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| In 1873 St. Henry Convent - New Orleans, LA - became the first foundation of the Sisters of Christian Charity in the United States. |
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From 1871 to 1878, in an attempt to control all religion and education in the country, the German government enacted sanctions against the Catholic Church. During this period - known as the Kulturkampf - religious teachers were expelled from schools, and some congregations were even exiled. Mother Pauline could do little but watch as houses, schools and institutions were taken from the Congregation, leaving the Sisters homeless.
Even as the Sisters' activities in Germany were being curtailed, a new field of activity was beckoning. For years requests from pastors of German-speaking parishes in the United States for Sisters to teach in their schools had been pouring in. Now, with more Sisters available for this endeavor, Mother Pauline began looking more closely at the pastors' requests. Soon a ship, bound for the United States and bearing eight Sisters of Christian Charity among its passengers, left Bremen Harbor.
In April 1873, these eight Sisters of Christian Charity arrived in New Orleans, LA, to begin work at St. Henry School.
By December 1874, eighty Sisters had been sent from Germany to establish foundations in the USA: Wilkes-Barre, Danville, Williamsport, Mauch-Chunk, Honesdale, Nippenose Valley and Scranton, PA; Melrose, NY; Baltimore, MD; New Ulm and Henderson, MN; Westphalia, MI; and St. Paul, IA.
From the Congregation's early beginnings in the USA until today, Sisters of Christian Charity have served in Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.
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