| Mother Colette Hilbert, FSSJ (Agnes) 1865 – 1938 Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph
Mother Colette lived by the precept "In All Thing Charity." Her dedication and fervor were evident in her concern for the poor and sick. Colette acquired a farm in Gardenville, New York, where the Sisters tilled the soil and shared the fruits of their labor. Frequently, they visited the Broadway Market carrying their baskets, seeking donations for their hungry poor.
As a mentor for the new community, Colette instilled within her Sisters a deep love for people. This love came with a great price and much sacrifice. Despite the many hardships she endured, her labor of love continued each day as she balanced the responsibilities of Principal, Teacher, Superior, and Formation Director. Her beginnings and sacrifices inspired her Sisters to continue her vision at St. Anthony’s Home for the Elderly, Immaculata Academy, St. Joseph Hospital, Hilbert College, St. Clare Manor, and parish schools in the Buffalo Diocese.
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Sister
Colette Hilbert, a native of Cieszyn, Poland, came to America as a
Charity Sister of St. Charles Borromeo to minister to Polish immigrants.
On September 8, 1897 she established a new congregation in Trenton, New
Jersey, later to be known as the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph of
Hamburg, New York. Under Colette’s encouragement, the new group of
Sisters arrived in Buffalo on July 29, 1898 to minister to the
immigrants at Corpus Christi Parish on Clark Street. In 1907 Mother
Colette established a Motherhouse in Buffalo which was later moved to
Hamburg.