On May 18, 1900, Mother M. Alphonsa Neuhoff, first Provincial Superior in America, passed away. Born in Germany in 1845, she joined the Community in 1871. Noted for her religious fervor and administrative talent, she was one of the first six Sisters to come to America and was appointed Provincial in 1886. The Province flourished under her guidance in the following years. Those who met her were impressed with her gentle manners and noble personality.
In these years, hospitals opened in Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Tennessee, Ohio, and Indiana. The Sisters staffed schools in Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, and Tennessee. In 1893, the Sisters took charge of St. Joseph’s Orphanage in Lafayette.
In addition to the material expansion that took place under her leadership, Mother M. Alphonsa contributed to the advancement and spiritual progress of the Community through her words and example. Her life of service for others made an impression of all with whom she came in contact.
~Written by Sister M. Anna Joseph