Ireland, Seraphine, Mother
IRELAND, SERAPHINE, MOTHER
Religious superior, educator; b. Kilkenny, Ireland, July 1842; d. St. Paul, Minn., June 20, 1930. Ellen came with her parents to Minnesota at the age of ten and was educated at St. Joseph's Academy, St. Paul, Minn. She entered the novitiate of the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1858, taking the name Sister Seraphine. She acquired teaching and administrative experience in elementary and secondary schools, and profited vicariously from the broad American and European experiences of her brother, Abp. John ireland of St. Paul. She was named provincial superior in 1882, at which time her order numbered 116 sisters in eight educational and nursing institutions in and near the Twin Cities. Mother Seraphine prepared novices to qualify as teachers and nurses in accredited schools and hospitals. From 1887 to 1904, she devoted her efforts to securing staff, endowment, and buildings for the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul. When she retired in 1921, the St. Paul Province extended into North and South Dakota and contained 913 sisters, five hospitals, two orphanages, an infant's home, 45 parochial grade schools, 15 high schools, and a college.
See Also: mchugh, antonia, sister.
[a. gleason]