Origins of the Oblate Sisters of Providence

This research traces the origins and development of the Oblate Sisters of Providence (OSP), a Roman Catholic order of nuns, from its founding in 1829 to the present date. The research will introduce the historical context in which the OSP emerged and then discuss the principal figures of the order, how it responded to the vicissitudes of 19th-century American culture, and the manner in which it coped with the challenges of leadership, service, and durability as it evolved into the modern era.

In order to appreciate the culture of the OSP, it may be useful to define the term oblate, which has as its root word the Latin word meaning "one offered up" (Oblate, 2000). In a religious context, oblate refers to one who embraces and lives a monastic life but is not formally bound by the monastic rule or vows. To put it another way, one who becomes an oblate is typically a member of the laity rather than of the clergy but lives as if he or she were a religious. The Oblate Sisters of Providence function in the manner of a religious order to the extent they take perpetual vows, but they are far from being choir nuns who are cloistered and bound to devotional office. Instead, they actively engage with the laity as teachers, as well as sacristan functionaries. According to Davis (1990), the OSP's founding members, who began by renewing vows annually, became increasingly devotional in character and made perpetual vows some years after the establishment of the order. The OSP, for its part,

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orth, Kan., which implies the absorption of a certain administrative competence and understanding of both curriculum development and a missional structure of community engagement among those educated by the Oblates. In that regard, Gerdes characterizes St. Frances Academy as "not only a model school for bishops and ecclesiastics of the United States, but [] also a training round for the sisters to perfect the art of teaching under guidance" (1988, p. 189). This is all the more remarkable for the fact that throughout the 19th century and for most of the 20th, "no Catholic college would admit the Oblate Sisters so they could further prepare themselves to teach their students" (Norment, 1979, p. 144). Although Gerdes explains that the OSP's archives have significant lacunae, additional members of the OSP appear to have been recruited from the ranks of children educated in the school. This is consistent with statements in the Oblates literature, and with the fact that the school and society were obliged to relocate to larger quarters over the course of the 19th century. Rector (1990, p. 241) cites a report that enrollment at the St. Frances Academy "usually ranged from 50-100 pupils." The Oblates who made their way to New Orleans to

Category: Philosophy - O