In 1889, Father Henry Deichmann, pastor of Saints Aegidius and Mary Church in the new town of Aberdeen in the Washington Territory, contacted the Dominican Convent of Holy Rosary on Second Street in New York. While he desired that the local Catholic children have a Catholic education, the most pressing need in his parish came not from the German settlers but from the loggers whose frequent and serious injuries underscored the need for a local hospital. Seven Sisters from New York, again responding to the invitation to work for the coming of the reign of God, arrived in Aberdeen on September 1, 1890. They moved into three simple frame houses built on pilings over the tide flats. These three buildings became St. Rose Convent, St. Rose Academy, and St. Joseph Hospital.
Sister Anselm Weber served as Superior. She oversaw the building of St. Joseph Hospital and, in 1898, returned to New York. That year, the Dominican community in Aberdeen became the St. Rose Province. Sister Benedicta Beichert, who had been the superior of St. Joseph Hospital in Adrian, Michigan, was named the first Provincial.
The Sisters adapted to new and often demanding conditions. They often undertook arduous begging tours to lumber camps deep in the forested hills to raise money for their ministries. From the beginning, the Sisters identified with the poor, spending long hours in drafty classrooms and on hospital floors, and feeding the homeless, the unemployed, and the downtrodden who knocked on their Convent door. The work was hard, the hours long, the food meager, and tuberculosis claimed the lives of several of their number.
Beyond serving the needs of the children and the ill, the Sisters sought to enrich lives by cultivating a love of beauty. They made music, art, and drama part of the Catholic experience and enriched the liturgies with choral and instrumental accompaniment. From these modest beginnings, after many struggles, the Sisters went on to found three hospitals, about 15 grade schools and five high schools, mostly in Washington but also in Oregon, California and Montana.
A New Independent Congregation
In 1923, the seedling community was separated from the Newburgh, New York Congregation, and became the independent Congregation of Holy Cross. St. Dominic Convent in Everett, Washington was established as the Motherhouse of the new congregation.
Mother Guilelma Stafford served as the first Prioress of the new congregation, from 1923 to 1934. A native of Aberdeen, her parents had been on the dock when the first Sisters arrived. As a young Sister, she had impressed her Provincial, Mother Angela Phelan, so much that she was given special responsibilities. She also impressed the clergy and bishops with whom she had worked and, when the Province was made into an independent Congregation, she was recommended as the first Prioress. Under Mother Guilelma’s 11 years in office, the Congregation grew.
She was succeeded by Mother Frances Miller, who served from 1934 to 1946. Under Mother Frances, the Congregation faced the challenge of the Great Depression and the resulting bankruptcy. World War II brought an end to the Depression and bankruptcy. The Sisters branched out into new ministries, many along the lines of domestic work, but the emphasis was still on education and nursing.
Mother Austin Heffernen served from 1946 to 1952. In 1956, during the second term of Mother Frances Miller (1952 to 1964) the Motherhouse was moved to its present location at Rosary Heights in Edmonds, Washington. Thus, what was known in popular language as the "Everett Dominicans" became the "Edmonds Dominicans." Mother Frances Miller was succeeded by Mother Aquinas Logan (1964 to 1970).
Call to Change
Inspired by the Church's call to renewal in the Second Vatican Council, the Sisters re-examined their charism. In their Constitutions and Statutes, the Sisters affirmed that "freedom and flexibility are characteristics of Dominican apostolic ministry … this congregation is devoted to the pursuit and proclamation of truth wherever it is found. It is this goal that has given the congregation a dynamic openness to changing times and emerging needs, particularly in the areas of peace and justice." The Sisters' ministry to preach the word and to work for justice stretched beyond the classrooms and the hospital rooms. As times and conditions changed, the community relinquished the role of administering and staffing hospitals. Many Sisters adopted new ministries as ways to proclaim the justice and compassion of God, especially to women and children. The Sisters sought to serve the poor with missionaries to Mexico and Haiti and ministering to Hispanic immigrants and Native Americans.
In 1970, at the time of renewal, Mother Aquinas took on a second term until 1974, but was then known as Sister Kathleen Logan. Her successors were Sister Edwina Sweeney, 1974 to 1978; Sister Maureen Driscoll, 1978 to 1982 and 1982-86; Sister Barbara Matteson, 1986-1994; Sister Judy Byron, 1994 to 1998; and Sister Michele Kopp, from 1998 until 2003, when the Edmonds Dominicans and Adrian Dominicans merged.
Going into the merger with the Dominican Sisters of Adrian, Michigan, the Sisters ministered not only as teachers, nurses and administrators, but also as hospital and prison chaplains, social workers, psychologists, community organizers and pastoral ministers.
Further Reading: Buerge, David and Murray, O.P., Cecilia. Evergreen Land: A History of the Dominican Sisters of Edmonds ,Washington. Seattle Washington: Active Press, 1997.