the future of sisterhood

Marion Etzel, SDS

A Reflection on the Foundation of Women’s Religious Communities in the Current Archdiocese of Milwaukee and their Evolving Call to Service

Visitors discover, when they come to a Vocation Fair where religious orders are displayed, the number of religious orders that exist. The comment often heard by first-time visitors is: “I had no idea!”

Why are there so many religious orders? Aren’t they all the same?

To answer this question we need to think about the fact that each community of religious men and women was founded to answer a specific need of the Church that loomed large at the time. God placed into the mind and heart of a human an awareness of a great need in the world and somehow revealed to that person that he or she was to try to meet this need by gathering others who would pray, live and work together to address the need directly. Are religious orders all the same? No they are not.

In acknowledging our diversity, we get a glimpse into the richness of our God who cares for people in every age through the dedication of women and men religious consecrated to full-time service in the Church.

In preparing this article, the earliest record that I could find of religious women answering a need in this Archdiocese was the Sisters of Charity who arrived here after a journey from Maryland that took 5 weeks! They were called here to teach in 1846, a mere 2 ½ years after the diocese was established.

Formerly, I worked in Atlanta, a far-difference scene than here in southeastern Wisconsin. Things in Georgia may be changed by now, but the first thing I noticed after I arrived in 1998 was that there are no big headquarters or motherhouses in Georgia. In Wisconsin, it is very different. We have many communities of women of faith here, 23 in fact, as listed in the 2009 official Kennedy Directory of the Catholic Church. And of these communities, two are cloistered (worthy of mention but we don’t have time to talk about these now), two are described as “Associations of the Faithful,” one is classified as a secular institute and the remaining 18 communities of women we would commonly classify as “apostolic religious.” Of these 18 communities, nine have headquarters (either international or national or both) here in the current geographical area of this Archdiocese. They, in building here, acknowledged their commitment to serve a great need that existed (and perhaps still exists) here in the Archdiocese. Six will be discussed; the remaining three are the Sisters of Charity of Saint Joan Antida (1932); the Congregation of Sister Servants of Christ the King (1949); and the Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus (1912).

Let’s look a bit at the rich heritage of six religious communities with headquarters here who have served the people of southeastern Wisconsin for anywhere from 115 to 163 years. These are mentioned in chronological order in terms of arrival. The call that brought each group to southeastern Wisconsin and the evolving ever-deepening response to that call that each group experienced will be described.

The School Sisters of Notre Dame (www.ssnd-milw.org) currently locate their Motherhouse in Elm Grove Wisconsin, just off of Watertown Plank Road. In 1847, Mother Theresa, foundress of the School Sisters, brought her sisters to Wisconsin to meet the educational needs of the children of German immigrants. Although not welcomed at first, the Sisters stayed and began opening schools. By 1850, Mother Caroline Friess, vicar, established the first official Motherhouse of the Congregation in Milwaukee, on Milwaukee and Knapp Streets. Mother Caroline proved to be an ardent and talented missionary, leader, innovator, builder and businesswoman. By 1879, under her leadership, more than 2500 SSND’s taught and ministered in 11 European countries and the USA. While many of the School Sisters are teachers, today they all don’t work in the classroom. Education is their call and, at its core, includes the call to the pursuit of justice, peace and integrity of creation. This is what it means to be a School Sister of Notre Dame today. The Sisters’ social justice is rooted in the Gospel message and Catholic social teaching.

The Sisters of Saint Francis of Assisi (www.lakeosfs.org) began their journey in 1849 in Bavaria. It is here that a small group of lay third-order Franciscans emigrated at the request of the first Archbishop of Milwaukee, J. Martin Henni. Upon arriving in May, 1849, they settled south of the bay of Lake Michigan in what is now called St. Francis, WI. It is here that the women pioneered the beginnings of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Assisi. Seven years later, the Sisters were asked to do the “ordinary work of women” in the Seminary. They did this along with their efforts to pray and to live in community. In 1871 the Motherhouse was moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin. By 1873 the Sisters still working at the Seminary were asked to discontinue this work by the Sister Superior. Thirty seven Sisters chose to remain in the seminary ministry; these women then became the Sisters of Saint Francis of Assisi. The sisters later expanded into health care, education and social service. Their current beautiful statement reads: “As Franciscans we understand that what calls us together is not primarily our ministry, but our Franciscan commitment to living the Gospel message. This call is expressed in living in community with one another and going out to being with those in need. In doing this we truly are ‘Women of faith touching a world in need’”

