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Young Ladies' New Academy of the Visitation
1885
The
Convent of the Visitation was founded by Bishop Michael
Portier, first bishop of Mobile, who rented a small
five-room house adjoining the property which he had
bought as a site for the convent. Sisters
from Georgetown (Washington, DC) lived in this house
until a more suitable building was erected. In
January 1833, the sisters were well established, and 40
pupils were enrolled in the school the first year. The following year
an enrollment of ninety-eight was recorded, eighty-six
of whom were boarders. In 1850 the religious numbered
twenty-five and pupils sixty. Tuition ranged through four
categories from $160 for full boarders to $36 yearly for
day student in the lower or preparatory classes.
The academy was three miles distant from the city,
pleasantly located, and enjoying the advantages which
contributed to the security and health of its
inmates. The aim of the Institution was to fit (by
course of Instruction - intellectual, moral and
religious) young ladies for their appropriate spheres in
social life. The branches of the course, combining
the useful and ornamental, were: Reading, Writing,
Arithmetic, Grammar, Ancient and Modern Geography, the
use of the Globes, Prose and Poetical Compositions,
Sacred and Profane History, Mythology, Rhetoric, Natural
Philosophy, Chemistry, Astronomy, Botany, Bookkeeping,
and Mathematics, Music on the Harp, Piano and Guitar,
Drawing and Painting, Plain and Ornamental Needlework,
etc. Special attention was given to the study of
French. A thorough knowledge and correct
pronunciation of this polite and beautiful language were
imparted by competent teachers. The academy for girls was renowned as an educational and
cultural center in the South, the institution served as
a school until 1952 and now functions as a retreat
house.
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West Wing and children's dorm
Boarder's Private Room
Study Hall
The Refectory
Students in late 1890's
Class of 1938
"We were taught to be better people on this
earth so that some day we may all rejoice with Him
in heaven. We all think we got a wonderful
education that would help us the rest of our
lives, both spiritually and academically."
by Mary Johnson Perez, Class of 1938
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1933 - Aerial view of the Academy
Directress' Room
The Second Dorm
Academy Library
Home Economics Kitchen
Class of 1948
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The Monastery celebrates 175 years in Mobile
this year.
Throughout their history, the sisters of
the Visitation Monastery have continued to build on the
firm foundation laid by the original community in
1833. No doubt those first bands of sisters from
Georgetown had a vision that helped them to persevere
throughout the times of hardship and trials.
Arguably, this vision was realized in 1903 with the
construction of the west wing that was dedicated with
much jubilation on the part of civic and ecclesiastical
leaders who joined the sisters, students, faculty, and
their supporters in celebrating this gratifying
achievement.
It is more uncertain whether the vision
embraced the latter half of the twentieth century - the
closing of the school and the undertaking of a new
ministry of providing a setting for spiritual
instruction and growth.
The 1950's had to
have been a turbulent time for the sisters of the
community. After closing the high school in 1948,
the income from the academy steadily declined until they
were forced to make the decision to close the grade
school as well. This became a reality in May of
1952, and led to dismantling much
of what had been built up over the previous one hundred
and twenty years. Furnishings, equipment,
antiques, choir stalls, the organ and pews, and even the
cows - all were sold or given away. Property was
bought to secure the privacy of the monastery, and
property was sold to obtain money for needed repairs and
renovations. The newest building, the west wing,
the pride and joy of the sisters and students in 1903,
had become so dilapidated and unnecessary that it
was completely demolished. It was during these
years that candy-making and altar bread work first
became significant sources of income which have
continued to grow in the ensuing years.
In
July of 1951, Rev. W. D. Buckley, O.S.F.S., had come to
explain the requirements of Sponsa Christi.
This document from the Holy See containing directives
for religious women, entailed changes in the life-style
and physical surroundings of the sisters, and also
encouraged them to undertake some work of service to the
Church that would be compatible with their circumstances
and enable the community to be self-supporting.
The structure of the Visitation Order was modified to
provide for a Superior General, and the monasteries
throughout the world were organized into regional
federations. A year later Mother Margaret Mary
Sheerin of Georgetown visited the community in her
capacity as regional superior, and the following spring,
Very Reverend Mother Bernard Marie de Uriarte, the first
and only Mother General of the Visitation Order, came to
Mobile from Europe. In subsequent visits both of
these generous and capable superiors supported the
sisters in the prospect of opening a retreat facility as
a way to implement the Vatican directives and to make
good use of the existing buildings.
Through
their advice and influence, and the typically selfless
cooperation of several monasteries in the federation,
Sr. Mary Teresa Dougherty and Sr. Mary Rita Cullinan
from St. Paul, Sr. Mary Paul Miller from Wheeling, Sr.
Mary Joseph Markoe from St. Louis, and Sr. Mary Loretto
Franklin from Brooklyn spent a number of years helping
their sisters in Mobile to establish the new apostolic
work. Undaunted by lack of experience, and
trusting entirely in the providence of God, the
community courageously proceeded by stages to convert
the academy into the present-day retreat house and to
assume the details of the administrative and logistical
tasks needed to make the undertaking a success. It
would not be exaggerating to say that these efforts of
remodeling, renovation, repairs, furnishing,
installation and preserving have been unceasing since the
initiation of the project, even until now. Nor
would it be possible to estimate the contribution made
by friends, relatives former students, and benefactors
who cheerfully invested their time, energy, talents,
financial resources, and inspiration to bring this good
work to completion and to maintain it as one of the most
frequented spiritual centers in this area.
The
Visitation Monastery and Chapel are used by various
segments of the public on a regular basis.
Approximately 2,500 to 2,750 persons a year use the
facilities in some way. Between forty and
forty-five weekends are reserved each year for groups
that come annually. Most of these are open to
members of all faiths who seek a respite from the
demands of their ordinary lives and renewal of their
spirits in the atmosphere of silence and solitude
afforded by this house of prayer. Besides the
events scheduled on a regular basis, the Visitation
Monastery also hosts prayer groups, confirmation
classes, and youth days. Several times the
monastery has been included in the Historic Mobile Homes
Tour. Families and community groups find it a safe
and secluded place for reunions, picnics, and other
celebrations.
In addition to the
flourishing of their retreat ministry, the sisters can
look back on many other significant moments which helped
to shape their legacy in the course of the last quarter
of the twentieth century and up to the present.
One
of the first is the project to convert the
"chaplain's cottage" from a residence to a
shop for books and gifts. Under the auspices of
the auxiliary a series of auctions and yard sales was
initiated to raise money for the remodeling and updating
of this facility. The annual fund-raiser continued
for many years to be a source of support for the
maintenance of the monastery and retreat house.
And, the Visitation Shop remains one of the principal
ministries and ongoing sources of income for the
monastery.
In 1983, the community invited
their friends to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the
foundation of the monastery. Archbishop Oscar H.
Lipscomb presided at the Mass of Thanksgiving and
everyone shared in a joyous reception in the parlor
which had been redecorated as a gift especially for this
occasion. In June there was a grand reunion of
former students of the academy, one hundred sixty of
whom gathered to renew bonds with each other and with
the sisters who had helped to educate and form them for
their place in society.
In subsequent
years the sisters welcomed members of their Order who
came from other states for meetings and workshops.
These assemblies helped to promote unity and mutual
support among the communities participating.
The
year 1987 is remembered for the visit of Pope John Paul
II, of happy memory, to New Orleans. The
Visitation sisters of Mobile, joined by their sisters
from Atlanta, formed a sizeable contingent which
traveled by bus to attend the prayer service scheduled
for religious, as well as the Mass offered at the
University of New Orleans campus. This
never-to-be-forgotten experience was made even more
memorable when the entire group of Visitandines, who had
been seated in bleachers outside St. Louis Cathedral,
were invited inside to sit in the sanctuary in place of
another group which had failed to appear. This
advantageous position placed them in the path of the
Holy Father as he proceeded to the altar and he paused
to greet them, distributing rosaries, blessing some by
putting his hands on their heads, and even exchanging a
few words in Polish with Mother Mary Jozefa Kowalewski,
the federation president.
Between 1987
and 1989 the sisters undertook a major renovation of the
monastery living quarters thanks to the generosity of a
local foundation which bestowed a grant to cover the
cost of the project. This was followed in the
'90's by replacing the slate roof on the
hundred-year-old chapel, again with the support of
numerous benefactors and community foundations.
Plans
for the restoration of the interior of the chapel were
being discussed when a falling piece of plaster
ornamentation caused the immediate closing of the
chapel. Despite the urgency of this project, the
work of restoration was delayed by the need to update
the fire safety in the entire complex. Funds
intended for the chapel were diverted to this essential,
though less aesthetically pleasing work. Only when the
fire department was satisfied that the buildings were
"up to code" were the sisters issued a permit
to begin restoration of the interior of the
chapel. This would have been impossible without
the efforts of a dedicated committee whose unflagging
labors extended over a three-year period of valuable advice,
moral support, and fund-raising. At long last, the chapel was rededicated by Archbishop
Lipscomb in October, 1999, and the large congregation
was treated to an elegant luncheon on the grounds of the
retreat house, thanks to the gracious and generous
hospitality of the Friends of the Visitation.
The
most recent improvements have been the refurbishing of
the front entrance to the building and the renovation of
the retreat dining room. It was during this period
that their website was designed and posted on the
internet.
In 2002 two
revised editions of the history of the monastery were
published - Behind the Wall, compiled by
Anna B. Crow, and Debra Benton's History of
Mobile's Visitation Monastery.
On
June 23, 2004, alumni of the North American College, who
were holding their annual reunion in Mobile, came to the
monastery for the closing banquet of this event.
The retreat dining room was transformed into a
magnificent banquet hall enhanced by stunning floral
pieces and by the landscaping of the retreat yard and
repainting of the parlor and porch. The sisters
welcomed the nearly one hundred visiting priests,
bishops, archbishops, and William Cardinal Keeler in the
parlor as they arrived for the banquet shortly before
10:00 P.M.
The year 2005 brought many
historical moments which impacted the entire world as
well as the community. The death of Pope John Paul
II and the election of his successor, Pope Benedict XVI,
the tsunami in Asia and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
along our own Gulf Coast are all events that have been
seared into the collective memory. The Visitation
sisters shared in these moments through their prayers
and material support.
As they ponder the
vision for the coming years, the encouraging words of
their foundress, St. Jane de Chantal, recorded nearly
four hundred years ago, offer an inspiring
guideline: Have great courage and you will
see the glory of God increasing in your house like the
glow of a beautiful dawn.
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