Janet Erskine Stuart
Encyclopedia
Janet Erskine Stuart, also known as Mother Janet Stuart, (11 November 1857, Cottesmore
, Rutland
, England
– 21 October 1914, Roehampton
, England
) was a Roman Catholic nun and educationalist.
Her father, The Rev the Hon Andrew Godfrey Stuart, a son of Earl Castle Stewart
, was the Rector of Cottesmore and she was the youngest of his thirteenth children. Her mother, his second wife, was Mary Penelope Noel, a relative of the Earl of Gainsborough.
She converted to Roman Catholicism at the age of 22 and in 1882, she entered the Society of the Sacred Heart
at Roehampton
.
Stuart believed that each parent had the right to ask the teachers: "What have you done with my child, for my child? Show me the trace of your influence on her mind, heart, character, and conduct". She also believed, "it is not so much what we say or do that educates; what really educates is who we are". Sister (later Mother) Janet Stuart insisted that educators must "bring up children for the future, not for the present".
Stuart Hall School for Boys (New Orleans, LA)
Cottesmore, Rutland
Cottesmore is a village in the north of the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. In terms of population it is the largest village in Rutland, and the third-largest settlement after Oakham and Uppingham. This is due in part to the presence of RAF Cottesmore.The Cottesmore Hunt takes...
, Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
– 21 October 1914, Roehampton
Roehampton
Roehampton is a district in south-west London, forming the western end of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It lies between the town of Barnes to the north, Putney to the east and Wimbledon Common to the south. The Richmond Park golf courses are west of the neighbourhood, and just south of these is...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) was a Roman Catholic nun and educationalist.
Her father, The Rev the Hon Andrew Godfrey Stuart, a son of Earl Castle Stewart
Earl Castle Stewart
Earl Castle Stewart, in the County of Tyrone, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Andrew Stuart, 1st Viscount Castle Stuart. The Stewart family descends from Sir Walter Stewart , younger son of Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany, son of Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of...
, was the Rector of Cottesmore and she was the youngest of his thirteenth children. Her mother, his second wife, was Mary Penelope Noel, a relative of the Earl of Gainsborough.
She converted to Roman Catholicism at the age of 22 and in 1882, she entered the Society of the Sacred Heart
Society of the Sacred Heart
The Society of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic religious congregation established in France by St. Madeleine Sophie Barat in 1800. It has presence in 45 countries. Membership to the Society is restricted to women only. Its members do many works, but focus on education, particularly girls'...
at Roehampton
Roehampton
Roehampton is a district in south-west London, forming the western end of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It lies between the town of Barnes to the north, Putney to the east and Wimbledon Common to the south. The Richmond Park golf courses are west of the neighbourhood, and just south of these is...
.
Stuart believed that each parent had the right to ask the teachers: "What have you done with my child, for my child? Show me the trace of your influence on her mind, heart, character, and conduct". She also believed, "it is not so much what we say or do that educates; what really educates is who we are". Sister (later Mother) Janet Stuart insisted that educators must "bring up children for the future, not for the present".
Writings
Her writings included The Education of Catholic Girls (1912), The Society of the Sacred Heart (1914), and Highways and By-ways in the Spiritual Life.Superior General
In August 1911, she was elected the fifth Superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart.Death
Mother Janet Stuart held this office for three years until her death, aged 56, from undisclosed causes.Legacy
- Stuart Hall for BoysStuart Hall for BoysStuart Hall for Boys is a private Roman Catholic school located in San Francisco, California, and is part of the Schools of the Sacred Heart network...
, a K-8 school and Stuart Hall High SchoolStuart Hall High SchoolStuart Hall High School is a college-preparatory high school located in San Francisco's Pacific Heights district. Stuart Hall opened in the fall of 2000...
, a high school for boys (both in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
) - Stuart Country Day SchoolStuart Country Day SchoolStuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart is an independent all-girls Catholic country day school located in Princeton Township, New Jersey, that serves students from pre-school through grade 12...
(Princeton, New JerseyPrinceton, New JerseyPrinceton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
) - Doane Stuart SchoolDoane Stuart SchoolThe Doane Stuart School is an independent, coeducational school in Rensselaer, New York. The School claims a low student to teacher ratio and a rigorous college preparatory curriculum. The school also has emphases on community service and interfaith tolerance...
(Rensselaer, New YorkRensselaer, New YorkRensselaer is a city in Rensselaer County, New York, United States, and is located on the Hudson River directly opposite Albany. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,392; in 1920, it was 10,832. The name is from Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original landowner of the region in New...
) - Digby Stuart CollegeDigby Stuart CollegeDigby Stuart College is one of the four constituent colleges of Roehampton University. It was established in 1874 as a women's teacher training college by the Society of the Sacred Heart, an order of French religious women who settled at Roehampton in 1850, having first arrived in England in...
(EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
)
Stuart Hall School for Boys (New Orleans, LA)