Friday, June 2, 2017

Als Antwort Auf Gottes Ruf

As part of our ongoing observance of the 200th birthday of Blessed Pauline von Mallinckrodt, we continue to post excerpts of Als Antwort auf Gottes Ruf (Bonifatius, 2016), the history of the Sisters of Christian Charity since 1881, by Sister Anna Schwanz, SCC, translated by Sister Mary Perpetua Rehle, SCC.

North America

The Apostolate in schools, especially in parish schools, grew continuously.  In 1941, Sisters began teaching in the high schools in McSherrystown and Reading.  The Western Province accepted a new activity in a small school in Pewamo and in 1942 took over the local public school building.  The Sisters were also involved in additional activities, e.g., religious instruction in the so-called "Vacation Schools," where children from the countryside were unable to attend the parish schools because of distance, received instruction.

With the new structure of the Provinces, the Motherhouse acquired in Mendham, Villa Pauline, soon proved too small.  By 1930, the large number of new Candidates could no longer be accommodated. . . . "After careful consideration and much prayer" groundbreaking took place in September for a large new house on the same property.  After two years construction time Mallinckrodt Convent came into being. . . . The missions of the Eastern Province had contributed to the building cost to the best of their ability, and the neighboring Province, in true Christian Charity, had put a considerable sum of money at its disposal without interest. . . .
. . .
The Eastern Province saw the need for a further apostolate in health care.  Due to the war, the plans for the construction of a hospital in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, could not be carried out at first.  On the land which was purchased for this purpose in 1944, Divine Providence Hospital was opened in 1951.  A second hospital, Holy Spirit Hospital, in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, opened in 1963.

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