Mount Calvary Cemetery

Joseph in Wheeling, from left, are members of the congregation and auxiliary Sister Mary Palmer, CSJ; Lisa Werner; Sister Christine Riley, CSJ; Sister Mary Ann Rosenbaum, CSJ; Tammy Poppe and Lynn Comerci. WHEELING — It’s been 165 years since four brave nuns stepped ashore in Wheeling, having traveled by flatbottom boat to their new home and adventure in a town that was not so friendly to them at first sight. The West Virginia Auxiliary of the Congregation of St. Joseph will celebrate and recognize the humble beginnings of the founding Sisters of St. Joseph from Carondelet. The auxiliary has been raising funds to meet special needs of the sisters of the congregation at Mount St. Joseph in Wheeling for 28 years, according to Tammy Poppe, auxiliary president. This year, in conjunction with the 165th anniversary of the congregation’s service to the community, the auxiliary’s activities will include a 165+ Club featuring monthly monetary drawings, a Summer Cash Raffle, as well as its premier event, the annual Gala and Reverse Raffle in October.“Plans are underway to make this year’s Gala extra special in recognition of the arrival in 1853 of the sisters to Wheeling. Their contributions to education, health care, and community involvement have been remarkable,” Poppe said.The auxiliary’s efforts over the past 28 years have resulted in the purchase of items that have supported the comfort and care of the sisters residing at Mount St. Joseph. Included among these items have been a golf cart that allows the sisters more access to several areas of the property, installation of sidewalks and a marble encased concrete base for the statue at the sisters’ new cemetery section at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Wheeling, new landscaping at the commemorative site of the sisters’ arrival in Wheeling located at Heritage Port, shared funding in the cost of a new handicap-accessible prayer labyrinth at Mount St. Joseph.The additions also include the purchase of a new table and four chairs for the second floor kitchen, new outdoor furnitu... (Wheeling Intelligencer)