On June 23, 2025, a gentle chapter closed when Sister Trudy Foster, age 90, departed her home near Crosstown Concourse, Memphis, Tennessee, USA, to move into a retirement convent. She wasn’t met with fanfare or trumpet calls—but what departed that day was far more significant: the last member of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth (SCN) in Memphis, ending a 141-year ministry that shaped the city’s soul.

Sister Trudy Foster, SCN

Founded in 1812 near Bardstown, Kentucky, by Mother Catherine Spalding and Bishop John Baptist David, the SCNs were motivated by a profound commitment to education, healthcare, social justice, and serving the marginalized Nourished by Vincentian charity, they embraced epidemics, wars, poverty, and the seeds of hope wherever they went.

Drawn to Memphis in 1884 to fill the gap left by Dominican Sisters lost to yellow fever, the SCNs taught more than 70,000 students through over a dozen schools: Holy Rosary, St Anne on Highland, Sacred Heart, Our Lady of Sorrows, St Peter’s Orphanage, Holy Names, and others. At the height of their presence, more than 700 sisters served the city—as teachers, principals, nurses, and caregivers.

Sister Trudy was born in North Memphis and attended Holy Names High School, inspired by those she later came to join. Returning to Memphis in 1966 after formation in Nazareth, Kentucky, she served in leadership roles as principal at multiple schools. Brother Joel McGraw, a longtime educator at Christian Brothers High, recalls: “Wherever she went, if they were struggling, she put it back together… Just be interested in people. Take joy in them.”

Sister Trudy’s kindness, empathy, and inclusive vision echoed the order’s fundamental ethos: to “see the presence of Jesus in every person”, embracing diversity and empathy as spiritual mandates.

As the number of religious vocations declined and lay educators stepped in, Sister Trudy became the final living testament to that long line of Sisters … and yet, as she slowed, her vision sped ahead: the Sister Thea Bowman Montessori School at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church is set to open this fall in the 38126 zip code—one of the poorest in the nation—founded on the conviction that early childhood education rooted in respect and kindness can meet structural challenges.

This new school embodies the living legacy of the SCNs: a bridge between past and future, steeped in dignity, opportunity, and compassion.

Legacy of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth

• Two centuries of pioneering service: Since 1812, the SCNs have grown beyond Kentucky into an international Congregation serving in the U.S., India, Nepal, Botswana, and Belize, responding to cholera, yellow fever, war, injustice, and natural disasters.
• Core mission: Their mission statement, reaffirmed in 2023, commits the Sisters and their Associates to care for all creation, work for peace and justice, in solidarity with the oppressed, grounded in Vincentian and Marillac spirituality.
• Education & social ministries: From opening Nazareth Academy (1814) to Presentation Academy (1831), St. Vincent orphanages, hospitals, and affordable housing projects, their work has consistently intertwined education, health, and justice.
• A spirit of collaboration: The SCNs pioneered new forms of partnership—such as the SCN Associates movement since the 1970s—inviting lay companions to live the charism without religious vows.

Memphis’ Gift — and the Road Ahead

Memphis was more than a mission field; it was a home. Sister Trudy’s joy in the small acts—a stranger helping her cross the street, the shared laughter over barbecue—reflects a spiritual practice of finding grace in the everyday mundane and the communal warmth of this city.

Now, that presence shifts: from convent halls to classrooms. The Sr Thea Bowman Montessori school’s inaugural 20 preschoolers will inherit a legacy woven with ancient values and tender care—a modern echo of progressive education rooted in respect, empathy, and moral courage. Even if the Sisters no longer wear their habits here, their ethos remains etched in community roots, educational equity, and interfaith kindness.

An Invitation to Keep Living the Mission

Though the physical presence of SCNs in Memphis ends, their call reverberates: to educate, to heal, to foster justice. Their story prompts us to ask:

• How can local organizations and individuals continue to model inclusive compassion?
• Will the Montessori school leaders activate partnerships with civic groups, healthcare providers, or environmental advocates—mirroring the SCNs’ holistic approach?
• And how might Memphians nurture children with moral imagination—just as Sister Trudy believed prayer would shape —“people with good morals leading the country”?

The Sisters opened the door by answering crises with presence. Now it’s up to us to walk through it—sharing their daily joy, empathy, and unconditional inclusion.

The departure of Sister Trudy and the SCNs marks an epoch-ending moment—141 years woven with learning, nursing, solace, and courage. Yet their legacy does not retire—it transforms. Like a seed planted deep, their spirit now sprouts in new forms: in classrooms, prayer circles, community outreach, and every kind act in Memphis.

This is not a farewell, but an invitation: to be present, to take joy, and to see each other as vessels of hope, justice, and love.

To learn more about the mission and ongoing work of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, visit https://nazareth.org.