Upcoming Lectures on Sisters of Charity History

The Sisters of Charity are currently celebrating the bicentennial of their founding by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in 1809. Among the upcoming events is a lecture by Monsignor Thomas J. Shelley on the history of the Sisters in their educational apostolate. Monsignor Shelley, who teaches Theology at Fordham University, has just authored an impressive book on the history of the Archdiocese of New York, which I believe is available through the Archdiocese. The lecture will be at the College of Mount St. Vincent in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, on March 25. In the Fall, historians Bernadette McCauley and Maureen Fitzgerald will talk about the community’s contributions to healthcare and childcare. Too often we tend to overlook the fact that many of the country’s first women hospital directors, social workers, school principals, orphanage directors, and college presidents were Roman Catholic nuns.