The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word is the name of two

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

religious institute A religious institute is a type of institute of consecrated life in the Catholic Church whose members take religious vows and lead a life in community with fellow members. Religious institutes are one of the two types of institutes of consecrat ...

s based in the U.S. state of Texas. They use the abbreviation C.C.V.I. ( la, Congregatio Caritatis Verbi Incarnati).

History

Houston Order

The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Houston is a

of women begun in 1866, at the request of French-born

Claude Marie Dubuis Claude Marie Dubuis (March 10, 1817 – May 22, 1895) was a French-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Galveston in Texas. from 1862 until his death in 1892. He founded the Sisters of Ch ...

, the second

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

of the Diocese of Galveston, which then included the entire state of Texas. Texas was suffering from the ravages of the Civil War, coupled with the tragedy of a rapidly spreading cholera epidemic. In 1866, Dubuis contacted his friend Mother Angelique Hiver, Superioress of the

Order of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament The Order of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament is a Catholic religious order founded in the early part of the seventeenth century by Jeanne Chezard de Matel. History The order was founded by Jeanne Chezard de Matel. Its principal object wa ...

in Lyons, France. The Sisters could not fulfill his request since the Order was cloistered and was committed to the ministry of education. Bishop Duibuis then applied for the admission of three young women who had volunteered. They were received into the monastery for the purpose of receiving formation and the rule of the Order, with the understanding that a new order was being formed. For a long time, the Lyons community continued to direct and support the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, as the new community came to be known. Sisters Mary Blandine, Mary Joseph and Mary Ange arrived in

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding G ...

, and started Charity Hospital, the first Catholic hospital in Texas. This would later become St. Mary's Infirmary and St. Mary's Hospital. Later, as a result of the

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics of infectious ...

that struck Galveston, the St. Mary's Orphanage was started, first in the hospital, and was later moved just outside town, away from the epidemic. This epidemic also struck two of the sisters: Mother Mary Blandine would die of yellow fever on August 18, 1867; Sister Mary Ange also contracted yellow fever but recovered and returned to France. In 1867 and 1868 other sisters, educated and professed in the same convent at Lyons, came to offer their assistance.Canning, James. "Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 17 Aug. 2015 Sister Mary Joseph would become Mother Joseph and would continue the work in Galveston. In the early part of the 20th century, with the rapid growth of the City of Houston, the institute's headquarters were relocated from the Island city to Houston. Today the Sisters have missions in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by Hon ...

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. They are involved in ministries in health care (as part of Christus Health and Dignity Health), education, and social justice. They are also involved in fighting illiteracy and AIDS.

San Antonio Order

The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word,

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

is the largest group of

religious Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatur ...

women in Texas. The institute was founded in San Antonio in 1869, as a sister house of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Galveston, Texas. In 1869, Bishop Dubuis chose three from the Galveston community, Sister St. Madeleine Chollet, Sister St. Pierre Cinquin, and Sister Agnes Buisson to begin a new house in San Antonio and open the first hospital in the area. He named Mother St. Madeleine superior of the new community. Three years later, he appointed Mother St. Pierre Cinquin as her successor, and she remained in office until her death almost twenty years later. In 1870, Bishop C.M. Dubuis erected this new community as an independent centre, on the occasion of vesting the first postulants admitted into the San Antonio novitiate. Sisters Madeleine Chollet, Pierre Cinquin and Agnes Buisson came to help the people of San Antonio who were being ravaged by a severe cholera epidemic. It was just after the Civil War and San Antonio had a population of 12,000; however, there were no public hospitals. When the three Sisters arrived, they founded the institute of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. They also founded San Antonio's first public hospital, known today as Christus Santa Rosa Hospital. Previous to 1874, the sisters had been solely occupied in caring for the sick, the aged, and orphans, but following the counsel of Rt. Rev. A.D. Pellicer, first Bishop of San Antonio, they began to engage in educational work. In 1881, the Sisters founded the Incarnate Word Academy, which became Incarnate Word High School and

University of the Incarnate Word The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) is a private, Catholic university with its main campus in San Antonio and Alamo Heights, Texas. Founded in 1881 by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, the university's main campus is located ...

. In 1885 the Sisters opened a school in Saltillo, Mexico. By 1891 the Sisters had founded St. Joseph's Infirmary in Fort Worth, Texas. They also administered seven railroad hospitals scattered throughout Texas, Missouri, Iowa, and New Mexico. They are involved in ministries in health care (as part of Christus Health), education, care for the elderly and social justice. The Village at Incarnate Word is a not-for-profit corporation, established by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of San Antonio in 1988, to provide a retirement community for people of all faiths. The sisters work in United States, Mexico, Peru, and Zambia.

Saint Mary's Orphanage and the Galveston Hurricane

The

Galveston Hurricane of 1900 Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galv ...

was one of the most destructive hurricanes ever to hit the

. More than 6,000 people died, one-sixth the population of

The Saint Mary's Orphan Asylum housed at that time 93 children (ages 2 to 13) and 10 sisters. The hurricane arrived quietly on September 7, 1900. The full force of the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 would not be felt until the next day, September 8 and began to erode away the sand dunes that surrounded St. Mary's Orphanage. The sisters in charge decided to move the children into the girls'

dormitory A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or universi ...

, as it was newer and stronger (and thus potentially safer) than the boys' dormitory. The sisters led the children in singing (in English) the old

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn ...

, '' Queen of the Waves''. Eventually, the boys' dormitory failed and collapsed into the sea. When the waters started to fill the first floor of the girl's dormitory, the sisters moved the children to the second floor, and again led in singing ''Queen of the Waves''. The sisters put

clothes line A clothes line or washing line is any type of rope, cord, or twine that has been stretched between two points (e.g. two sticks), outside or indoors, above the level of the ground. Clothing that has recently been washed is hung along the lin ...

around their waists and connected themselves to six to eight children each in an attempt to save the children. Three of the children (older teens) were left loose. Finally, the girls' dormitory collapsed. All ten sisters and ninety children perished; only the three teenage boys survived: William Murney, Frank Madera and Albert Campbell. As a result of this tragedy, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word across the world sing Queen of the Waves every year, on September 8, and remember the sisters and the children that died in Galveston that fateful day. On September 8, 1994, a

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

historical marker A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...

was placed at 69th Street and Seawall Boulevard, marking the site of the former orphanage.

References

Footnotes

Sources

* *{{Catholic, title=Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word

External links

Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, Texas

Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Houston, TexasStory of the Orphanage
told by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word

Religious organizations established in 1866 Catholic female orders and societies Catholic religious institutes established in the 19th century History of Galveston, Texas 1866 establishments in Texas History of women in Texas Catholic health care