Dissertation Abstracts

CONTENTS

Institution	Title	Page
Arizona State University	"By the Labors of our Hands": An Analysis of Labor, Gender, and the Sisters of Charity in Kentucky and Ohio, 1812–1852	108
The Catholic University of America	A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experience of Roman Catholic Sisters and Successful Aging	108
The College of William and Mary	Making a Home Out of No Home: 'Colored' Orphan Asylums in Virginia, 1867–1930	109
Creighton University	An Examination of the Behaviors and Strategies of Resurgent Parish Elementary Schools	110
University of New Hampshire	Perspectives on Change: The Coeducational Transition of Saint Anselm College 1969–1979	110

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

Romero, Jacqueline Elizabeth. "By the Labors of our Hands": An Analysis of Labor, Gender, and the Sisters of Charity in Kentucky and Ohio, 1812–1852. Arizona State University, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2019. 13860915.

This dissertation focuses on the development of two communities of women religious beginning in the early nineteenth century: the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, founded in 1812, and the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, who arrived in Ohio in 1829 and became a diocesan community in 1852. Although administratively separate, these two apostolic communities shared a charism of service to the poor in the tradition of St. Vincent de Paul. The history of these two communities demonstrates the overlapping worlds women religious inhabited: their personal faith, their community life, their place in the Catholic Church, and their place in the regions where they lived. These women were often met with admiration as they formed necessary social institutions such as schools, hospitals, and orphanages that provided services to all religious denominations. Sisters' active engagement with their local communities defied anti-Catholic stereotypes at the time and created significant public roles for women. The skills needed to create and maintain successful social institutions demonstrate that these women were well-educated, largely self-sufficient, competent fundraisers, and well-liked by the Catholics and Protestants alike that they served. This dissertation argues for the importance of acknowledging and analyzing this tension: as celibate, educated women who used their skills for lifelong public service, the Sisters of Charity were clearly exceptional figures among nineteenth century women, though they did not challenge the gendered hierarchies of their church or American society. To further understand this tension, this dissertation utilizes several cases studies of conflicts between sisters and their superiors in each community to examine the extent of their influence in deciding their community's current priorities and planning for the future. These case studies demonstrate that obedience did not have a fixed definition but is better understood instead as dynamic and situational between multiple locations and circumstances. These findings concerning gender, labor, institution and community building, and the growth of American Catholicism highlight the integral role that women and religion played in the antebellum era.

THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA

McManus, Deborah. A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experience of Roman Catholic Sisters and Successful Aging. The Catholic University of America, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2019. 13880132.

The worldwide population continues to age. By 2035, older adults in the United States will number 700 million and may outnumber children for the first time, resulting in significant challenges for the healthcare system. Aging "successfully," as defined by Rowe and Kahn's model, includes the low probability of disease and disease-related disability, high cognitive and physical functional capacity, and active engagement in later life. Successful aging appears exemplified by Catholic sisters. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how religious, and spiritual practices might enable Catholic sisters to age successfully. The research questions guiding this study were: How do lived experiences of Roman Catholic sisters relate to successful aging? Do Catholic sisters' everyday spiritual and religious practices shape their experiences of aging over a lifespan? Using phenomenological methods guided by van Manen and described by the Rowe and Kahn successful aging framework, 12 retired Roman Catholic sisters aged 75 and above from two convent settings participated in the study. Using a semi-structured recorded interview, the Roman Catholic sisters shared their lived experiences of aging, and practices of religion, spirituality and meditation. Thematic analysis identified the following themes: daily...