Women Religious Archives Collaborative

✨ MEMBER SPOTLIGHT ✨
Take a quick look at the founding history of the Sisters of Loretto, Kentucky

📅 Founded: 1812

🌍 Origin: Hardin's Creek, Marion County, Kentucky

👩‍🦳 Foundresses: Mary Rhodes, Ann Havern, and Christina Stuart

🤝 First Service: Educating poor children on the Kentucky frontier

🧵 Artifact Spotlight: Embroidered Hearts
These embroidered hearts from Mother Mary Rhodes' habit were hand-stitched by the Sister who wore the habit and passed down through generations of her family before being donated to the Loretto Heritage Center.

Read the full story at: https://archivescollaborative.org/sisters-of-loretto

Loretto Community,

So proud of our friends and colleagues at HARC. Congratulations and best wishes as you open your doors. We are so grateful to be connected in our larger network as we preserve the amazing stories of Catholic Sisters.

👷‍♀️ Hard Hat Highlight 👷‍♀️

With interior metal stud framing underway, offices, meeting rooms, and workspaces are beginning to emerge from the construction site. The WRAC team got a preview of their future offices — and even had a chance to say hello from their future windows! 👋

It's exciting to see the spaces where we'll preserve stories, welcome researchers, and serve our member congregations come to life. 🚧💙

🇺🇸 On Memorial Day, we remember the men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. We hold them – and all who mourn them this day – in prayer.

🙏 Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

For centuries, Catholic Sisters have been bringing hope to life through action — educating children, caring for the sick, welcoming immigrants, feeding families, advocating for justice, and protecting God’s creation. Every ministry, every act of compassion, every community served is a reminder that hope is not passive — hope is built through action. ✨

This week, we give thanks for Catholic Sisters whose faithful witness continues to inspire a more just, compassionate, and sustainable world for all. 🌎 💚

📸 Ursuline Sisters of Toledo, , Sisters of the Humility of Mary

✨ MEMBER SPOTLIGHT ✨
Take a quick look at the founding history of the Sisters of St. Francis (Tiffin Franciscans)

📅 Founded: June 4, 1869

🌍 Origin: Founded on farmland outside Tiffin, Ohio, in response to the needs of orphans and the elderly following the Civil War

👩‍🦳 Founders: Father Joseph Louis Bihn and Mother Francis d’Assisi (Elizabeth Schaefer)

🤝 First Service: Caring for orphaned children and elderly persons in a home-like environment

🪑 Artifact Spotlight:
A child-sized table, chair, and tea set used by orphan children at St. Francis Home—simple reminders of the care, comfort, and sense of home the Sisters provided.

👉 Read the full story at: https://archivescollaborative.org/sisters-of-st-francis-tiffin-oh

We join the Racine Dominicans in celebrating their Founder’s Day!

✨ In honor of Nurses Week, we are highlighting a story about a pioneer nurse anesthetist who also introduced the concept of managed care and prepaid health insurance.

👩‍⚕️ In 2003, it was discovered that Sister Mary Bernard Sheridan was the first formally educated nurse anesthetist in the U.S., and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission placed an historic marker outside Saint Vincent Hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania. According to the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA), Sister Mary Bernard Sheridan created a legacy for the thousands of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) nationwide who have followed in her footsteps.

👉 Read the full story at https://archivescollaborative.org/sr-mary-bernard-sheridan/

of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania,

We honor all Daughters, Sisters of Charity and Vincentians who celebrate this day!

Feast of St. Louise de Marillac – May 9
St. Louise de Marillac (1591–1660), co-founder of the Daughters of Charity with St. Vincent de Paul, devoted her life to serving those living in poverty. As patron saint of social workers, orphans, and widows, she calls us to embody a love that is both compassionate and active.

💙 National Nurses Week: The Power of Nurses

Catholic Sisters have long been a powerful force in healthcare by founding hospitals, training nurses, and caring for communities with compassion and skill. 👩‍⚕️✨

We give thanks for the nurses of the past and present whose work continues to transform lives. 🙏

💬 Help us celebrate by sharing a message of gratitude for a nurse who has made an impact on your life.