention of Church and State. One of his first acts was the appoint- ment of a teacher to aid him in preparing the children of his parish for their first Communion. Under the circumstances, he could not expect to find a graduate of a normal college to take charge of the class, but deemed himself fortunate in find-
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HISTORICAL SKETCH.
ing a man willing and well instructed, and moreover of religious character, to act in the capacity of teacher. He took up quarters in a small room attached to the school house. The latter, however, was sadly in need of repairs to make it a fit habitation. The class comprised twenty children, fourteen of whom were to be prepared for first Communion. Their parents bad taught them their prayers, but the work of instruct- ing them for the most important act of their lives was by no means an easy one, as many of them were unable to read.
The school was opened, and a regular course of instruction outlined. The inhabitants of Oldenburg and the surrounding country were mostly Germans, but Father Rudolf was convinced of the necessity of having the children instructed in both languages, the English and the German, and we can easily imagine how the zealons priest's mind was continually occupied with the thought of perfecting his school and raising its educational standard. He prayed and hoped, and his prayers and hopes were destined to accomplish even greater things than his most sanguine expectations had anticipated.
The neighboring settlements were even poorer than the one at Oldenburg. As a rule, they com- prised a group of ten or twelve struggling German
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SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS, OLDENBURG, IND.
families living in primitive log hints, bare of every comfort. In these huts, the missionary was often compelled to say Mass.
Such were the surroundings in which Divine Providence had placed the Founder 'of the Oldenburg Community of Sisters of St. Francis. Still deeply impressed with the disastrous results of the French Revolution, which he had witnessed in Europe, he was convinced of the necessity of Catholic education; hence his zeal for the Catholic school. The thought of providing capable teachers for them became uppermost in his mind. In prayerful meditation, he was convinced that the foundation of a Convent whose inmates should devote themselves exclusively to the education of youth, was the best solution of the problem. The sacrifices and difficulties encountered in the prose- cution of this plan shall become known, and redound to his glory, only on the great day of retribution.
Whoever is acquainted with the situation of the immigrants during the first half of the nineteenth century, will realize the poverty and privations with which the struggling Catholic congregations had to contend. In Oldenburg, the first cope used at benediction of the Blessed Sacrament was made of a shawl, the gift of a pious woman, Mrs. 11. Fisse, and another, Mrs. C.
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HISTORICAL SKETCH.
Siefert, desirous of adding her share, cut the flowers from hers to adorn it. Though the papers of that day never mentioned this gift, it is, no doubt, recorded in the Book of Life, and will receive its reward from Him who said of the poor widow in the Temple, that she had given more than all the others.
Obstacles and privations did not discourage the pious missionary, who was, in truth, a man after God's own heart, living by faith, and finding in his ardent love for God and man the strength and confidence necessary to sustain the heaviest burdens of life. His support at all times was his unfailing trust in God, which was rewarded by the success of all his undertakings. Dark as the future might appear to him, he never lost courage. Relying upon his divine vocation, he accomplished a work, on which the Almighty Himself has set the seal of His approval.
After opening the school at Oldenburg, Father Rudolf resolved to leave the log church unfinished and to build a large new one of stone, and also a parsonage of modest dimension. To this purpose he devoted what was left of his paternal inherit- ance. Plans were selected and building operations were begun. The corner-stone was laid in 1846, and on the first Sunday of AAdvent in the same year, the first services were held in the new church, but
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SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS, OLDENBURG, IND.
not until the month of April, 1848, was it com- pleted in all its details. By that time the parsonage was also finished. Built, as it was, of stone and containing four large rooms, the simple people of the parish regarded it with wonder and remarked that their pastor must be, indeed, a rich man to be able to build such a fine house.
In that same year, 1848, the celebrated Jesuit missionary, Rev. F. X. Weninger, preached a mission in the new church. It was his first mission in this country, in which he had arrived only a few months before, and the beginning of a missionary career of forty years, during which he traversed the United States repeatedly from the extreme north to the distant sonth, and from ocean to ocean. On this occasion he expressed his desire to be buried at the foot of the memorial cross erected to mark his first mission in America.
