Persons of Color and Religious at the Same Time : The Oblate Sisters of Providence, 1828-1860

Founded in Baltimore in 1828 by a French Sulpician priest and a mulatto Caribbean immigrant, the Oblate Sisters of Providence formed the first permanent African American Roman Catholic sisterhood in the United States. It still exists today. Exploring the antebellum history of this pioneering sisterhood, Diane Batts Morrow demonstrates the centrality of race in the Oblate experience. By their very existence, the Oblate Sisters challenged prevailing social, political, and cultural attitudes on many levels. White society viewed women of color as lacking in moral standing and sexual virtue; at the same time, the sisters' vows of celibacy flew in the face of conventional female roles as wives and mothers. But the Oblate Sisters' religious commitment proved both liberating and empowering, says Morrow. They inculcated into their communal consciousness positive senses of themselves as black women and as women religious. Strengthened by their spiritual fervor, the sisters defied the inferior social status white society ascribed to them and the ambivalence the Catholic Church demonstrated toward them. They successfully persevered in dedicating themselves to spiritual practice in the Roman Catholic tradition and their mission to educate black children during the era of slavery. Annotation Founded In Baltimore In 1828, The Oblate Sisters Of Providence Formed The First Permanent African-american Roman Catholic Sisterhood In The United States. Exploring The Antebellum History Of This Pioneering Sisterhood, Batts Morrow Demonstrates The Centrality Of Race In The Oblate Experience. Ch. 1. Persons Of Color And Religious At The Same Time: The Charter Members Of The Oblate Sisters -- Ch. 2. James Hector Joubert's Kind Of Religious Society -- Ch. 3. Respect Which Is Due To The State We Have Embraced: The Development Of Oblate Community Life And Group Identity -- Ch. 4. Our Convent: The Oblate Sisters And The Baltimore Black Community -- Ch. 5. Coloured Oblates (mr. Joubert's): The Oblate Sisters And The Institutional Church -- Ch. 6. Coloured Sisters: The Oblate Sisters And The Baltimore White Community -- Ch. 7. Everything Seemed To Be Progressing: The Oblate Sisters And The End Of An Era, 1840-1843 -- Ch. 8. Of The Sorrow And Deep Distress Of The Sisters ... We Draw A Veil: The Oblate Sisters In The Crucible, 1844-1847 -- Ch. 9. Happy Daughters Of Divine Providence: The Maturation Of The Oblate Community, 1847-1860 -- Ch. 10. Our Beloved Church: The Oblate Sisters And The Black Community, 1847-1860 -- Ch. 11. Oblates Do Well Here, Although I Presume Their Acquirements Are Limited: The Oblate Sisters And The White Community, 1847-1860. Diane Batts Morrow. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [313]-327) And Index. Roman Catholic reference sources define the term "charism"as a spiritual gift, talent, or grace that God gives individuals to use for the spiritual welfare and benefit of the Christian community.