In April 1888, four Black nuns stepped off a train in Leavenworth, Kansas, drawing stares from onlookers who had never seen African-American women in religious habits before.
“A novel sight was witnessed by the habitues of the union depot yesterday morning,” reported the Leavenworth Times, “when four colored sisters of charity alighted from the train.”
These pioneering women belonged to the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first successful order of Black Catholic nuns in the United States. Founded in Baltimore in 1829 by Mother Elizabeth Lange, a Haitian immigrant, the order dedicated itself to educating children of color at a time when teaching Black children to read was still illegal in many states.
Their mission brought them to Holy Epiphany Church in Leavenworth—the first Catholic Church for Black people west of St. Louis— in response to a plea from Father Martin Huhn. He had established an orphanage for Black boys but, with too little help, was struggling to provide them proper care.
The Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, who had been teaching Black children in Sunday school, also found themselves overwhelmed as more orphans arrived needing help.
The four Oblate Sisters who answered this call – Mother Teresa Victoria Messonier, Sister Gabriel Oliette, Sister Genevieve Newman, and Sister Michael Huff – faced daunting challenges. Yet over the next 71 years, through determination and faith, the four sisters and others that followed them, built two thriving orphanages and a school that educated thousands of Black children.
“These sisters changed the lives of at least 2,000 kids,” says Lolita Law, who recently wrote and directed a play about their story. “Where would those children have been if not for those sisters—who look like them and understand them—coming to take care of them?”
Answering the Call
According to diocesan records, Father Huhn borrowed $10,000 to purchase twenty-one acres with a dilapidated house at 22nd and Dakota Streets to establish an orphanage but was struggling.
The four Oblate sisters found dire conditions when they arrived in Leavenworth. Archives from the Oblates describe their living quarters as a tiny attic with a ceiling so low the sisters couldn’t stand upright. There were too few beds so the sisters slept on the floor and tried not to mind the cramped quarters or the leaky roof.
“The conditions of this first home were terrible,” says Lolita Law, playwright of “Divine Resilience: Covenant of Faith.” “There was never enough food, and early on there was a lot of struggle.”
Sister Gonzaga, who missioned with the Oblates in Leavenworth and later chronicled its history said the first winter was tough with the 14 young boys at the orphanage also sleeping on the floor.
“The boys slept on boards covered with clean hay… with no coverings but old carpet,” wrote Sister Gonzaga.
A Dangerous Time
The sisters arrived during a period of intense racial violence in Leavenworth. The city was witness to several lynchings in the post-Civil War era between 1887-1901, including multiple murders by White mobs.
While records from the time are mixed, there is at least one historic account of the Ku Klux Klan burning a cross near the orphanage.
“You can imagine there was plenty of pushback [to the Oblates being there],” Law notes. “But they did have some support from those in the community.”
Despite this threatening environment, the sisters pushed forward with their mission to serve the Black community. By August 1888, just four months after arriving, they had taken charge of education at Holy Epiphany School.
Building Something from Nothing
The Leavenworth Oblates had several opportunities to leave for better accommodations but refused to abandon their mission and the children in their charge.
Oblate archives show the sisters made do with what they had available and consistently found a way to care for the children. If food was running short, they visited neighboring farms seeking donations as they gradually built up the Guardian Angel Home for boys and eventually the Holy Epiphany Home for girls.
The sisters continued innovating to support their mission. To keep the doors open, they began taking in fine laundry work to earn money, all of this in addition to teaching and running the orphanage. They grew their own food, with diocesan records noting they churned butter three times weekly saving some back for winter, and the sisters even made altar wine from their vineyard grapes.
By 1892, they cared for 22 boys and taught 92 students at Holy Epiphany School. Under the direction of Sister Baptista Roberts, who served as principal for nearly 50 years, the sisters provided education through the high school level, teaching Latin, French, and other advanced subjects – providing remarkable opportunities for education to Black children in the late 1800s.
Through determination and community support, the orphanage expanded significantly. By 1899, the Guardian Angel Home for boys moved to the old Whitaker homestead south of Leavenworth. Purchased for $8.000, the new property didn’t have running water or electricity but the 40-acre plot included a large house, outbuildings, a barn, and a well.
The Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth donated a cow, calf, and hog. A German farmer named John Vulweiser offered to work their land in exchange for housing, bringing more livestock and his farming expertise. According to the Oblate archives, he asked only for occasional tobacco money and to be remembered in prayers after his death.
In 1903, they added a north wing with a chapel, followed by an east wing in 1908 and forty additional acres. Their expansion continued in 1905 when they established the Holy Epiphany Home for destitute girls and in 1911-1912 additional buildings were erected on either side of the Holy Epiphany Church.
A Legacy of Education
The sisters emphasized education as key to their mission. Their teaching left a lasting impact on students like Matilda Rose Dougherty Chase, who graduated in 1938.
“Children were taught the basics and given a good foundation of learning and utmost concern and care was given them by these teachers,” Chase wrote. “The nuns made you realize you could achieve, have self-esteem, and fulfill your potential.”
Former student Eleanor Jackson recalls the sisters ran a strict but excellent school. Students wearing grade-specific colored ties attended 6 a.m. Mass before classes. While tuition was charged, families paid what they could afford. The sisters never turned away a child for inability to pay.
The quality of education was evident in outcomes. Children from Holy Epiphany who transferred to public schools were often placed two grades ahead, demonstrating the high academic standards the sisters maintained. One notable graduate, Father Edward Meyer Prosper, became the first African American to join the Benedictine order in the United States.
Lasting Impact
In 1954 the school and parish were integrated and were no longer separated on color lines. The Oblate Sisters of Providence left Leavenworth in 1960 and the orphanage was closed after a growing national movement to place children in foster care instead of orphanages.
The sisters’ story is finding new life through efforts like Law’s recent play “Divine Resistance: Covenant of Faith,” which brought together adult and youth members of the Leavenworth NAACP to portray this vital piece of Black history. Additionally, there are artifacts and photos of the Oblate Sisters’ mission in Leavenworth, in the Richard Allen Cultural Center and Museum.
Today, the remains of twelve Oblate Sisters rest in Mount Olivet Cemetery on the grounds of Saint Mary College – a permanent reminder of the pioneering Black women who dared to build something from nothing, changing thousands of lives through education and care despite the odds against them.
The impact of their mission continues through their students’ descendants and the broader Leavenworth community. They proved that with faith and determination, even a small group of dedicated people could create lasting positive change in the face of poverty and prejudice.
My grandfather was Rev. Patrick H. Delahunty. He was the chaplain and director of the home from 1939 – 1955. I’m researching his life. As you can imagine, his being a priest from Ireland, yet having fathered a child (my father) is quite a story. I would love to be in contact with any of the orphans from that time who might remember him. And if you wish, I could tell you his story.
My name is Anthony Overton my grandfather put in there when i was 4 years old. I just turn 79 year old December 27. i am a vietnam veteran . my grandfather pay for me being there he was one of the first black policeman in Kansas city, Kansas he name was James Willams.