Besides the congregation at Oldenburg, Father Rudolf had to attend to a number of outlying missions, and he devoted as much time, labor and care to them as to the former. During his solitary travels from place to place, he was wont to recite the rosary aloud. Though unheard by men, his prayers ascended to heaven and brought many a stray soul back to God. Once as he rode through the woods praying aloud, as usual, an old farmer, who was looking for some timber to build a house,
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IHISTORICAL SKETCH.
saw and heard him without being noticed by the Rev. Father. The good man, desirous of speaking to his Pastor, hid behind a tree to await the conclusion of his prayers, but he appeared so absorbed in God, that his parishoner could not summon courage to address him.
Father Rudolf was truly a good shepherd of the souls entrusted to his care, and his devoted flock regarded him as such. In all their trials and difficulties they had recourse to him. Yet there were some who caused him great anxiety and trouble. Whenever the glory of God, or justice and right were at stake, he was fearless and out- spoken. In one of his missions there lived a Protestant family. The mother desired to become a Catholic, and was instructed and received into the Church by Father Rudolf. Shortly afterwards he was informed of a circumstance which proved that the marriage of the husband and wife in question was null and void, and told the woman that as a Catholic she was bound in conscience to a separation. She left him; in consequence of which, he threatened to shoot Father Rudolf. When the latter, on his next visit, approached the place, a number of his parishoners met him and · begged him to return, as Mr. N. was about to kill him. But the fearless priest replied: "He may take my life, but my soul is not in his power."
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And he rode straightway to the enemy's honse. Calling the man, he said to him: "I have been informed just now that you want to shoot me. Is it so?" The poor man was stunned. Ile could only stammer that he was, indeed, provoked because his wife had left him by order of the priest. Father Rudolf explained to him that he had not made the commandments of God of the Church, but that it was his duty as pastor to enforce their observance, and then told him for what reasons his wife was obliged to leave him, exhorting him at the same time to make his peace with God. Though the man remained obstinate, he never again troubled the good Pastor.
CHAPTER IV.
Authorisation to Found a Convent .- Building It .- AArrival of Mother Teresa .- L'esting of the First Members .- New Arrivals .- Removal to the Con- vent and Taking Charge of the School.
TTTHE years 1848 and 1849 passed without having brought about the realization of Father Rudolf's dearest wish, that of founding a Community of Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis, for the education of the youth of . Oldenburg and vicinity. With the permission of the Bishop of Vincennes, Right Rev. Maurice de St. Palais, he now addressed a letter to the Cardinal Protector of the Franciscan Order at Rome, in which he vividly described and truthfully stated the great difficulty of obtaining teachers for his poor schools, and entreated him to secure the Holy See's consent to the foundation of a Convent at Oldenburg for this purpose. His request was readily granted.
After receiving the permission. Father Rudolf at once began preparations for the building of a Convent. Confidence in God and fervent zeal were his only capital. He wrote to Father Ambrose
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NORTH VIEW OF CONVENT BUILDING. Donor: Miss Frances Stomps.
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SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS, OLDENBURG, IND.
Buchmaier, a Franciscan missionary in New York City, asking him to secure some professed Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis, for the purpose of engaging in the work. Whilst Father Rudolf proceeded with the building of the Convent, Father Buchmaier visited Europe and looked about for Sisters willing to come to Olden- burg. His efforts were crowned with success in Vienna, the Austrian capital. The Mother Superior of the Sisters of the Third Order in that city, proposed the matter to her Sisters for reconsideration. Two of the number volunteered to devote their services to the distant mission; and after obtaining the consent of the Franciscan Provincial, they started for America.
That these two Sisters had a true conception of the difficulties awaiting them is apparent from the fact that one of them, who in her humility thought herself not endowed with the requisite qualities, returned home before reaching the port of em- barkation. Her companion, Sister Teresa, con- tinued alone on the journey and arrived safe in New York in December, 1850. Father Buchmaier, who had meanwhile returned, received her most kindly, and sent her to her destination.
