The Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill leave enduring mark on Tucson after 90 years of ministry

By Mary Lim 
Photos courtesy of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill Archives

One year ago this Summer, the three Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill who still lived at the convent at Saints Peter and Paul School and Parish in Tucson left the convent on July 1, 2022. They continue their work and ministries in the Tucson area. 

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton founded the Sisters of Charity in 1809. The Sisters of Charity expanded to several states, including New York, New Jersey, and Ohio. In 1870, the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill were founded in Pennsylvania by a band of sisters from the Cincinnati, Ohio, congregation. Today, they are an international community with two provinces in the United States and Korea. 

The Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill come to Tucson 90 years ago 

In 1933, the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill answered an appeal to staff SS. Peter and Paul Catholic School in Tucson, Arizona. At that time, Mother Eveline Fisher made the decision to send eight sisters to answer this call and start ministries in the great Southwest. The original eight made the exciting journey West by train – four went before the original railway bridge at Tucumcari, New Mexico collapsed, and four went over the reconstituted bridge a short time later – praying all the while for the adventures that awaited them in the desert. The Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill began their residence in Arizona with their mission of education at SS. Peter and Paul School, and they have continued and adapted in their mission throughout the last 90 years in multiple communities across Arizona, and expanded to California and Texas, as well. 


The first group of four Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill to arrive in Arizona were Srs. Emily Miller, Cecelia Vincent McCartney, Francis Mary Coleman, and Rose Catherine Ward. Photos courtesy of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill Archives.

The Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill were not the first women religious to come to Tucson. Their presence was requested to help with some of the work of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, who were the first sisters to open and work at the school, but pulled out. 

The Sisters of Charity eagerly continued the work at SS. Peter and Paul School, and within 22 years’ time, went on to open nine more schools in Arizona. 
 

1954, Srs. Helen Marie Haley and Jean Ann Wilburn assist workmen on the new school for St. John the Evangelist parish. Photos courtesy of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill Archives.

The Sisters’ work and ministries 

The Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill always kept education at the center of their ministry. It began with opening and staffing Catholic schools and expanded into teaching Religious Education.  

Apart from the Catholic schools that the Sisters opened, many Sisters found themselves teaching Religious Education or Bible School for parishes, on the Native Reservations, and at Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind (ASDB). Many of the Sisters would, at some point, travel to some of the smaller surrounding communities to teach Bible Studies or Religious Education.  

Over the years, the Sisters of Charity have brought their charism and mission of charity to schools, hospitals, prisons, parishes, the border, prayer groups, Bible studies, and so many other corners and niches of the rich Southwest community.  

The Sisters’ community living at the convent at SS. Peter and Paul  

The Sisters started their work at SS. Peter and Paul School. When they first arrived, they did their work at the school and they lived in a temporary building across the street. The convent at SS. Peter and Paul was built for the Sisters in 1947. 


1947 Blessing the new convent. After the blessing, the public is invited to tour through the convent. Photos courtesy of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill Archives.

Living in the convent allowed the Sisters to really grow in community with the parishioners and school families at SS. Peter and Paul, as well as with the surrounding Catholic community in Tucson, and with each other. 

Sr. Jeanne Bartholomeaux, SC, was born in Tucson and was Baptized at SS. Peter and Paul Parish. She has wonderful memories both of growing up as a student and parishioner of SS. Peter and Paul, and of living in community with the Sisters as a professed Sister of Charity herself. Sr. Jeanne’s father had done a lot of work on the convent when Sr. Jeanne was growing up. “We had kind of hung out with the Sisters who were there,” Sr. Jeanne reminisces, “[life around the convent, with the sisters] was my childhood. They taught me and were a part of my growing up. Living in the house brought back a lot of those memories.” 

When the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill established a community in Korea, the convent at SS. Peter and Paul became a place where Sisters from Korea could come and stay while they studied English at the University of Arizona.  

The convent even became a home for Sisters from other Orders besides the Sisters of Charity – if other women religious were coming to Tucson for their work, mission, or education, they were welcomed to the convent and in community life there. Among many others, some of the regular company who occupied the convent included mission Sisters who came to work at the border, and the Sisters who worked at Salpointe Catholic High School. 

“There’s something about living together,” Sr. Jeanne shared, “our days were scattered and we were doing different things, but we came together for prayer at least once a day, and we came together for the evening meal. The sharing of our day and the sharing of our faith and stories were part of the bond that held us together as Sisters.” 

The Sisters withdraw from SS. Peter and Paul School 

From the very first day that they arrived in 1933, the Sisters remained and served at SS. Peter and Paul School for 76 years. The Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill withdrew from SS. Peter and Paul School in 2009, but they remained living in the convent and until July 1, 2022. 

