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Third Grade Holy Person...
Catherine Spalding (1793-1858). In 1813, when no education for girls, no private health care, and no organized social services existed on the Kentucky frontier, Catherine Spalding, aged nineteen, was elected leader of six women forming a new religious community, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. As a founding leader of the new religious community in the new Catholic diocese of Kentucky, Catherine helped establish a school on St. Thomas Farm in Nelson County. The community and school grew through years of labor and poverty, and in 1822, moved to a larger property at present-day Nazareth, Kentucky, near Bardstown.
In 1831, Catherine and three Sisters opened Presentation Academy in a church basement (present-day Cathedral of the Assumption), serving children of both prosperous merchants and the so-called “levee rats.” The next year, when cholera struck the city, the Sisters volunteered to nurse the sick poor and gathered orphans into their own small house. Within three years, river boats and urban disease had brought enough orphans to require purchase of a large building, the St. Vincent Orphanage that lasted Catherine’s lifetime. Presentation Academy moved out of the church basement into houses on Fifth Street until 1893. It remains in 2013 as the oldest school in Louisville.
Today...the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth (SCN) carry on the mission of their founder: "We Sisters of Charity of Nazareth are an international Congregation in a multicultural world. Impelled by the love of Christ, in the tradition of Vincent de Paul and the pioneer spirit of Catherine Spalding, we and our Associates are committed to work for justice in solidarity with oppressed peoples, especially the economically poor and women, and to care for the earth. We risk our lives and resources, both personally and corporately, as we engage in diverse ministries in carrying out this mission." In 2012 the SCNs celebrated 200 years.
Hands-on learning opportunities...The SCN community continues its ministries in the city of Louisville and all over the world. Nazareth Home, located on Newburg Road, opened in 1976 to accommodate and care for Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and others requiring skilled and intermediate care in Louisville. In 1981, an additional 50 personal care beds were added bringing the total capacity of the facility to 168 beds. To arrange student pen-pal relationships with the residents at Nazareth Home, contact Sharon Weikert at [email protected].
Catherine Spalding (1793-1858). In 1813, when no education for girls, no private health care, and no organized social services existed on the Kentucky frontier, Catherine Spalding, aged nineteen, was elected leader of six women forming a new religious community, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. As a founding leader of the new religious community in the new Catholic diocese of Kentucky, Catherine helped establish a school on St. Thomas Farm in Nelson County. The community and school grew through years of labor and poverty, and in 1822, moved to a larger property at present-day Nazareth, Kentucky, near Bardstown.
In 1831, Catherine and three Sisters opened Presentation Academy in a church basement (present-day Cathedral of the Assumption), serving children of both prosperous merchants and the so-called “levee rats.” The next year, when cholera struck the city, the Sisters volunteered to nurse the sick poor and gathered orphans into their own small house. Within three years, river boats and urban disease had brought enough orphans to require purchase of a large building, the St. Vincent Orphanage that lasted Catherine’s lifetime. Presentation Academy moved out of the church basement into houses on Fifth Street until 1893. It remains in 2013 as the oldest school in Louisville.
Today...the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth (SCN) carry on the mission of their founder: "We Sisters of Charity of Nazareth are an international Congregation in a multicultural world. Impelled by the love of Christ, in the tradition of Vincent de Paul and the pioneer spirit of Catherine Spalding, we and our Associates are committed to work for justice in solidarity with oppressed peoples, especially the economically poor and women, and to care for the earth. We risk our lives and resources, both personally and corporately, as we engage in diverse ministries in carrying out this mission." In 2012 the SCNs celebrated 200 years.
Hands-on learning opportunities...The SCN community continues its ministries in the city of Louisville and all over the world. Nazareth Home, located on Newburg Road, opened in 1976 to accommodate and care for Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and others requiring skilled and intermediate care in Louisville. In 1981, an additional 50 personal care beds were added bringing the total capacity of the facility to 168 beds. To arrange student pen-pal relationships with the residents at Nazareth Home, contact Sharon Weikert at [email protected].