Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill
The Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill were founded by Sister Aloysia Lowe. In 1870, she and sisters Blanche O'Keefe, Maria Theresa O'Donnell, Maria Kavanaugh and two novices were sent to western Pennsylvania from the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati and began their work, founding and staffing schools. The sisters later expanded their work to include healthcare. History In 1809, Elizabeth Ann Seton established a religious order of women in Emmitsburg, Maryland, based on the rule drawn up by Vincent de Paul for Louise de Marillac's Daughters of Charity. The community expanded as it received requests from bishops in New York, St. Louis, Missouri; Cincinnati, Ohio and elsewhere to send sisters to staff schools, orphanages, and hospitals. When the Emmitsburg community decided to affiliate with the French Daughters of Charity, the Cincinnati sisters decided in 1852 to become an independent congregation. In 1869, Bishop Michael Domenec of Pittsburgh appealed to the Cincinnati community of Sisters of Charity for sisters to serve the needs of the growing Catholic population in his diocese. Although the Cincinnati Sisters were unable to take on a new mission, they did agree to prepare novices to then return to Pittsburgh with experienced sisters of the Cincinnati congregation who would stay to establish the new community. Sister Aloysia Lowe, three other Sisters of Charity, and two novices, left Cincinnati and arrived in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on August 20, 1870. Education Under the direction of Mother Aloysia Lowe and her assistant, Sister Anne Regina Ennis, the Altoona convent became an independent foundation of the Sisters of Charity. In quick succession, schools were opened in Blairsville, Johnstown, and the Pittsburgh neighborhoods of East Liberty, Sharpsburg, Lawrenceville, and South Side. In the summer of 1882, recognizing the need for a larger motherhouse, Mother Aloysia for her growing Congregation and purchased the Jennings Farm in Greensburg where Seton Hill University's main hilltop campus now stands. She named the site, which consisted primarily of farmland, Seton Hill, in honor of Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton, the founder of the Sisters of Charity and the first American-born saint. The property had fallen into neglect over the years but a few usable buildings remained, including the Stokes mansion. Named for previous owner William Axton Stokes, a wealthy lawyer and a major in the Civil War, this grand home had once contained the first private library Andrew Carnegie had ever seen, inspiring the public libraries he established in later years. The mansion still stands on Seton Hill University's campus and was renamed St. Mary Hall. There, they also established a school for boys and in 1883, St. Joseph's Academy for Girls. Within the next year, Saint Joseph Academy was opened. After creating the Saint Joseph Academy for Girls (which operated until 1947), the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill founded what came to be known as the Seton Hill Schools (which included the Seton Hill Conservatory of Music and Seton Hill Conservatory of Art) in 1885. In 1914, the Sisters opened the doors to Seton Hill Junior