Columbus Dominican Anniversary

The first Dominican Sisters in the United States took their vows in 1822 in Kentucky. Mother Angela Sansbury was the first superior. In 1830, at the request of Bishop Benedict Fenwick of Cincinnati, five Sisters came to Ohio, where they started St. Mary’s Academy in Somerset. Today marks the beginning of the Columbus Dominicans. They arrived on February 5, led by Mother Angela’s sibling, Sister Benvin Sansbury (1797-1873) (seen above). In 1830, Ohio was the frontier, and Catholic schools were some of the first on the frontier. Therefore St. Mary’s taught both Catholics and Protestant students. Ellen Ewing, daughter of a U.S. Senator and future wife of General William T. Sherman was an alumna. In 1868, the academy moved to Columbus, and the congregation became known as the Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs. The community has established schools throughout the East, South and Southwest. They even entered the field of higher education, with Ohio Dominican University and Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut. The Houston Dominicans and the Dominican Sisters of the Sick Poor have grown out of this congregation.