The Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph kicked off their 150-year celebration with a welcome banquet, a brief performance documenting the sisters’ history in Daviess County, and Mass in the Motherhouse on Saturday. The sisters have planned a full year of celebrating, titled “Cultivating the Vine Saint Angela Entrusted to Us.”
In 1874, 5 pioneer Ursuline Sisters left Louisville and traveled to Owensboro on a flatboat down the Ohio River. Shortly after docking, they ventured by wagon to Maple Mount near West Louisville and founded Mount Saint Joseph Academy.
Fast forward 150 years, and the Ursuline Sisters still reside at Maple Mount, developing the holy ground into a beautiful campus. The sisters have been mainstays at several Catholic schools and Parishes across the county, but their impact extends far beyond the walls where they serve.
“A couple of years ago, I realized it had almost been 150 years and wrote a letter to the congressional leader,” said committee chair Dan Heckel. “Last March, I sat down with several sisters and an archivist and began planning the celebrations. We thought this original play about the sisters’ arrival would be original and get people excited.”
Ursuline sisters, associates, and several community members crowded into Maple Hall for the celebration. Heckel said the sisters strive to minister to the community’s needs through education, pastoral ministry, nursing, social justice, and other areas.
The Ursulines trace their origin to Saint Angela Merici, the founder of the church’s first teaching order of women. They formed in Brescia, Italy, in 1535, and after over 300 years of success, moved to Louisville at Bishop John Martin Spalding’s request.
Maple Mount soon became the Motherhouse for the Ursuline Sisters. They remain active in Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Chile, South America. The sisters opened the all-girls academy in August of 1874, eventually closing in 1983, graduating over 1,600 women in 109 years.
In 1925, they formed Mount Saint Joseph Junior College, relocating it to Owensboro in 1950 to begin accepting men following WWII. The college now operates as Brescia University and is just one example of how the sisters follow Saint Angela Merici’s advice of “changing according to the times and needs.”
“The Ursulines started several of the Catholic schools in the area, especially the rural ones out in the county,” Heckel said. “If you went to a Catholic school in Daviess County through the 80s, you were likely taught by an Ursuline.
“It’s a different world now, but still, I feel everybody enjoys being with the sisters. It’s a very spiritual place here at the mount – it really is holy ground.”
The next celebration comes on February 15, where the sisters will show short videos chronicling Maple Mount’s history. They plan to release a new video on the 15th of each month. They’ll follow that with a video tour of the Motherhouse Chapel stained glass windows on March 4.
Other events include a music camp, Mass with Bishop William Medley, museum displays, a sister’s reunion, and the return of their iconic picnic.
For more information on the celebrations, click here.
