Sisters of Charity of

Nazareth Academy in Kentucky

Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Celebrate 200 Years in Nazareth

This summer, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth are celebrating their 200th anniversary in Nazareth, Kentucky.

However, Nazareth was not their first home.

In 1812, in the newly formed diocese of Bardstown, Kentucky, Bishop Benedict Flaget was overwhelmed by the responsibility of providing religious education for the children of Catholic families who had migrated to Kentucky from Maryland after the Revolutionary War. In response to this need, Father John Baptist David called for young women willing to devote their lives to the service of the Church. From among the group of six women who responded to the call, a Marylander named Catherine Spalding was elected first superior of the congregation. In 1814, the Sisters opened a one-room school at St. Thomas Farm, near Bardstown. Their first home, a log house, is still standing, along with the church. On June 11, 1822, the Sisters moved about three miles north to Nazareth and built a new school. Within a decade, the school, known as Nazareth Academy, could accommodate 100 boarders. It’s now the site of the Motherhouse. When the Sisters and all who lived with them at St. Thomas moved to Nazareth, they used the study of the minister who had owned this farm for their chapel. The Annunciation grotto marks this site. Bishop David advised the Sisters, “Build first a house for God, and God will then build one for you.” The Sisters followed this advice. The church was completed in 1824, and Bishop David blessed it on June 24.