Sister Blandina Heads West
Rosa Maria Segale was born in 1850 in Cicagna, near the city of Genoa, in Italy. When she was four years old her family move to America, settling in Cincinnati to be among the large Italian immigrant community there. As a child she observed the Sisters of Charity at work around the city. She heard how they even risked their lives to nurse soldiers on the field during the Civil War.
One day, to her father’s surprise, she announced, “As soon as I am old enough, I shall be a Sister of Charity!” At age 16 she joined the order and received her new name, Sister Blandina. It was September 13, 1866. Her older sister, Maria Maddelena, also joined the Sisters and took the spiritual name, Sister Justina.
Blandina heard that the Sisters of Charity had started a new mission out west, in Santa Fe, and it was her dream to become part of that mission. That dream came closer to reality in 1872 when, at age 22 she received instructions to leave at once for Trinidad. She confided with her sister that she was being sent to a happy island in the Caribbean. Shortly thereafter, however, she discovered she was not going south to the Caribbean, rather west to Trinidad, Colorado.
Shortly after her arrival in Trinidad, she vowed to start keeping a diary to journal her experiences for her sister, Justina. It is her written record that reveals so much about her character, her grit, her curiosity and her ability to deal with the human condition. She served in that Colorado community for four years and in the process built a school, met Billy the Kid and learned Spanish.
About the author
As one of the most requested tour guides by hotels in Santa Fe, Allen likes to share the city’s rich history in the form of stories. He is known for his ability to combine all the stories he knows into a rich mosaic of one of the country’s most historic cities. His love of history has resulted in Santa Fe’s two most recent books about the history of “The City Different.” He calls Santa Fe the Southwest’s Capital for history, culture, art and cuisine and he shares colorful summaries of all these subjects on his tours.