The Ursuline Sisters have educated countless children and adults. Among these folks is Lawrence Welk, bandleader who hosted the musical variety show The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982. Born in Strasburg, North Dakota in 1903, Welk was taught by the Ursuline Sisters of Belleville. Looking back on those years with fondness, Welk said…
Sisters of the Past
A New Pope is Elected! In 1939…
It is common for religious communities to keep daily annals. Annals are daily recollections of the day’s events whether in the community, locally, nationally, or universally. Last year the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph posted selections each day to celebrate their centennial. The entry for March 2 was taken from 1939. Rather appropriate, considering…
“Lost” and Found
Over the years at Mount Saint Joseph in both the archives and museum a great effort has been made to gather records and artifacts. When visiting with other archivists they often note that sisters are well known for their excellent record keeping practices. Through the years things get moved from here to there and someone…
Belleville Artifacts
Archives contain many varieties of records: papers, photographs, audio visual materials, books, postcards, etc. What they can also hold are artifacts; three-dimensional items that were used in daily life by the creator or collector of the paper records. The Ursuline Sisters of Belleville Archives came to Mount Saint Joseph with many artifacts they used in…
An Award for General Excellence
It happens often enough in the archives world that answers to reference requests can be difficult to find, if found at all. We were approached with a request for information about a medallion awarded to Josie Ballantine in 1887 for “General Excellence.” Josie graduated from Mount Saint Joseph Academy that year, having been an involved…
German Cookbook
Ursuline Sisters have followed the teachings of their founder Saint Angela to be educators and have focused their ministries in this respect. However, the need still remains to serve those who serve. Some sisters have dedicated their lives to domestic work by providing food at the convents and providing a clean home to live in.…
Vocation Awareness Week
January 13-19, 2013 is Vocation Awareness Week. This annual week-long celebration of the Catholic Church in the United States is dedicated to promote vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and consecrated life through prayer and education, and to renew our prayers and support for those who are considering one of these particular vocations. Promoting vocations is…
Our Lady of Prompt Succor
Special to the devotions of Ursuline Sisters is the devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title “Our Lady of Prompt Succor,” whose feast day is January 8. A shrine was dedicated to her in 1810 by the Ursuline Sisters in New Orleans in gratitude for her protection during difficult times. A shrine to…
Postcards of Saint Ursula
Postcards were frequently used by the sisters for their own education and for that of their students. Postcard collections present a wide variety of artwork on topics relevant to Ursulines, Catholicism, history, geography, etc. Below are some examples of postcards featuring artwork dedicated to Saint Ursula. Enveloped in legend, Saint Ursula and thousands of maidens…
The Mount Humor Section
The Mount newspaper gave the Academy students news of school happenings, local and world news, spiritual edification, book reviews, program details, obituaries and alumnae news, among many other things. One thing it included in the 1920s-1930s was a humor section full of quips, some of which are inside jokes to the students and life at…