Sister Barbara outlines Sisters of the Most Precious Blood history and O'Fallon ties at preservation commission

At the June 3 Historic Preservation Commission meeting, Sister Barbara presented the first part of a multi‑meeting history of the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood and their ties to O'Fallon's 19th‑century development.

Sister Barbara said the congregation was founded “in Steinerburg, Switzerland in 1845,” and described early years of ministry in Europe, the congregation's move to the United States in 1870, and the decision to establish a motherhouse in the O'Fallon area in the 1870s. She recounted that construction of the motherhouse began in 1874 and that early sisters staffed local schools and parishes, including establishing Assumption Parish in 1870 and opening a school the following year.

The presentation included details about campus buildings (first building and a north wing built in 1876), the community's embroidery and ecclesiastical arts, the opening of a boarding school for girls in 1878, and the formation of a teacher training (normal) school that later became Saint Mary's College. Sister Barbara discussed artifacts preserved in the community museum (including an early miter) and described the cemetery’s first section laid out in 1876.

Commissioners and attendees asked follow‑up questions about the number of sisters who relocated to O'Fallon, surviving fruit trees on the property, and the current status of older community members; Sister Barbara and others provided answers and details. She said the presentation will continue in future meetings with coverage of the twentieth century.