[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 58 (Thursday, April 22, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E638-E639]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SISTERS OF CHARITY OF SAINT 
                               ELIZABETH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. STEVEN R. ROTHMAN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 22, 2010

  Mr. ROTHMAN of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth and celebrate with them on 
their 150th Anniversary of service and dedication to serving their 
Church and community.
  The Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth come from a long legacy of 
public service that stretches back to the 19th century. This legacy is 
interwoven with the founding and development of the Catholic Church in 
New Jersey. Under the authority of the first American bishop, Bishop 
John Carroll of Baltimore, Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton founded the 
American Sisters of Charity in 1809 in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Fifty 
years later, Sister Mary Xavier Mehegan was assigned by the New York 
Sisters of Charity to take charge of the new community that the first 
Bishop of Newark, James Roosevelt Bayley, nephew of Mother Seton, 
wished to establish.
  Following the example of Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton, the new 
community was formally ordered and established in Newark, New Jersey on 
September 29, 1859. The Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth founded 
the Academy of Saint Elizabeth, the first secondary school for young 
women in the state, near Morristown in 1860. In 1899, at a time when 
New Jersey had no baccalaureate-degree-granting college for women, 
Sister Mary Xavier Mehegan founded the College of Saint Elizabeth, New 
Jersey's oldest four-year college for women and one of the first 
colleges for women in the United States.
  Under Sister Mehegan's leadership, the Sisters of Charity of Saint 
Elizabeth moved their ministries beyond New Jersey to Connecticut, 
Massachusetts, and New York. Following her passing, they further 
expanded their work into China, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. 
While their endeavors continued to grow and expand abroad, they did not 
hesitate to toil restlessly for those who were disadvantaged and 
discriminated against at home. During the period of segregation, the 
Sisters of Charity opened a school for black children in Pensacola, 
Florida. The Sisters truly believe it to be self evident that all men, 
women and children are created equal.
  From this rich history, the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth 
have become a beacon of hope throughout the community. Their mission is 
to work with and for the poor, to alleviate suffering, to dispel 
ignorance, and to promote justice. They participate in the mission of 
the Catholic Church through ministry supported and nourished by prayer 
and a vowed life of service to the community. The Sisters of Charity of 
Saint Elizabeth serve as a true example of selflessness and service. 
They continue to embody President John F. Kennedy's grand instruction: 
``Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for 
your country.''
  Madam Speaker, I know that my colleagues will join with me in 
honoring the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth for their 150 years 
of faithful service to New Jersey.

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