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EXHIBITS
Adventurous Spirits!
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Beginnings in Quebec
Experience tells us that self-identity is
influenced greatly by the decisions
and actions of family members who
lived before us. The same is true for
the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus
and Mary (SNJM) who work in the United
States and Ontario, Canada. The work being
done by the Sisters and their Associates today is
shaped by the Congregation's roots, established
in Quebec more than 150 years ago. read more
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Map of the United States in 1851
Map of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America,
and the West India Islands with a Portion of Venezuela & New Granada;
Showing the routes overland and by the Isthmus to California and Oregon. view map
J. M. Atwood, 1851
Courtesy Cartography Associates
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Voyage to Oregon
In early 1859 Archbishop Francis Norbert
Blanchet (1795-1883) of the Oregon
diocese sent a letter to Ignatius Bourget
(1799-1885), Bishop of Montreal, asking
for a religious teaching order to establish
schools in his vast diocese. Bourget approached
the Sisters of the Holy Names in Longueuil and
received a favorable reply. On 22 June 1859,
Blanchet arrived in Montreal to discuss
preparations for the new mission. Twelve Sisters
were selected for the journey and the date of
departure was set for 16 September 1859. read more
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Oregon
After completing their five-week voyage, the twelve
intrepid Sisters of the Holy Names finally set foot in
the town they would now call home-Portland.
When they arrived in October 1859, Oregon had
been a state for eight months. Portland's population
in 1855 was just over 1200,making it the largest city
north of San Francisco and the major port on the
Willamette River. Its first Catholic Church, on the
corner of Third and Stark, was dedicated in 1852.
Nevertheless, to the eyes of the newcomers, the sight
of Portland was probably disappointing, consisting
as it did of wood frame structures and only a
handful of brick buildings. read more
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Ontario, Canada
In 1861 Pierre Adolphe Pinsonneault, Bishop
of Sandwich, Ontario, Canada, found his
diocese in need of a teaching order.
Communications were opened in April 1862
with Mother Theresa of Jesus (1823-1890),
Superior General.
Windsor, settled in the mid-eighteenth century,
was an isolated and sleepy little farming village
across the Detroit River from Detroit, Michigan.
In the mid-1830s, it began to flourish, attracting
French-speaking settlers from Quebec and
Americans, among them African American
slaves who escaped to Canada via the
Underground Railroad. read more
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New York
In March 1865, Superior General Mother
Theresa of Jesus (1823-1890) received a request
for Sisters from Reverend Daniel Falvey of St.
John's parish in Schenectady, New York. After a
failed attempt to establish a mission in Troy the
year before, she was hesitant to consider
another New York foundation. She wrote in May
1865:
"I do not think it wise to send Sisters to the Albany
diocese.I believe that we shall not receive
permission to settle there, any more than we did in
Troy, only one year ago." read more
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California
The arduous steamship journey the Sisters took
from Quebec to Oregon necessitated a change of
vessel in several places, the last of which was San
Francisco. Travelers continuing to points further
north often had several days to recuperate. So it
was with the first Portland-bound Sisters in 1859,
as well as those who followed in 1863. On both
trips, the Sisters were assured hospitality by
several religious communities and by Joseph
Sadoc Alemany (1814-1888), Archbishop of San
Francisco. Archbishop Alemany appointed
Reverend Michael King, assistant pastor of St.
Patrick Church, to welcome all visiting
missionaries and to ensure that their needs were
met while in the city. read more
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Florida
Sisters traveling by steamship from Quebec to the
west coast of the United States invariably stopped
briefly in KeyWest, the last island in the chain of
Florida Keys. Less than one hundred miles from
Cuba, KeyWest was a mixture of cultures, races
and languages. Among the diverse population
were Native Americans, Blacks, Cubans, and
descendants of the British Loyalists who had
populated the Bahamas since before the American
Revolution. Incorporated in 1828, Key West
remained small until the 1840s when its
population jumped to 2,000. By 1870 there were
5,000 residents and KeyWest was the largest and
wealthiest town in Florida, primarily due to the
lucrative shipwreck salvage market made possible
by the treacherous Florida reefs. read more
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Washington
In 1853, Seattle was a tiny town of one hundred
residents situated on Elliot Bay in the
northwestern corner of what had just become
Washington Territory. However,
its proximity to both water and
an ancient forest, with trees as
tall as 400 feet, helped Seattle
develop into a thriving city of
1,200 by 1870. As the forests
disappeared, the city grew,
attracting a rough crowd that
quickly gave Seattle a
reputation for prostitution,
gambling and liquor. Local
government was ineffective, basic services were
severely neglected and the educational system
was virtually nonexistent. read more
Exhibit graphic design by Bryan Potter Design
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