Sister Teresa arrived at Oldenburg on January 6th, 1851. Father Rudolf welcomed her with a heart overflowing with gratitude to God for the
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HISTORICAL SKETCH,
realization of his long cherished hopes. Pending the completion of the Convent, he rented a small house, which was to serve as a temporary home for the new Community, for whilst awaiting Sister Teresa's arrival, he had accepted three postulants.
They now began their conventual life, devoting their time to prayer, study and work. After the completion of the Convent building, they were to be formally installed as teachers of the parochial school. Even now they began a course of study and instruction in religion-to the great vexation of a certain gentleman, who opened an evening school in opposition, which, however, soon proved a failure.
On April 21st, Easter Monday, 1851, the three postulants were invested with the religious habit and entered upon their novitiate. They were called Sister's Michaela, Gabriela and Josepha. At that time a professor by the name of Probst made his home with Father Rudolf. Studying for the priesthood, he had already received minor orders, when he lost the use of his right arm, which defect incapacitated him for the sacerdotal office. Father Rudolf had kindly received him into his house and employed him in giving instructions, and other duties. A learned and pions man, he was glad to show his gratitude to Father Rudolf by instructing the Sisters in pedagogies. They were eager to
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SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS, OLDENBURG, IND.
avail themselves of this opportunity of increasing their knowledge, for books on this and kindred topics were scarce amongst them.
To Professor Probst, they are also indebted for guiding into their Community Miss Teresa Dreer, later Mother Antonia, whose acquaintance he had casually made at Rorschach, Switzerland. young lady of superior education, gifted with noble qualities of mind and heart, she had resolved to enter the religous state and to devote her life to the education of youth, but had not yet made her choice of a particular Community. During his sojourn with Father Rudolf, the Professor wrote to her, describing the good she might accomplish in and for the struggling Community at Oldenburg. After consultation with her confessor, and with his approval, she departed for America, solely for the purpose of joining the Order in the Convent to which she had been invited. She arrived at Oldenburg, June 10th, 1851, and was cordially received by Father Rudolf and the Sisters.
October 31st, vigil of the feast of All Saints, the Sisters took possession of their new Convent. The Community consisted of five persons: Vener- able Mother Teresa, who had been chosen Superior General, three novices, and a postulant. The building was far from being completed, only the four walls and a roof constituted the present habita- 3
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HISTORICAL SKETCH.
tion. In the refectory the casements were without windows; a partition of rough boards whose wide chinks admitted the wind and rain, enclosed the school room. The winter of 1851 was very severe, and for weeks the cold was intense. The cutting north wind had free access to the scantily furnished dwelling. The furniture consisted of a few trunks, some comforts and one bedstead. Boards nailed together did duty as bedsteads, tables and benches. By and by, a few tables and chairs were added, and the kitchen was furnished with the necessary utensils, which poor arrange- ments seemed a great improvement to the Sisters.
In November, 1851, the Sisters took definite charge of the parochial school. It then numbered twenty children, and each child was expected to pay a tuition fee of twenty-five cents per month. This, considering the small number of children, amounted but to a trifle, so that the Sisters depended for their support mainly on the charity of Father Rudolf and a few better-to-do families. Their seant provision was supplemented by hard manual labor and the most ingenious economy.
Even the color of their religious habit is due to their poverty. When the question presented itself whether to wear the traditional brown of the Franciscans, or black, the latter color was chosen because brown material was scarce and costly,
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SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS, OLDENBURG, IND.
whereas black was easily procurable at a reasonable figure. And once adopted, the color of the habit was never changed.
Despite their poverty, the members of the young Community were contented and happy, for they loved and cherished Holy Poverty, the spouse of their Blessed Father St. Francis, in whose spirit they had entered upon their career of sacrifice and self-denial. Great as their trials and privations were, their consolations were still greater. Their zeal was extraordinary-a zeal not manifest in less fervent souls, and hence its reward was also extra- ordinary.
The two lots on which the first Convent was built were purchased by Father Rudolf out of his own private funds, from the Bishop, to whom they had been deeded by a family in return for the board and tuition of their son in the seminary.
In the course of time, as their means increased, the Sisters' surroundings became more comfortable.
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