Sister Ann Alexis Shorb (1805–1875) of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul (born Harriet C. Shorb) was a nurse, educator, and hospital administrator. Through her work serving the poor in schools and as a nurse, Shorb helped to break down anti-Catholic prejudice. She was known as the "Servant of the Poor." Before becoming a sister, she was a member of St. Aloysius Church in

Littlestown, Pennsylvania Littlestown is a borough in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,782 at the 2020 census. Originally laid out by Peter Klein in 1760, the town was first named Petersburg. German settlers in the area came to call the t ...

Orphans

Shorb arrived in Boston on May 2, 1832 at the request of Bishop Benedict Fenwick who had requested the assistance of the Daughters of Charity. Once Shorb arrived with Sisters Blandina Davaux and Loyola Ritchie, they began caring for orphaned girls. They set up a school and taught religious education classes. By March 1843, the

Great and General Court The Massachusetts General Court, formally the General Court of Massachusetts, is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts located in the state capital of Boston. The name "General Court" is a holdover from the earliest days of ...

granted them a charter as the St. Vincent's Orphan Asylum. It was the first Catholic charitable organization in the state. The Asylum cared for girls between 3 and 10 without regard to their religion. Shorb ran the Asylum for the next 40 years. When the asylum was too small to take in more children, she organized a fair that raised $10,000 in two weeks. In 1866, the

Sisters of Charity Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity in their name. Some ''Sisters of Charity'' communities refer to the Vincentian tradition alone, or in America to the tradition of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (whose sisters are also of ...

founded the St. Mary's School and Asylum at what was formerly the

Norfolk House Norfolk House was the London residence of the Howard family headed by the Dukes of Norfolk, and as such more than one building has been given this name. The first was opposite Lambeth Palace, set in acres of garden and orchards on a site o ...

Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a New England town, town in, and the county seat of, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on Boston's southwestern border, the population was 25,364 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. First settled by E ...

. Shorb, along with two others, purchased the property for $1 by Martin Bates who, out of a "spirit of vindictiveness," gave it to the Sisters because the Town of Dedham would not purchase the run down building from him at his asking price.

Nursing and hospital administrator

Shorb was the first administrator at

Carney Hospital Carney Hospital was a small for-profit community teaching hospital located in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It was owned and operated by Dallas-based Steward Health Care. The hospital had its beginnings in 1863 in South ...

, the first Catholic hospital in New England, at the request of founder

Andrew Carney Andrew Carney (1794–1864) immigrated to the United States in 1816. Carney partnered with Jacob Sleeper to form Carney & Sleeper, Clothiers. Carney was a wise investor and grew his fortune with investments in Boston's real estate market.Hollor ...

. She served in that role from 1863 to 1870. She was also an incorporator the St. John's Hospital in

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, United States. Alongside Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, it is one of two traditional county seat, seats of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in ...

. Shorb was the head nurse at Satterlee General Hospital.

Legacy

Shorb is featured on the Nine Notable Women of Boston mural, painted by

Ellen Lanyon Ellen Lanyon (December 21, 1926 – October 7, 2013) was a painter and printmaker from Chicago, Illinois. She received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), her MFA from the University of Iowa School of Art and Art His ...

in honor of Boston's 350th anniversary.

References

Works cited

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shorb, Ann Alexis 1805 births 1875 deaths 19th-century American Roman Catholic nuns Sisters of Charity Federation in the Vincentian-Setonian Tradition People from Boston Educators from Massachusetts Nurses from Massachusetts