Salvatorian Archives

In Part IV of our series, we take a short look at the end of World War I - the Armistice that took effect in the morning hours of November 11, 1918. It was a cease-fire, but it could hardly be called true "peace." The tensions between the warring nations still existed, and barely twenty years later the world would be at war once again.

In Part V, we look at the Spanish Flu pandemic. As if the more than 16 million deaths surrounding World War I were not bad enough, another 50 million deaths would happen globally from the flu virus that was spread around the world by soldiers returning home from the war. And for the Salvatorians in the United States, it was particularly painful. Four of the newest Salvatorians - two seminarians from the Society and two of the youngest Sisters - lost their lives to the flu. For the pioneering Salvatorians who had come to this country, new vocations had filled them with great hope. But suddenly some of these "first-born spiritual sons and daughters" in the USA were taken from them at such a young age.

For the earliest Salvatorians in this country, 1918 was truly "A Year of Armistice and Anguish." With these final two chapters, we conclude our look into one of the most devastating years in human history, not only for Salvatorians, but for everyone on earth. We pray that the world will never have to experience another one like it.

(Click on the links below)

Part IV and Part V - "Armistice" and "The Spanish Flu"

"The 100th Anniversary of 1918 - A Year of Armistice and Angusish" - exhibit flyer.