The Sisters of Saint Agnes (www.csasisters.org) were founded in Barton (Washington County) Wisconsin in 1858 by Father Caspar Rehrl, an Austrian missionary who traveled widely throughout seven counties of Wisconsin. His center of operation was Johnsburg, WI (Fond du Lac County). Seeing a great need, Father Caspar decided to found a sisterhood of pioneer women under the patronage of St. Agnes of Rome to whom he had a special devotion. A great need existed for catechetical work, and he sought sisters to carry out this ministry. At first, the group suffered such untold hardship that, for a few months in 1861, the community was reduced to one member, a blind sister. However by 1863, the arrival of Mary Hazotte gave the fledgling community new life and new leadership. With the support of the Capuchin Fathers, Mary, now Mother Agnes, directed the move from Barton to Fond du Lac in 1870 and served as leader there until her death in 1905. The Motherhouse remains today in Fond du Lac. The Sisters of Saint Agnes serve in a variety of ministries with simplicity, hospitality and missionary zeal throughout the United States and Latin America.

The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Dominic of St. Catherine of Siena (www.racinedominicans.org), commonly called the Racine Dominican Sisters, was founded in Racine in 1862 by two Sisters from Regensburg, Bavaria who had gathered ten companions to join them. By 1877 the community was formally incorporated into the Dominican Order. These sisters were part of a bigger movement of cloistered European Sisters who sent members to the United States to work with immigrants of their own similar ethnic backgrounds. The Sisters’ work in this country was marked from its very beginning by a determination to Americanize. Between the years 1877 and 1892, the sisters traveled the difficult journey to transform themselves from a cloistered community (as they had known themselves in Germany) to becoming a non-cloistered teaching community. These Sisters were very progressive; they recruited the working class children and offered both English and German in their schools. Today the sisters continue to meet pressing needs. They live and work throughout the United States, serving in schools, parishes, clinics and hospitals, prisons, and other ministries directed to the pursuit of truth and the promotion of justice.

The School Sisters of Saint Francis (www.sssf.org), whose motherhouse is located near 27th and Greenfield in Milwaukee, were founded by 3 courageous women: Emma who became Mother Alexia, Paulina who became Mother Alfons and Helena who became Sister Clara. Hearing a call in Germany, they came to the USA in 1873 to fulfill their dream of founding a Franciscan religious order to help other immigrants and to meet the needs of the Church. The School Sisters were founded in 1874, but for 14 years the sisters’ lives were strewn with difficulties. They went to Minnesota for awhile. They received a warm welcome back when they returned to Milwaukee in 1888. They built a Motherhouse. Two years later, in 1890, their home was destroyed by fire. This didn’t stop them; they built again! Their beautiful St. Joseph’s Chapel was dedicated in 1917. The School Sisters have often been recognized for their pioneering spirit and innovation in education, health care, pastoral ministry and the arts. Sister Kathleen Kluthe, President of the Sisters says it well: “Our foundresses rooted our congregation in the promotion of justice, human dignity and outreach to the poor.”

After receiving a special blessing from Pope Leo XIII in Rome, three Sisters of the Divine Savior (www.sistersofthedivinesavior.org) came to Milwaukee from Rome in 1895 upon the invitation of Archbishop Francis Xavier Katzer. Disease was widespread and Sisters were needed to nurse the German speaking immigrants in their homes. The Sisters arrived on July 4th and they thought that the fireworks were for them! After receiving hospitality from the School Sisters of Saint Francis, the Sisters moved to a tiny cramped house on the near southside of Milwaukee. Here they received many calls for service. Many more Sisters came from Europe to help. In 1900 the Sisters moved to a bigger house on the corner of 35th and Center. To meet the many needs, the sisters lived in the homes of the working class, cared for the sick, fed the children and did whatever else needed to be done. One time each week, the Sisters came home to 35th and Center where they could be together and pray. In 1902 the Sisters took in three homeless women; this was the beginning of St. Mary’s Nursing Home. This building became the provincial headquarters of the Sisters in 1921. The headquarters was moved to its current site near Divine Savior Holy Angels High School in 1967. The Sisters, along with the other members of the Salvatorian Family, are currently called and sent in mission to proclaim the Gospel message to all people, everywhere and at all times, and to do this through whatever ways and means the love of Christ inspires. The Sisters are especially known for their service in the area of anti-human trafficking.

And so we see how communities of apostolic religious women were founded in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee or came to Milwaukee to establish deep roots, symbolized by their group decision to establish headquarters or motherhouses here.

Newer communities of consecrated women continue to be born here or arrive here from elsewhere to answer emerging needs that must be met. This is no surprise. The history of religious life teaches us that the Holy Spirit will continue to sustain religious communities of men and women, birth new communities inspired to live consecrated religious life and to continue to inspire men and women to answer the call to serve.