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The CHRISTUS Legacy
Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word orphanage loses 90 children, 10 Sisters in 1900 Galveston storm
On Sept. 8, 1900, Galveston, Texas was struck by a hurricane of such destructive force that it remains one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history.
The water and wind killed more than 6,000 men, women and children. Among the dead were 90 children and 10 Catholic Sisters at the St. Mary's Orphanage. Only three boys and a hymn, "Queen of the Waves," survived from the orphan's home.
Prior to the Great Storm, St. Mary's Orphan Asylum stood on a beautiful beach just three miles west of the city of Galveston. Established by the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, the orphanage was home to 93 children and the 10 Sisters who cared for them. The orphanage itself consisted of two large, two-story dormitories with balconies facing the gulf. Between the dormitories and the gulf were large sand dunes supported by salt cedar trees.
On the morning of Sept. 8, 1900, rain fell and winds increased. The island community had experienced many gulf storms before, but this one was to change Galveston forever. Around noon Sister Elizabeth Ryan, who had gone into the city to collect provisions, returned to the orphanage. She had declined pleas from the Sisters at St. Mary's Infirmary, a hospital also founded by her Congregation, to stay there until the storm passed. By mid-afternoon, the waters of the Gulf had eroded the sand dunes and approached the front steps of the dormitories. The Sisters brought all the children into the girls' dormitory because it was the newer and stronger of the two. To calm the children, the Sisters had them sing "Queen of the Waves," an old French hymn.
The water continued to rise, eventually entering the dormitories. The Sisters took the children to the second floor and continued to sing. By late afternoon, the water filled the first floor of the dormitory.
In an effort to protect the orphans, each Sister tied herself to several of the children. They heard the crash of the boys' dormitory next door as it fell under 150 mph winds and a 20-foot storm surge.
The Sisters and children sang once more before their own building, the girls' dormitory, collapsed.
Three boys escaped the disaster of the orphanage: Albert Campbell, Frank Bulanek Madera and William B. Murney.
The rest, 10 Sisters and 90 children, died in the storm. The bodies were found still tied together.
Despite this great loss, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word continued their mission and one year later opened a new St. Mary's Orphanage within the city limits. It continued until 1965, when orphanages began giving way to foster homes.
Today, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word have spread their ministry to communities throughout Texas as well as to Louisiana, Arkansas, Utah and California. The Congregation also maintains ministries in Ireland, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Kenya.
On September 8, no matter where they are, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word sing "Queen of the Waves" to remember the Sisters, children and all those who faced the Great 1900 Storm.
