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History of the Dominican Sisters
in the Pittsburgh Diocese
It was a hot summer day, August 1915, when the convent bells rang and
the Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs sang for joy. The bells chimed
10 times, the signal that special news would follow, and it was good news
indeed. The Pittsburgh diocese had opened their doors to the Dominican
Sisters, inviting them to teach at St. Thomas School in Braddock, Pennsylvania.
The Sisters’ fervent prayers were answered. They would be able to
teach, to preach, and to expand their outreach in the area, and they would
also have a ministry midway between their Motherhouse in Columbus, Ohio,
and their Connecticut convent.
The archival account at the Motherhouse reads, “At last we have
the needed link to join the East and West. The Easterners are thrilled,
as it is midway from home to home. The Western hearts breathe a prayer
of gratitude because it is East, but not so far from home.”
It was the spring of that year when the Sisters who had been teaching
at St. Thomas, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Watertown, NY, notified St.
Thomas’ pastor, Fr. Robert MacDonald, that they would not be returning
in the fall. Father MacDonald was in a quandary. Since 1908, he had pioneered
the establishment of Catholic High Schools in the Pittsburgh Diocese,
but how could he find so many good teachers quickly enough? He turned
to the Most Revered Bishop Regis Canevin for guidance.
As it happened, the bishop had a friend with whom he was greatly impressed,
Sr. Mary Basil Gloniger of St. Mary of the Springs. Bishop Canevin suggested
that Fr. MacDonald make an application for the help he needed to Mother
Vincentia Erksine. His request was, of course, graciously received and
led to over eight decades of a strong, continuing Dominican presence in
the Pittsburgh Diocese.
Since then, the Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs have served in numerous
Diocesan schools, educating thousands of elementary and high school students
in the Pittsburgh area. In addition, 100 Dominicans Sisters have hailed
from Pennsylvania, many of whom returned to teach in the area’s
schools.
When the Dominicans first went to Pittsburgh in 1915, it was to St. Thomas
School in Braddock, where they had those early beginnings. The sisters
served at St. Thomas faithfully until the grade school closed in 1961
and the high school in 1984.
Meanwhile, St. William Parish School in East Pittsburgh opened in 1916
with nine Dominican sisters. After supper was served that first evening,
Pastor Lawrence Carroll asked the sisters to go out on the porch to meet
the people, where they found a crowd they described as “all of East
Pittsburgh” on the walks and lawn to meet them. The sisters educated
the children of St. Williams until the school closed in 1985.
In 1917, Fr. Joseph Toner of St. Lawrence O’Toole applied for eight
sisters to staff the elementary school, and in 1928, Fr. Philip Callery
added the high school. Dominicans taught at both until they closed in
1980. During those years, 35 young women from the parish joined the Sisters
of St. Mary of the Springs, while an additional 14 young women joined
other congregations. The parish also fostered vocations of 6 religious
brothers and 17 priests, including Bishop William Connare and Bishop John
McDowell.
In 1922, Fr. William Dunlea of St. Francis de Sales Parish in McKees Rocks
made a personal visit to St. Mary of the Springs to ask Mother Miriam
Masterson for Sisters. Fr. Philip Moore added the high school in 1930,
making St. Francis de Sales one of the largest schools staffed by the
Dominican sisters. At one time there was an enrollment of over 800 students.
The sisters taught in the high school until 1971 and in the grade school
until 1990.
Also in 1922, St. Aloysius School in Wilmerding opened, staffed with Sisters
from St. Mary’s who had taught parish catechism classes before the
school was built, and continued to teach there until it closed in 1971.
In 1924, Mother Stephanie Mohun sent nine sisters to staff St. Brendan’s
School in Braddock. The school was consolidated with five other parishes
into Good Shepherd Parish in 1984.
In 1958, four sisters began teaching in the new parish of St. Albert the
Great. They held classes at nearby St. Basil’s for the first few
months while awaiting completion of the new building, and continued their
active involvement in the parish until 1986.
April 27, 1985 was an historic day in the diocese. It was then that Good
Shepherd Catholic Church in Braddock was initiated. Good Shepherd was
the first parish in the Pittsburgh Diocese to be formed by consolidating
six other parishes: St. Brendan, St. Isidore, St. Joseph, St. Mary of
Mt. Carmel, St. Michael and St. Thomas. Together they had served communities
of the Tri-Boro Area of Braddock, North Braddock and Rankin. Dominican
Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs continue to be involved in teaching
and administration at Good Shepherd.
In addition to the sisters at Good Shepherd Parish, Dominican Sisters
continue to serve the Pittsburgh Diocese. Dominican Associates, an active
group of laity, also serve in various capacities around the community.
The Dominican presence in the Pittsburgh Diocese is a rich and ongoing
tradition, and a labor of love.
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