Opening at the Gallery at The Sheen Center  March 19, 2020

On December 4, 1885, the Rev. John J. Riordan purchased Watson House, at 7 State Street in lower Manhattan, and formally established the Home of the Mission of Our Lady of the Rosary for the Protection of Irish Immigrant Girls. Through the pioneering efforts of emigration reformer Charlotte Grace O’Brien, Fr. Riordan and the priests that came after him, the Mission helped more than 100,000 women. This exhibit examines this the exhibit examines this extraordinary undertaking, an untold story of New York’s Irish Catholics. Featured are the original ledger books from the Mission, containing more than 60,000 names and genealogical information not found anywhere else. The exhibit also analyzes the connection of the Catholic Church to the Mission and highlights new research being done on the women who came through Watson House.

To visit the exhibit, contact the The Sheen Center at (212) 925-2812.

To view the digital version of the exhibit, click here.