SIS
28
SISTERS
are chiefly represented by editions of Greek and Latin
Christian writings. Theodoret of Cyrus, Ennodius,
Idatius of Galheia, Sidonius ApolHnaris, Theodulph
of Orleans, Paschasius Radbertus, Flodoard, and Hine-
mar of Rheims are among the writers whose works
he edited, either completely or in part. Of great im-
portance were his editions of the capitularies of Charles
the Bald and successors and of the ancient councils
of France: "Karoli Calvi et successorum aliquot
Francis regum Capitula" (Paris, 1623); "Concilia
antiqua Galhse" (Paris, 1629). His collected works,
a complete Ust of which will be found in de Backer-
Sommervogel (VII, 1237-60), were published in
Paris in 1696 and again at Venice in 1728.
Dk Backer-Sommervogel, Bibl. de la comp. de Jesus^ VII (Brussels, 1896), 1237-61; Colomies, Vie du Pere Sirmond (La Rochelle, 1671) ; Chalmers, Biog. Did. (London, 1816), a. v.
N. A. Weber. Sis. See Flavias.
Sisinnius, Pope, date of birth unknown; d. 4 Feb., 708. Successor of John VII, he was consecrated jirobably 15 Jan., 70S, and died after a brief pontificate of about three weeks; he was buried in St. Peter's. He was a Syrian by birth and the son of one John. Although he was so afflicted with gout that he was unable even to feed himself, he is nevertheless said to have been a man of strong character, and to have been able to take thought for the good of the city. He gave orders to prepare lime to repair the walls of Rome, and before he died consecrated a bishop for Corsica.
Liber Ponlificalis, I, 33S; Mann, The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, I, pt. ii (St. Louis and London, 1902), 124.
Horace K. Mann.
Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Ohio.—
On 27 October, 1829, at the request of Bishop Fenwick of Cincinnati, several sisters from Mother Seton's community at Emmitsburg, Maryland, opened an orphanage, parochial school, and academy on Sycamore Street opposite the old cathedral, then occupying the present site of St. Xavier's Church and college. When Bishop Purcell built the new cathe- dral on Eighth and Plum Sts., the sisters moved to Third and Plum Sts., and later the academy was transferred to George St., near John. When Father Etienne, superior of the Daughters of Charity of France, in December, 1850, effected the affiliation of the sisterhood at Emmitsburg with the Daughters of Charity of France, Sister Margaret George was superior in Cincinnati. She had entered the com- munity at Emmitsburg early in 1812, and had filled the office of treasurer and secretary of the community, teaching in the academy during most of Mother Seton's life. She wrote the early records of the American Daughters of Charity, heard all the dis- cussions regarding rules and constitutions, and left to her community in Cincinnati letters from the first bishops and clergy of the United States, Mother Seton's original Journal written in 1803 and some of her letters, and valuable writings of her own. She upheld Mother Seton's rules, constitutions, tradi- tions, and costume, confirmed by Archbishop Carroll 17 Jan., 1812, objecting with Archbishop Carroll and Mother Seton to the French rule in its fulness, in that it limited the exercise of charity to females in the orphanages and did not permit the teaching of boys in the schools. The sisters in New York had separated from Emmitsburg in December, 1S46, because they were to be withdrawn from the boys' orphanage. When it was finally decided that the coninmnity at Emmitsburg was to affiliate with the French Daughters of Charity, the sisters in Cin- cinnati laid before .Vrrlihisliop Pun'cll their desire to preserve the original rule of Mother Seton's foundation. He confirmed the sisters in their de- sire and notified the superior of the French Daughters of Charity that he would take under his protectif)n
the followers of Mother Seton. Archbishop Purcell
became ecclesiastical superior and was succeeded
by Archbishop Elder and Archbishop Moeller.
The novitiate in Cincinnati was opened in 1852. During that year twenty postulants were received. The first Catholic hospital was opened by the sisters in November, 1852. In February, 1853, the sisters took charge of the Mary and Martha Society, a charitable organization established for the benefit of the poor of the city. On 15 August, 1853, the sisters purchased their first property on the corner of Sixth and Parks Sts., and opened there in Septem- ber a boarding and select day-school. The following July they bought a stone house on Mt. Harrison near Mt. St. Mary Seminary of the West, and called it Mt. St. Vincent. The community was incorporated under the laws of Ohio in 1854 as "The Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Ohio". Mother Margaret George, Sister Sophia Gillmeyer, Mother Josephine Harvey, Sister Anthony O'Connell, Mother Regina Mattingly, Sister Antonio McCaffrey, and Sister Gonzalva Dougherty were the incorporators. In 1856 Mt. St. Vincent Academy was transferred to the "Cedars", the former home of Judge Alderson. It remained the mother-house until 29 Sept., 1869, and the boarding-school until July, 1906. It is now a day academy and a residence for the sisters teach- ing adjacent parochial schools. In 1857 Bishop Bayley of New Jersey sent five postulants to Mt. St. Vincent, Cedar Grove, Cincinnati, to be trained by Mother Margaret George. At the conclusion of their novitiate, Mother Margaret and Sister Anthony were to have gone with them to Newark, New Jersey, to remain until the little community would be well established, but affairs proving too urgent, Mother Margaret interceded with the New York community, and Sisters Xavier and Catherine were appointed superiors over the little band. In July, 1859, Mother Margaret George having held the office of mother for the two terms allowed by the constitution, was succeeded by Mother Josephine Harvey. During the Civil War many of the sisters served in the hospitals. Between 1852 and 1865 the sisters had taken charge of ten parochial schools. Archbishop Lamy of New Mexico, and Bishop Machebreuf of Colorado, both pioneer priests of Ohio, in 1865 petitioned Archbishop Purcell for a colony of Sisters of Charity to open a hospital and orphanage in the West. Accordingly four sisters left Cincinnati 21 August, 1865, arriving at Santa Fe, 13 Sept., 1865. The archbishop gave them his own residence which had been used also as a seminary. There were twenty-five orphans to be cared for and some sick to be nursed. On 15 August, 1866, Jo- seph C. Butler and Lewis Worthington presented Sister Anthony O'Connell with the Good Samaritan Hospital, a building erected by the Government for a Marine Hospital at a cost of S300,000. Deeply impressed by t;he charity done in "old St. John's" during the war, these non-Catholic gentlemen bought the Government hospital for S90,0(50 and placed the deeds in the hands of Sister Anthony, Butler suggest- ing the name "Good Samaritan". Early in 1870 Bishop Domenec of Pittsburg, desiring a diocesan branch of Mother Seton's commimity, sent four postulants to be trained in the Cincinnati novitiate. On their return they were accompanied by five of the Cincinnati sisters who were to remain with them for a limited time, and to be withdrawn one by one. Finally all were recalled but Mother Aloysia Lowe and Sister Ann Regina Ennis, the former being superior and the latter mistress of novices. Mother Aloysia governed the community firmly but tenderly, and before her death (1SS9) had the satisfaction of seeing the sisters in their new mother-house at Seton Hill, Greensburg, Pa., the academy having been blessed, and the chapel dedicated, 3 May, 1889.
