CORNELIAN CHARACTERISTICS

Welcome to 'Cornelian Charateristics'. The aim of this website is to share the values that Holy Child students receive through their Cornelian education. I'll start with a little background.

Cornelia Connelly was born on 15 January 1809 in Philadelphia , USA. Cornelia grew up in Philadelphia, receiving an education while in the care of her half-sister. In December 1831, Cornelia married Pierce Connelly, an Episcopalian minister. In August 1835, following the birth of the couple's first two children, Pierce resigned from his ministerial duties to explore a vocation in the Roman Catholic Church. The family moved to Rome in December 1835. Upon their return three years later, tragedy struck the Connelly family. Cornelia's third child, Mary Magdeline, died two months after birth and the following year Cornelia's second child, John Henry, died in a tragic accident. In October 1940, only a few months after John Herny's death, Pierce announced that he would be leaving the family to pursue his vocation in the Catholic Church. At this time Cornelia was pregnant with her fifth child.

In 1846, following Pierce's ordination, Cornelia set up the first house of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus in England. After two years of service in the Catholic Church, Pierce was becoming increasingly unsure of his vocation and was unhappy with Cornelia's new philosophy of education and religious commitments. In 1960, Pierce renounced his priesthood and his Catholic faith and took the three children away from Cornelia. Cornelia never saw her children again.

Despite this, Cornelia continued to live by the values on which she had built the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, carrying them with her thoughout her life. Holy Child schools around the world celebrate Cornelia's trust, gratitude, joy, courage, respect, perseverance, generosity and compassion, learning to emmulate these values in our own lives.

I hope you enjoy the website and, from it, gain an appreciation of the importance of each of these Cornelian characteristics.

Mia x