We move always toward profound love of God and love of neighbor without distinction.
Celestine (Scholastica) Vasques
Little documentation about Scholastica Vasques remains, but from what is available it can be surmised that she was a courageous and resourceful young woman. Her life was short, yet work continued to flourish in the spirit of the sisters who followed her. Documents indicate that Scholastica was only literate in the French language. This allowed her the unique ability to reach beyond boundaries. At 20 she traveled alone to teach the Winnebago Indians.
In the book Seeds on Good Ground, Ann Thomasine Sampson wrote a sketch of her life from letters and the vow records of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Here's what we know about her:
Born: January 1, 1829, in St. Louis, Missouri.
Ethnicity: Creole. This could mean she descended from original French settlers in Louisiana or she could be of mixed European and African ancestry.
Entered the Sisters of St. Joseph: April 1, 1847, at the age of 18.
Professed vows: October 15, 1849. "Sister Scholastica wrote her vow statement first in French which she alone signed. On the back of the sheet, the statement was written by some other sister in English and was signed by Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick and Sister Scholastica. This is the only time that the vow statement appeared in both languages in the community book" (Seeds on Good Ground, p. 16).
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Mission to St. Paul, MN: Arrived on November 3, 1851, by way of steamboat with Sr. St. John Fournier, Sr. Philomene Vilaine, and Sr. Francis Joseph Ivory. Upon arriving, they settled into a small cabin which was previously the chapel and home for Fr. Louis Galtier. A few days later they opened a school.
Mission to Long Prairie, MN: 1852. Scholastica traveled alone to teach Winnebago Indians. She lived with an Indian family and taught classes. Long Prairie is 100 miles from St. Paul -- at that time four days of travel.
Mission to St. Anthony, MN: 1854. Here Scholastica became the superior of the convent and teacher at St. Anthony School. She taught music and French.
Mission to Sulphur Springs, MS: 1858. Sister Scholastica's health declined from the harsh rigors of life at Long Priarie and St. Anthony. She went to Sulphur Springs to teach at a school started by the Sisters of St. Joseph from St. Louis. Despite the warmer climate, she was so ill she died the folowing year at 28 yeras of age.
All attempts to locate Sister Scholastica's gravesite have been unsuccessful. Ann Thomsine writes, "All traces of Sulphur Springs and the cemetary have vanished."
In the loss of Scholastica's young life, nothing has been lost, for our dreams have joined hers.
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