Remembering Our Educational Roots

The tibouchina bloom above, sometimes called a Glory bush, is in our Motherhouse backyard. We planted it in a large ceramic pot next to our big kitchen building. It seems to like the location as it has been full of blooms since it adjusted to its being planted.  

On Dec. 28th I visited the one-room school house for African-Americans next to the Mandarin Museum on Mandarin Road for the first time since it opened a few years ago. It was one our pioneer French Sisters of St. Joseph taught in after the Civil War. I wonder how those early Sisters felt being transplanted to a new country, speaking a new language, in a new climate and culture, to serve those who were being neglected by the State of Florida.

The roots of our Congregation may have been in Le Puy, France, but we are now firmly planted in Florida. Sisters have been buried in several locations throughout this beautiful State. We served wherever there was a need, often starting new Catholic schools or hospitals. 

As we move into this New Year, let us always remember our roots, and continue to nurture and support one another as we enter a new decade. If the New Year calls for us to be planted into something "new" or in a new location, may God send us the graces we need to bloom as beautifully as that tibouchina plant, and as richly as our pioneer French Sisters in Florida. 

The one-room school house is open only on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is located at 11964 Mandarin Road in Jacksonville. It is free but donations are encouraged.