Catholic Sisters: The Spirit of St. Louis

St. Louis Public Library, in conjunction with the Communicators for St. Louis Sisters, will open the new exhibit, “Catholic Sisters: The Spirit of St. Louis,” in conjunction with Catholic Sisters Week, which runs annually from March 8 to 14.

The exhibit, which celebrates 200 years of Catholic sisters’ presence in St. Louis, runs March 3 through April 28, at Central Library,1301 Olive Street. The exhibit, located on the Library’s Third Floor, is free and open to the public.

The exhibit will feature the work of the sisters through photos, display of habits, a German prayer book, a bell used to keep people at a distance when a patient suffered from smallpox, the original Rule of the School and Plan of Studies developed by Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat, a trunk used while traveling on missions and much more.

“Catholic Sisters: The Spirit of St. Louis” exhibit recognizes and celebrates the mission of Catholic Sisters in the St. Louis community during the past 200 years, said Sister Carol Marie Wildt, SSND. Through photos, artifacts and books, the exhibit highlights their readiness to respond to the need for education, health care and aid for immigrants and those who are poor.”

The School Sisters of Notre Dame are one of 15 congregations featured prominently in the exhibit. SSNDs have served in and started countless schools in the St. Louis area since they arrived 160 years ago.

The exhibit was featured in a cover story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Read the article.