A new exhibit titled “Catholic Sisters: The Spirit of St. Louis,” celebrates 200 years of Catholic Sisters’ presence in the St. Louis area.

The exhibit, which runs March 3 through April 28 at the St. Louis Public Library, is held in conjunction with Catholic Sisters Week, which runs annually from March 8 to 14.

The exhibit will be held at the Central Library, 1301 Olive Street on the Library’s Third Floor, and is free and open to the public.

“Catholic Sisters: The Spirit of St. Louis” will feature the work of the sisters through photos, display of habits, a German prayer book, a bell used to keep people at a distance when a patient suffered from smallpox, the original Rule of the School and Plan of Studies developed by Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat, a trunk used while traveling on missions and much more.

“This exhibit offers a wonderful opportunity for the people of the metropolitan St. Louis area to celebrate with the Catholic Sisters, as well as to recall memories and the influence sisters have had on their lives,” said Sister Judy Bell of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary. “For those not familiar with Catholic sisters, the exhibit provides an educational forum that shows the impact women religious have had in the greater St. Louis area, meeting the needs of many people throughout these 200 years.”

Catholic sisters first arrived in the St. Louis in 1818. Over the past two centuries sisters have devoted their lives to God through a host of ministries.

Catholic Sisters: The Spirit of St. Louis is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit slpl.org for more information.