ARCHDIOCESE OF CINCINNATI BICENTENNIAL
BY S ARA H A T E R
serving in the wilderness Both the Sisters of the Sacred Heart and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur rejected the remote location. Loving the peace of the countryside, Bishop Purcell moved St. Francis Xavier Seminary from Cincinnati to the donated property in 1840, and, for two years, it was administered by diocesan priests. By 1842, Bishop Purcell successfully handed the seminary’s management to the Lazarist Fathers. However, the property’s distance from the city proved problematic, and there were disagreements between Bishop Purcell and the Lazarist Fathers. As a result, the seminary returned to Cincinnati before the end of the 1844-1845 school year, leaving the property’s occupancy available for another religious community. THE URSULINE SISTERS
Mother Julia Chatfield, OSU
In the archdiocese, there are “mother churches,” the first Catholic churches, for each region. In the East, that parish is St. Martin Church in Brown County. Thirty miles northeast of Cincinnati, Catholics began to settle in that area as early as 1820, though it was 10 years before the parish formally organized. THE LAND PROBLEM
General William Lytle gifted 200 acres of land near the parish to Bishop Edward Fenwick for the purpose of establishing a school. Although Bishop Fenwick was unable to complete the project this before his death in 1832, Bishop John Purcell saw it to completion. Both of these early bishops made great efforts to bring religious communities to Ohio to assist in the vineyard, but settling Brown County did not come easily.
In 1838 Bishop Purcell visited the Ursuline Sisters at Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, and invited them to Cincinnati. At first, the sisters declined, but then an Ursuline community in Beaulieu requested to go. Within a few years’ time, the first community changed its mind, and, in 1845, 11 nuns traveled to Cincinnati. Deferring to Bishop Purcell’s choice of where they would teach, they went to Brown County. Mother Julia Chatfield led this newly organized community. The Ursulines in France educated Julia, and she converted to Catholicism. Disowned by her father, she eventually entered the convent. Propelled by a desire to be a missionary, Mother Julia took on the responsibility of administering the young community in less-than-desirable circumstances. The sisters had to overcome many obstacles, including the language barrier, isolation, strenuous farm work and a lack of financial assistance. Their unusual circumstances led them to loosen the strict rules of cloistered life, and English became their primary language. Seeing God’s providence in their work, Mother
On June 19, 2021, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati will celebrate its bicentennial, recognizing 200 years of faith in Western and Southwestern Ohio. Each month, we will feature events and people who played significant parts in its story. These stories aim to inspire, educate and celebrate the many gifts God has given our local Church.
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