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| |   What's in a Name,
And How Do We Say it? Friends of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet know that the Congregation
was founded in France in 1650. Some, because of the French connection,
mistakenly believe that "Carondelet" is a French word and pronounce it "Carondelay."
But Carondelet is not French. The name is derived from the site of the Congregation's
f irst foundation in the United States. The Sisters who arrived in America in 1836 began
their work in a small settlement, Craondelet, near whar is now St. Louis, Missouri. This settlement was named for Francisco Luis Hector, Baron de Carondelet who, though
born in Flanders during the Spanish presence in the Lowlands, was neither Flemish nor Spanish but Catalan.
De Carondelet was prominent in Spanish colonial affairs and from 1791 to 1797
served as governor of the territory which, passing from Spanish to French control,
became American through the Louisiana Purchase.
So through the twists and turns of time and history, an American Congregation
with French roots bears the name of a Catalan nobleman--"CarondeLET."
More Information about Carondelet, MO? Click here.
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