“We were still available, and we were present in the parish. It was a ministry of presence more so than a ministry of work,” explained Sr. Jeanne.

The Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill were no longer working in many schools that they had helped raise up since their ministry began in the Southwest. Although the Sisters may not be physically present in the schools, the spirit of the Sisters and the charism of their spirituality remain in every ministry that they had a part in.  

Not knowing what the future holds, but keeping her faith, Sr. Jeanne says, “Whether we are here or not, the spirit and memory of the Sisters of Charity are here and have left their indelible mark on the Diocese of Tucson.” 

Of all the places that the ministry of the Sisters touched, their spirit, charism, and heart remains most notably at St. John Catholic School, SS. Peter and Paul Catholic School, and Salpointe Catholic High School. “Things that we were a part of and started, those things still exist,” says Sr. Jeanne, “You’ll probably find a picture of Mother Seton in every classroom in St. John’s. At SS. Peter and Paul, there is a statue of Mother Seton that reminds people that it is her spirit in the bones of the school. And at Salpointe, there is a tree plaque that names all the sisters that were there, including the Sisters of Charity.” 

“Our affection to Mother Seton and her charism of charity, her dedication to education, and her Eucharistic spirituality was the basis of our own personal vocation.” - Sr. Jeanne Bartholomeaux. 

The Sisters were no longer working in SS. Peter and Paul School, but they were present, and their convent continued to serve as a home base for many other sisters who came from around the world to work or study in Tucson.  

The Sisters withdraw from the convent 

The convent has been home to many women religious since it was built in 1947. Allowing the sisters to live in community with each other at the convent bore many fruits for our Southwest community – without the ministry and presence of the sisters, Tucson would be unrecognizable from what we know it to be today. 

The number of vocations to the religious life in general has declined dramatically, and continues to dwindle. The Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill are in the thick of this crisis: in the early 1960s, there were over 800 Sisters in their order, and in 2011 that number was only 224.

Then, when Covid-19 hit the globe, all programs here in Tucson that welcomed international Sisters halted – this meant that the convent at SS. Peter and Paul was no longer housing other Sisters besides the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill who still remained in Tucson.  

“As our numbers decreased, it became common sense to realize that the convent was too big for the three of us who were there. So that is when the process of withdrawal started,” explained Sr. Jeanne, one of the three sisters who was still living at the convent, and who had lived there for 28 years throughout her ministry. The three Sisters are now living at the Marist on Cathedral Square, each of them in their own apartments.  

Though it was sad to leave, the Sisters will always remember the kindness and welcome that they received from the pastors of SS. Peter and Paul over the years. Sr. Jeanne shares that, “The joy that we’ve experienced, the wonderful memories that we have of being part of SS. Peter and Paul Parish, and being witnesses to the evolution of the Diocese, it can’t be separated [from our time at the convent]. It was the base that we found at SS. Peter and Paul when we first came which sustained us when we had to withdraw from the parish. It has been lifegiving and empowering. We always found kind support from the groups that we worked with there. We appreciated deeply the roots of spirit and kindness that we found there. We have lots of memories and we are so grateful for all of those who are part of those memories. And we are grateful that we had shoulders to stand on represented by the Sisters that came throughout the years.” 

The future of the convent and of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill in Tucson 

The current pastor of SS. Peter and Paul Parish, Fr. Ricky Ordonez, will decide what will become of the building that was the convent for the Sisters of Charity and many other sisters for 75 years. No decision has been made yet, but Fr. Ricky is working with the Board and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to decide how the Lord will use the space next.  

The Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill who left the convent last year will continue living out their vocations as Sisters of Charity in different ways in different places. 

Sr. Jeanne Bartholomeaux is an artist, and she continues to work in and study fiber arts, “inviting others into an encounter with the Divine” through her art. She also volunteers at the Pastoral Center as the Vicar of Religious, and she cares for her older sister. 

Sr. Consuelo Pacheco, also an artist, continues her artwork at Caritas Christi in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Sr. Claudia Rushlow has moved to Caritas Christi as well, where she will continue her ministries and life of prayer. 

With Sr. Jeanne in Tucson, Sr. Mary Elizabeth Lawrence works as the office manager at the University of Arizona Newman Center with the Dominicans. 

The transition that the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill across the United States are undergoing very much mirrors the transition of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill in Tucson, in that they are being called to live their vocations as Sisters in new and exciting ways. The mission that they brought to Tucson 90 years ago will live on forever in the land, in the buildings, in the Church, and in the people.