Historic Marker Honoring Sisters of Charity,
Dedicated August 28
The corner of Seton Hill Drive and Route 130 (College Avenue), is the site of Greensburg’s newest Pennsylvania State Historic Marker honoring the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) and the Sisters of Charity unveiled and dedicated the marker on Saturday, August 28, 2021. Speakers included PHMC representative Justin McKeel, US Provincial Superior/President Sister Mary Norbert Long, General Superior Sister Jane Ann Cherubin, Seton Hill University President Dr. Mary Finger, and Casey Bowser, archivist for the congregation.
The state historic marker text reads:
Founded in Altoona in 1870 by Mother Aloysia Lowe, the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill made Greensburg their permanent home in 1882. The community initiated groundbreaking educational, healthcare, and social service programs by serving an impressive network of schools and hospitals in 12 states and created an international congregation whey they expanded to South Korea in 1960. The Sisters founded Seton Hill College, now University, in 1918.
The PHMC Historical Marker program has identified more than 2,000 sites of historic state significance since its founding in 1946. The sites are marked with a cast aluminum marker with a state insignia and text identifying the person, place, or innovation of note. Marker dedication ceremonies present Pennsylvanians with the opportunity to celebrate and understand their heritage.
Only five historic markers have been placed in Greensburg for subjects primarily relating to the American Revolution, government, or transportation. The congregation’s marker makes a valuable addition to the markers in Greensburg under the categories of Education, Religion, and Women. Of the forty-five markers located in Westmoreland County, the Sisters of Charity marker is one of only four markers related to the history of women.
In anticipation of the congregation’s sesquicentennial year, archivists Casey Bowser and Sister Louise Grundish nominated the congregation for a historic marker to recognize the contributions and historic impacts of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill in the state of Pennsylvania. Beginning in 1870, the members of the congregation have dedicated their lives to providing quality education and vital social service programs, serving as nurses and healthcare leaders, engaging in pastoral ministry, and assisting at-risk, vulnerable populations. These Catholic women religious have impacted thousands of lives across the state of Pennsylvania and beyond. Due to the strength of the sisters’ record of service in the fields of education, healthcare, pastoral ministry, social service, and other ministries nationwide, PHMC awarded approval for the marker in March of 2020.
