By Michelle Wirth Smith

Each May, as the Church celebrates graduations, ordinations, and new beginnings, we’re reminded that growth often starts in quiet, unseen ways.

The Story of the Hickey Family

In the late 19th century, five brothers became priests: William (1880), Edward (1883), Charles (1886), John (1887), and George (1892). Their two sisters, Sr. Marie Immaculata (Martha Hickey) and Sr. Mary Annunciata (Mary Hickey), entered the Sisters of Notre Dame, dedicating their lives to teaching and ministry. All five brothers were able to stand together at the altar while Fr. George Hickey celebrated his first mass at St. Edward, the family’s parish church.

Seven siblings. Seven vocations.

Even at the time, this was something remarkable. In 1892, The Catholic Telegraph noted: “Never before in the United States was a similar scene enacted—never before in the history of any diocese was any one family so largely represented in the holy priesthood.” The story drew widespread attention, with St. Joseph’s Advocate dedicating a three-page feature to the family in January 1893.

Patrick Hickey (1820–1892) and Johanna Hickey (1833–1905), both Irish immigrants, built their family in Cincinnati with a deep commitment to faith and community. Patrick was known as a man of integrity, active in charitable works and devoted to prayer, often reciting the Rosary during his daily commute. Johanna was remembered for her humility, hospitality, and care in guiding her children, ensuring they were well-formed, well-read, and surrounded by good influences.

Among the items preserved in the archives is a small but powerful piece of their history: a personal album, the cover embossed with “To My Mother.” Filled with photographs from a journey to Europe, the album opens a window into a moment of both sorrow and grace in the family’s life. Patrick Hickey died three weeks before his youngest son’s ordination and after 40 years of marriage to Johanna. In the wake of that loss, and at the urging of her physician, Johanna traveled abroad, accompanied by her daughter Martha and two of her sons, Fathers William and John. What may have begun as a trip for rest and recovery became something more.

Johanna lingered at places of devotion, especially Lourdes and Rome. By special privilege she was granted an audience with Pope Leo XIII, so that on the Feast of Corpus Christi in 1895, she attended Mass in the Holy Father’s private chapel and received with her daughter Martha holy Communion from the Vicar of Christ.

The album thus became more than a collection of images, it is a tribute: a son’s quiet acknowledgment of a mother whose faith endured loss, sought God in sorrow, and remained steadfast. That’s where this story connects so naturally to May’s theme of “breaking ground.” Long before ordination days, something was taking root in the Hickey household. Through daily prayer, example, and love, a foundation was laid.

Their story reminds us that vocations don’t just appear. They grow, often quietly, within families who make space for God. ✦