Immaculate Conception Province

Lodi, New Jersey

nticipating an eventual division of their burgeoning Buffalo province, Felician Sisters were aware of the inevitability of a fourth Felician province, preferably in a Northeast or Mid-Atlantic state where Polish parishes were rapidly expanding. Sisters had been traveling to New Jersey and Delaware since 1897 to fill the growing demand for Polish-speaking teaching sisters.

In 1908, New Jersey businessman, Mr. Terence O’Hare, visited a ministry in New York City managed by the sisters, a temporary home for newly arriving Polish immigrants. A conversation about the Felician Sisters’ search for property ensued, which led to his offer of an estate in Lodi, New Jersey.

Impressed by the idyllic natural beauty of the Henessy-O’Hare estate along the Saddle River, and the buildings on the property, sisters from the Buffalo province completed the purchase from Mr. O’Hare and his partner, Mr. Henessy, one year later.

To ready the site, Sister Mary Sigismunde Baczkowska and two other sisters were assigned to occupy and transform the former estate for its eventual purpose. They immediately opened an orphanage within the convent area, and the community generously supplied donations, enough that the sisters could pay for many necessary repairs, renovations, and minor construction projects. Unfortunately, one of the costliest aspects of the property would be the Saddle River. During the sisters’ first spring, the river exceeded its banks, taking out a bridge and flooding the lower floor of their home. Damage wrought by ongoing flooding would cost a fortune for years to come.

The long-awaited division of the Buffalo province was effected in 1913 with the transfer of 355 sisters and 42 missions to officially form the Immaculate Conception Province. Mother Mary Benedict Kuminska, the first provincial superior, prioritized construction of a new provincial house spacious enough for the sisters’ needs.

Financial difficulties caused by World War I nearly stopped the project, but the sisters did not allow it to stall. The completed Immaculate Conception provincial building was dedicated in July of 1915.

In its first year, 45 aspirants overwhelmed the new province: the outcome of an immigration wave. By 1918, a high school affiliated with Catholic University of America was established in the building. Over the years, the sisters expanded their mission by adding a college. The children’s home eventually became a school for children with special needs, and the college evolved into a university. In 2023, focusing on environmental stewardship, the sisters embarked on a multi-phase project to create more green space on their Lodi campus.

History Books of This Province
Check with the archives for availability.

The Felician Sisters of Lodi New Jersey, 1913-1976
By Sister Mary Amelia Domarecki and Sister Mary Ellen Brulinski

The Felician Sisters of Lodi, New Jersey: Immaculate Conception Province, 1976-2009
By Sister Mary Ellen Brulinski

Milestones

1897

Present in New Jersey

Felician Sisters began teaching in St. Anthony Parish in Jersey City sixteen years before establishing a province in New Jersey.

1909

Purchase of the Hennessy-O'Hare Estate in Lodi, NJ

Sisters resided in the old mansion until funds could be raised to build a provincial house that could accommodate growth.

1909

Transfer of St. Joseph's Patronage for Working Girls

As sisters from Buffalo readied the new convent in Lodi, New Jersey, Sister Mary Angela Jarka and two aspirants from Buffalo were assigned to Lodi to staff the emigration center in nearby New York City.

This ministry began in 1897 under the Immaculate Heart of Mary Province.

1913

Immaculate Conception Province Founded

When the Buffalo province reached 600 members, the convent in Lodi was prepared for the inevitable division. Lodi would receive 355 sisters to staff 42 missions.

1915

Completion of New Provincial House

Financial and communication difficulties due to WWI nearly halted construction of the nearly complete motherhouse, but workers generously advanced funds to cover their own needs and labor, delaying repayment.

1915

Immaculate Conception High School Opened

Founded within the new motherhouse as a prep school for aspirants. After 41 years, lay students were accepted, and by 1959, a new building was erected on the campus to accommodate its growth.

Immaculate Conception High School closed in 2023 after 108 years.

1923

Felician University Beginning

First, a teacher training school for sisters, Sister Mary Simplicia Kaniecka, dean of studies, saw it become a junior college in 1942. Under Sister Justitia Lawniczak, the school became a four-year accredited college in 1967, and in 2014, under Sister Theresa Mary Martin, it was designated as a university.

1926

Immaculate Conception Home Established

Felician Sisters in Lodi had begun taking orphans into their convent beginning in 1909. A proper orphanage was finally built 17 years later, renamed Immaculate Conception Home, which served 1,500 homeless children over the next half century.

1931

Our Lady of Grace Acquired

Felician Sisters were asked to assume ownership of a 225-acre farm in Ogletown, Delware, that included livestock. In addition, the care of hundreds of immigrant, refugee, and homeless children.

This photo of Our Lady of Grace sisters with orphans was taken in 1959.

1941

Hospitals in Puerto Rico

Felician Sisters successively staffed San Alberto Hospital in Bayamón, Hospital Diaz Garcia, and Dr. Gabrera's San Jose Hospital, both in Santurce, San Juan, until 1946.

1946

Blackwell General Hospital Administration

Felician Sisters began managing the rural Oklahoma hospital, and in 1950, opened a School for Practical Nurses, the first of its kind in the state.

Photographed are Felician Sisters and Rev. Anthony R. Dockers at the site of the new Blackwell General Hospital before the construction of a new hospital in 1953. In 1953, administration of the Blackwell General Hospital was transferred to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province.

1954

Modernization of St. Joseph's Hospital

The Felician Sisters renovated the historic Philadelphia hospital, implementing modernized medical and training programs. In 1978, they built a new hospital around the old one, avoiding disruption of services.

Felician Sisters staffed the hospital until its closure in 2016.

