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Women religious of various congregations are pictured with Cardinal John J. Wright at the Archdiocesan Teachers' Institute in 1954. Pilot photo/courtesy Archdiocesan Archives

From the Archdiocesan Archives

Women religious in the Archdiocese of Boston

Friday, March 20, 2026Culture

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Many congregations have graced the Archdiocese of Boston since the Ursulines first arrived in 1819, and myriad ministries in healthcare, education, and community support have shaped the history of this place.

In celebration of both Catholic Sisters Week (March 8-14) and Women's History Month (March 1-31), for this iteration of the Archives Department column, we wanted to highlight women religious in the Archdiocese of Boston and explore some less-well-known stories of hope and heart. Many congregations have graced the Archdiocese of Boston since the Ursulines first arrived in 1819, and myriad ministries in healthcare, education, and community support have shaped the history of this place.
On Oct. 21, 1820, St. Ursula's Day, two Ursuline novices made their vows before Bishop Cheverus at the Church of the Holy Cross. "The church was jammed, with an audience which included many Protestants," Robert H. Lord notes in the "History of the Archdiocese of Boston," "all were moved to tears." Having arrived in Boston from Montreal earlier that year to open the first parochial school in the diocese, the Ursulines' history in Boston is dominated by the burning of the Ursuline Academy in present-day Somerville in 1834. But as the first congregation of women religious in the region, the Ursulines were pioneers in a place and time that was unfavorable to them.

On Nov. 9, 1957, The Pilot reported on Sister Marietta, SND, who was a member of the first graduating class of Institute Regina Mundi in Rome. This institute, part of the Pontifical Gregorian University, was opened in 1955 and dedicated to the theological formation of women. As part of her studies, Sister Marietta wrote and defended a thesis, titled, "Beatitudes, Illustrated in the Life of Blessed Mother Julia," about Julie Billiart, foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Upon receiving her degree, a "Magister in Scientillis Sacris," Sister Marietta was qualified "to teach religion on any level in any country in the world." The Pilot reported that she taught English and theology at Emmanuel College, her alma mater, and theology at the Notre Dame Novitiate in Waltham.
On Oct. 21, 1979, Boston College hosted the first public forum with the archdiocese's Catholic-Jewish Committee and the Jewish Community Council of Metropolitan Boston. The Boston Globe reported on this event on Oct. 22, 1979, citing the efforts of Sister Elizabeth Corbin, RC, who first brought the Catholic-Jewish Committee together in 1969. Sister Corbin was involved with the Menorah Institute of Judaical Studies and organized a conference in 1967 titled Catholic-Jewish Understanding. Her focus on ecumenism provided the momentum for the Catholic-Jewish Committee to foster communication and address challenging topics.
In 1995, Sister Agnes Begin, SSND, provided an oral history account of her work in Comas, Peru, with the Missionary Society of St. James the Apostle (commonly known as the St. James Society). Founded by Boston's Cardinal Richard Cushing in 1958, St. James Society placed diocesan priests in parishes in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru, to address the shortage of South American priests. These priests worked in conjunction with several other groups to serve their communities: Sister Agnes was one of three sisters who began the Comas Ministry with Father Bill Francis to aid local families struggling with abject poverty. In the interview, she recounts how poverty had an especially damaging effect on women, and how much of her work focused on building their pride, trust, self-esteem, and dignity. She assisted women in pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare, with the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of these events. "To leave there was the heaviest cross I've had to bear in my religious life," she recalls. Today, St. James Society continues its work in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador, and its ministries have impacted the lives of thousands.
On Nov. 5, 2000, The Boston Globe reported on the canonization of St. Katharine Drexel, founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. Sister Mary Mathias Gallagher, SBS, reflected on the occasion, having joined the congregation during the Great Depression. Originally from Savin Hill, Sister Mathias worked in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for three years, and recalled how Mother Katharine would ride "out on horseback to see where new schools" were. This intrepid compassion and generosity enabled Black and Indigenous children, like Mr. Savoy, "to receive an outstanding education at a time when that avenue was otherwise closed to them," The Globe reported.
The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament were active in the Archdiocese of Boston from 1914 until 2022, when the final remaining member, Sister Christine Smith, SBS, was called to work at the St. Ignatius Nursing Home and Rehab Center in Philadelphia. The Pilot reported on her departure, noting that her ministry in Boston spanned a broad scope, including RCIA, nursing home and hospital visits, senior programming, and community outreach. In 2010, she organized the Associates of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (ASBS) chapter in Boston, a group of lay men and women "who are dedicated to a life of prayer and their Catholic faith, centered on the Eucharist." Today, ASBS is still an active partner of St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Roxbury, continuing the mission and ministry of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in Boston.
The impact of women religious is undeniable yet often understated. That many congregations focus their missions on addressing the needs of the neighborhoods and communities they serve is a testament to the selflessness of their members. The examples in this article illustrate the many ways that women religious have answered the call of the Holy Spirit in the Archdiocese of Boston. As The Pilot put it, on July 9, 1910, "(A Catholic sister's) whole life is a heroic act of faith for the betterment of mankind." As the charisms of these congregations and the actions of these sisters reverberate through the decades and into the present day, may we be so inspired to pursue the same compassionate goal.

REBECCA MAITLAND IS AN ARCHIVIST OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON.