Briar Rose

The Wieneke cote of arms contains a bunch of grapes. The Wieneke family were Catholic Germans who were forced to flee Germany due to the Kulturkumpf (cultural warfare) waged by Bismark against the Catholic Church. Bismark’s ancestors had come to favor the religions of the Stuttmeisters, and the Rosamond family who were Protestants. Mary Magdalene Rosamond’s cousin, Mother Dominica Wieneke, was the founder of Briar Cliff college in Iowa. She was a Sister of Saint Francis.

“The History of Mount St. Francis The Sisters of St. Francis of the
Holy Family were founded in Herford, Germany in 1864. Forced to
emigrate by the Kulturkampf, the small community arrived in Iowa
City on Sept. 8, 1875. Here they established the first orphanage
under Catholic auspices in the state of Iowa. In 1878, Bishop
Hennessy invited them to move to Dubuque to establish a diocesan
orphanage. Today, 125 years later, Mount St…