1962

St. Mary's Hospital Management

Sister Mary Fidelise Ambrosewicz's massive restoration of the Orange, NJ, hospital added a new wing, and Sister Mary Alma Pilarski arranged the nursing program to be affiliated with Felician College.

1963

Felician Reader Center Founded

Created as a summer program by Sister Helene Marie Rosinska (Elutheria), a reading specialist. Its success and high demand brought hundreds of students from surrounding counties, leading to the addition of sessions.

Pictured is Sister Helene Marie Rosinska with students at the Felician Reading Center.

1967

Claremont Academy Opened

Sister Mary Eustace Harczynska developed a thriving non-denominational private academy in Claremont, VA, a step toward helping stem the segregation prevalent in the South during the 1960s.

The photo is of the Claremont Manor barn, where the private academy was located. Claremont Academy closed in 1976.

1971

Felician School for Exceptional Children Opens

Sister Ramona Borkowski, Sister Rose Marie Smiglewski, and Sister Mary Loretta Borkowski founded the school for children aged 5 to 12 with special needs, to help them develop skills for independent living.

Sister Ramona Borkowski, the school's director for 40 years, with a student.

1982

Promise Outreach Founded

Sister Mary Antonelle Chunka, a high school principal at an inner-city school, gave up that career and devoted herself to helping gang members and troubled youth redirect their lives and find employment. In 1983 alone, she helped 33 teens find employment with firms interested in her ministry.

1986

St. Ignatius Nursing and Rehab Center Acquired

The Felician Sisters assumed ownership and administration of this West Philadelphia nursing home. Sister Mary Agatha Cebula served as the administrator of this ministry to the elderly, along with Sister Mary Cherubim Lubin, Sister Mary Nora Cebula, and Sister Mary Fabia Wojtach.

In 2024, the Felician Sisters transferred ownership and operations of the facility to Allaire Health Services.

1993

Beatification of Mother Mary Angela Truszkowska

On April 18 in Rome, (Saint) Pope John Paul II beatified the Felician Foundress, granting her the title “Blessed.”

2009

Unification of Felician Provinces

All eight Felician provinces in North America united as Our Lady of Hope Province.

From the Archive

75-Year Anniversary Momento

Leaded glass window hanging to celebrate the 75-year anniversary of the Felician Sisters in North America.

Altar Stone

This altar stone was used at the original Immaculate Conception Province's infirmary.

Blackwell General Hospital

The Felician Sisters of the Lodi, New Jersey province began their healthcare ministry in the rural Southwest, at Blackwell General Hospital in Blackwell, Oklahoma.

Convent Key

The key to the front door of the original motherhouse in Lodi, New Jersey.

Felician School for Exceptional Children

Sister Ramona Borkowski, Sister Rose Marie Smiglewski, and Sister Mary Loretta Borkowski founded the Felician School for Exceptional Children in 1971.

Felician University

Founded in 1923 as a teacher-training school, Felician Sisters worked to transform Immaculate Conception Junior College into Felician University, the only Franciscan university in New Jersey and one of only a few nationwide.

Immaculate Conception High School

Immaculate Conception High School was founded in 1915 to educate aspirants and, in 1923, lay students. A building was erected on campus for the thriving school that opened in 1960.

Immaculate Conception Home

Seven orphans were the nucleus of what would become the Immaculate Conception Home, a ministry that opened in 1926 and served 1,500 homeless children over the next half century.

Lodi Book Bindery

Felician Sisters from the Immaculate Conception Province operating a print shop and book bindery.

Mother Mary Benedicta Kuminska

Mother Mary Benedicta Kuminska was appointed first provincial superior of the Immaculate Conception Province in Lodi, New Jersey.

Mother Mary Virginette Chlebowska

Mother Mary Virginette Chlebowska, a beloved superior of the Immaculate Conception Province, was elected for two terms from 1962 to 1970. Under her leadership, the province experienced a construction boom.

Olympic Torch

This 2002 Winter Olympic Torch and prism belonged to Sister Mary Timothy Ruszala, a kidney donor who was selected to be a relay torch-bearer in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Saddle River Flooding

These photos are of the Saddle River being diverted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1955 and later the Saddle River flood in 1971, which brought the U.S. National Guard.

Sister Mary Amadeus Lewicka

Mother Mary Amadeus Lewicka led the Immaculate Conception Province from 1970 to 1976, against the backdrop of Vatican II.

Sister Mary Fidelise Ambrosiewicz

Sister Mary Fidelise Ambrosiewicz was a healthcare trailblazer who pioneered all three hospitals of the Immaculate Conception Province in Lodi, New Jersey.

Sister Mary Justitia Lawniczak

Sister Mary Justitia Lawniczak led the transformation of Felician College from a junior college to a four-year, accredited liberal arts college. Her efforts laid the groundwork for a modern-era institute of higher learning.

St. Joseph's Hospital

In 1954, the Felician Sisters agreed to manage and administer St. Joseph's Hospital, a historic Pennsylvania hospital that was Philadelphia's first Catholic hospital when it first opened in 1849.

St. Mary's Hospital

In 1962, Archbishop Thomas Boland asked the Felician Sisters to assume management of the historic St. Mary's Hospital in Orange, New Jersey.

Viaticum Box

Set of Mass and sacrament of the sick vessels used in the original Immaculate Conception Province infirmary.

Weaving

Woven art and baskets by Sister Mary Josetta Prondzinski, an art teacher to a broad swath of age groups, from children in pre-K to senior citizens.

Wooden Clapper

Wooden clappers were used by novices to wake the sisters early each morning and again to signal lights out at night.