Honoring the Legacy of Our Sisters: Catholic Sisters Week 2025
The Congregation of Divine Providence first arrived in Galveston, Texas when Sister St. Andrew and Marie Alphonse Boegler (later Sister St. Claude) traveled from Alsace-Lorraine in October 1866. They opened the first Catholic school in Austin (St. Mary’s) by December of that year, marking the beginning of a remarkable legacy of education and service.
In 1868, the Sisters quickly expanded their mission, opening additional schools in Corpus Christi and Castroville, where their first permanent motherhouse was established. This remained until the motherhouse relocated to San Antonio in 1896.
By 1872, the congregation had grown to seventeen sisters and four postulants, serving communities in Fredericksburg, D’Hanis, New Braunfels, Frelsburg, Panna Maria, St. Hedwig, and Danville. Under the visionary leadership of Mother Mary Florence, their educational mission further expanded into Louisiana by 1887, eventually operating ten schools, five of which served African American children.
Their impact continued to spread, and by 1907 the sisters operated ten schools in Oklahoma, several dedicated to serving Native American children. During their golden jubilee in 1910, the congregation was present in two archdioceses and six dioceses, running sixty-nine academies and schools educating nearly 10,000 students.
In 1898, the Sisters established their first school for training teachers in Castroville. By 1900, this evolved into Our Lady of the Lake Convent and Academy in San Antonio, later becoming Our Lady of the Lake College, and eventually Our Lady of the Lake University, which today includes the Worden School of Social Service. The university became a prominent institution for higher education, open to both women and men, significantly impacting communities across the region.
Built on historic property near the downtown San Antonio area, in 1951 the Sisters consolidated five of their smaller high schools to establish what is now Providence Catholic School. Providence created a unique opportunity for girls in San Antonio. Keeping true to the core values of excellence, integrity, faith, and justice, Providence has graduated more than 6,000 young women–many who live, work, and make a difference in the San Antonio community and the world at large.
At their centennial celebration in 1966, the Sisters of Divine Providence numbered 730 professed sisters, supported by adjunct groups such as the Missionary Catechists of Divine Providence and the Missionary Sisters of Divine Providence in Querétaro, Mexico. Their ministries extended throughout multiple dioceses across Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Mexico.
By the 1990s, the Sisters operated three hospitals, four clinics, and forty-eight schools, with 192 sisters actively serving in Texas alone. This enduring legacy of dedication to education, healthcare, and community service highlights the profound impact of the Sisters of Divine Providence, inspiring gratitude and reverence during Catholic Sisters Week and beyond.
