Sisters of St. Joseph Play A Vital Role in Wheeling
Religious Order First Arrived in Town in 1853
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WHEELING -- The Sisters of St. Joseph have participated in most of Wheeling's 250-year history and continue to play a vital role in the city.
Sister Mary Palmer and Sister Kathleen Durkin spoke about the congregation's legacy and future at the Ohio County Public Library for a recent Wheeling 250 program. Palmer recounted the religious order's early years and Durkin detailed current ministries.
"We are delighted to be part of this community … to celebrate the goodness of people and to help this community," Durkin said. "We are happy that we can play a little part."
The first nuns from the order, though, received a rocky reception upon arrival in the city in 1853. A landlord reneged on an agreement to provide housing for the four women upon learning that the "sisters" weren't siblings, Palmer related. They were forced to live in a cramped attic of a house on 15th Street.
In 1856, the sisters moved to the Sweeney mansion in North Wheeling. That home was demolished in the 1930s and was replaced by a structure that became the middle section of Wheeling Hospital.
Palmer, who serves as the Wheeling Center's archivist, said the Sisters of St. Joseph became most famous for their work as nurses during the Civil War. Their hospital treated both Union and Confederate soldiers. Sister Ignatius Farley and Mother de Chantal received the Grand Army of the Republic's Bronze Medal in recognition of their service, she said.
"Our primary legacy has been Wheeling Hospital. We're still there," Palmer said, adding, "The biggest joy we have is our service at Wheeling Hospital."
Sister Rita Marie von Berg was the last sister to serve as administrator of the hospital. Sisters are still involved in pastoral care at the hospital and its Continuous Care Center.
The order, known for both nursing and teaching, established St. Joseph's Academy in an East Wheeling building that was used previously by the Sisters of the Visitation. SSJ members started St. Alphonsus School in Center Wheeling, she said. Eventually, the sisters' involvement in education spread throughout West Virginia.
"We staffed at least 55 schools in the diocese," Palmer said. "Today, we don't have any sisters in schools."
In the early years, Mount Mary Convent in Elm Grove served as "a summer home for sisters who lived in town," Palmer said.
In 1954, the sisters moved to Mount St. Joseph, along Pogue Run Road, where a modern residence and chapel were built. The historic home on the former Holloway property now houses the St. Joseph Retreat Center.
Adding an international element to the community, a large group of sisters came from Ireland in 1946 to serve in pastoral care and teaching, Palmer said. Meanwhile, the congregation was involved in a mission in Guatemala for eight years as part of an initiative of the Most Rev. Joseph Hodges, then-bishop of Wheeling.
In the community, two sisters -- known affectionately as "Salt and Pepper" for their respective white and black habits -- opened a small facility in East Wheeling to serve the poor. Their mission became Catholic Charities Neighborhood Center. The Sisters of St. Joseph have sponsored Holy Family Child Care and Development Center on Edgington Lane for 35 years.
The Wheeling sisters joined with six other congregations to form the Congregation of St. Joseph and establish community centers in the early 2000s.
Reflecting on the sisters' continuing pursuit of a Gospel call "that all may be one," Durkin said, "We never retire from the mission."
Durkin, who now serves as a spiritual director and retreat leader, said the mission includes a "double rhythm" of contemplation and action. Gifts and grants are made to several ministries and projects in Wheeling and other parts of the state. Sisters and lay associates provide voluntary service to and with local communities.
"We never do anything by ourselves," Durkin added. "We have wonderful lay associates and sisters."
The congregation works with others to address issues related to children and families, sustainability, access to healthy food, education and mental, physical and spiritual health. The sisters and partners also seek to combat opioid addiction, human trafficking, racism and homelessness, she said.