Heritage

Texas 1866

1866 to early 1900s

In 1866, Bishop Claude Dubuis went to Europe to obtain uncloistered teaching Sisters for the frontier lands of his vast Texas diocese. In answer to his call, two volunteers came to Texas from the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Divine Providence at St. Jean-de-Bassel in Lorraine: Sister Alfonse Boegler and Sister St. Andrew Feltin, who was appointed Superior of the new mission. These two nuns were charged "to found everywhere rural schools for girls" and, in so doing, they were to extend God’s kingdom in Texas.



Arrival in Texas and the First Schools
And so they did. This missionary group left France in September, 1866, and took up residence in Austin on December 2 although no convent or school existed. A school was built by April 1867, with the two missionaries in charge. Since most of the people were not of German descent, the two teachers were challenged to learn English as best they could. In 1868, Mother St. Andrew and Sister Alfonse moved to Castroville, a predominantly Alsatian Catholic village. There they established the headquarters of the Sisters of Divine Providence in Texas.

By 1871 seven women had joined the Congregation, and by 1873 Mother St. Andrew had built a convent. Parish priests besieged the Sisters to open schools in their parishes. To meet the demand for teachers, in 1878 Mother St. Andrew went to Europe to recruit new members to assist in the work in Texas. Under her leadership, 24 schools were opened in Texas by 1886.

Mission Conditions
Conditions were harsh, poor, barren, as attested to by the Sisters themselves. Their convents were no better than the schools structurally and the Sisters often described them as "cold storage."

"Because we often lacked coal, we were obliged to sit up at night, wrap ourselves in our cloaks and blankets, which kept hot bricks under our feet, and [we] dozed off to dream of better days." --Sister Mark O’Connor

“Mission life was lived in real poverty. The house had only three rooms, a stable serving as the kitchen. The little cot on which I slept served a two-fold purpose: a bed for me at night and a chicken roost during the day.” --Sister Eugenia Kaiser, Haby Settlement, close to Castroville, Texas

“There was no ceiling in…the bedroom and only a cloth was spread across, and there the rats used to have a concert every night and the cloth was jumping up and down as the rats danced.” --Sister Adeline Jonas, Fredericksburg, Texas

Mother St. Andrew Feltin
Mother St. Andrew, the courageous leader of the pioneer group, in her endeavors to insure the growth and effectiveness of the young foundation, had to struggle through the dark night of trial. A heroic yet humble woman, she saw herself as an “instrument of Providence” in this missionary work and willingly accepted the pain. Read more about this fearless Texas founder of the Sisters of Divine Providence, in Sister Margaret Riche’s article "A Heart Profoundly Moved" from Movements of Providence.

Mother Florence Walter
In 1886, Mother Florence was elected as the Superior General of the Congregation and the Texas foundation became independent of the Motherhouse at St. Jean-de-Bassel. Mother Florence continued the work of establishing schools and recruiting new members to the community. In 1887, the Sisters opened their first school in Louisiana, St. Francis Xavier’s Academy in Alexandria. In 1894, CDPs began teaching black students at St. James School (Alexandria) because the local bishop could find no religious congregation for the people in his area. In 1899 Sisters from Ireland joined the Texas foundation. In 1900, the Congregation opened its first school in Oklahoma. By the turn of the century, 64 schools were opened as the Congregation continued to grow and to expand into new territories.

To teach in these schools the Sisters had to pass examinations and obtain a specific certification for individual grades. In some areas, the Sisters had to know diverse languages as the Sisters taught in schools, which were predominantly Mexican, Native American, Mulatto, Polish, Czech, Black and German. These schools were spread among the states of Texas, Louisiana, Indian Territory (Oklahoma), New Mexico, and Arkansas. By 1907—after beginning in Texas nearly 40 years earlier with only 2 members— there were 350 Sisters to staff the schools.