- February 25, 2022
The path towards racial equality is not smooth. Progress has been met with resistance. In honor of Black History Month, we remember the milestones in the Sisters of St. Joseph’s history that have been achieved in the fight to eliminate racism while recognizing the challenges we have encountered.
From establishing schools to educate Black children to marching in Selma as a part of the civil rights movement, the Sisters of St. Joseph remain committed to standing in solidarity with one another, serving the dear neighbor without distinction, and working towards dismantling racism.
1845: St. Joseph's School for Colored
In 1845, with the help of Archbishop Kenrick, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet founded St. Joseph’s School for the Colored. The school, which stood on the corner of 3rd and Poplar, taught elementary education to more than 100 daughters of freed slaves, and provided religious education to children of slaves.
The school was not well received by the community. Archbishop Kenrick closed the school one day after the school was attacked, as recalled by Mother St. John Fournier:
This displeased the whites very much. After some time, they threatened to have us put out by force. The threats were repeated every day, finally, one morning as I was leaving the church, several people called out to me, and told me that they were coming that night to put us out of the house. I put some miraculous medals on the entrance gate, and on the fences. We already had them on the doors and windows of the house. At 11 o’clock, the sister woke with a start when she heard a loud noise. Out in the street was a crowd of people crying out and cursing. Suddenly, the police patrol came and scattered those villains who were trying to break open the door. They returned three times that night. But our good mother protected us, and they were not able to open the door from the outside.
One year later, the Missouri legislature made education of black people illegal and punishable by fine or imprisonment. Several religious orders continued teaching African-Americans, but their teaching was limited to children of freed slaves.
1937: St. Joseph's High School for Colored
In 1937, Archbishop John Glennon founded the first Black Catholic High School in St. Louis, St. Joseph’s High School for Colored. There were many Catholic high schools in St. Louis at the time, but they were only open to white students. Because of segregation, Black students were barred from enrolling.
Archbishop Glennon called upon the Sisters of St. Joseph to teach these young Black children. Sister Mary Alexandra Kuhn answered the call. She was committed to serving her dear neighbor, without distinction. “When I was asked if it would bother me to teach the black students, I said, ‘No.’ I was sent to teach their minds.'”
Archbishop Joseph Ritter ordered Catholic schools to be integrated and as a result, St. Joseph’s High School for Colored closed in 1951.
1955: First Black Sister of St. Joseph
In 1955, Sister Barbara Moore became the first African American to enter the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph. She recalls her experiences as the first Black Sister of St. Joseph in this 1990 letter she wrote:
The petulancy and novitiate were not particularly traumatic for me. However I did miss the “soul food” and other reminders of my culture. For months I never even saw another black face. I was considered “a credit to my race” because I kept my stand and drawers neat and orderly.
Two major events profoundly affected my life and were a metanoia for me. The events were my trip to Selma, Alabama, in 1965 and the first National Black Sisters Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1968. I was asked to consider participating in each happening and not told to do so. Some sisters were not allowed to attend the conference by their superiors. In Selma and Pittsburgh, I met some wonderful people, which included many other African American women and men religious, priests, brothers, and seminarians. Subsequently I have been actively involved in the Nation Black Sisters’ Conference and the local Black Catholic Caucus as well as several other religious, civic and social organizations. I can advocate for people and causes in which I believe.
I have had the support, guidance and permission to grow and to develop as an African American woman religious. I have been fortunate to share community with women of faith who respect me and who are not threatened by my involvements in African American concerns.
1965: Sisters of Selma
Sisters Barbara Moore, Rosemary Flanigan and Roberta Schmidt took to the streets of Selma, Alabama, as they marched in support of the civil rights movement.
This year marks the 57th anniversary of the marches from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery.
Click here to learn about how the sisters' experiences at Selma shaped their futures, the CSJs' focus on social justice efforts, and how all of us can make a difference today in our continued march to dismantle racism.
1968: First Black Catholic Religious Gathering
In 1968, Sister Barbara Moore participated in the first gathering of Black Catholic Religious. For the first time, Black priests and sisters from across the country came together to address racial equality, both in civic community and within the church. This gathering laid the foundations for what is now the National Black Sisters’ Conference, an organization of Black Catholic Sisters committed to promoting racial equality. Sister Barbara Moore recalls her trip to Pittsburgh for this historical and groundbreaking conference:
This was the first time I had seen so many African-American priests and sisters and brothers in one gathering. ... I don’t think I’d danced since I entered. But it was just a wonderful time. ... And all those who were there for that meeting were called Founding Mothers.