Being Thankful: Following our Path: Regis College through its Art Collection

By: JP Harwick, Undergraduate student

 On October 2, 1873 Mother Regis Casserly arrived in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts with four other sisters. This small group of Sisters of St. Joseph dedicated themselves to founding schools and children’s centers within the Boston area. Realizing the need for quality Catholic education, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston established Regis College, taking its name from Mother Regis. The college embraced its mission to empower women through education. As such it was a women’s college until 2007 when Regis College began enrolling male students.  At the time of the opening of the college the Sisters served in roles such as president of the college, dean of students, nurse, and professors.

          St. Joseph’s Hall, which is now used as a dormitory on the third and fourth floors, used to be inhabited by approximately fifty Sisters during the 1960s and 1970s. Today, there are seven Sisters who work at Regis College and although there numbers have diminished their profound effect on the institution continues. Regis College’s mission remains unchanged: to achieve excellence with gentleness and kindness to the “dear neighbor.” As a tribute to the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Boston, the college continues to celebrate their arrival each year through Founder’s Day events to remind all of the debt owed to the Sisters through their self-sacrificing efforts for Regis College.  Over this Thanksgiving holiday, we will remember to be thankful for all that they have given us.