For Sesquicentennial: Memories of Catholic school history

In 1888, a group of priests appointed by Bishop Thomas Burke of Albany to visit Catholic schools in Rensselaer, Columbia, Greene, Delaware and Schoharie counties was concerned about all aspects of school life -- including outhouses.

In their June 24, 1888 report to the bishop, they wrote: "We found in the schools visited, the course of studies up to a reasonably high standard, and the branches taught well understood by the majority of the pupils. With regard to solidity, convenience, ventilation and cleanliness we would say that the school buildings and out-houses connected with them, are, with one or two exceptions, all that could be desired, or all that present means could afford."

That report is just one glimpse of the rich history of Catholic schools in the Albany Diocese. The following are some more random moments from Catholic school history in the Albany Diocese:

* The first school in the Diocese was established at St. Mary's Church in Albany in 1828. Spurred on by the success of the parish's Sunday school program, the school was established and staffed by lay women. After a year, three Sisters of Charity arrived from Emmitsburg, Maryland, to staff the school.

The school was moved to an abandoned bakery for two years. When the larger church was finished in 1830, classes took place in the basement.

In 1832, the Sisters of Charity established a "select" school to provide a quality education for girls whose parents could afford it. The tuition provided the sisters with the money needed to care for the orphans of the cholera epidemic. The nuns opened an orphan asylum next to the church for that purpose.

In 1844, according to "The History of Catholic Education in the Diocese of Albany" by Sister Mary Ancilla Leary, CSJ, "difficulties and misunderstandings, which apparently could not be adjusted, caused the superiors to recall the Sisters to the central house, Emmitsburg in November 1844." The school was closed at that time and did not reopen until 1900.

* According to Sister Mary Ancilla's book, "Eighteen eighty-four proved to be the most significant year in church legislation." The growth of the public school system now made it possible to attain a free public school education from elementary school through college.

"This progress in public school organization and the educational opportunities provided by it were accompanied by a program of `increasing abandonment of religious teaching and influence.'" To remedy that, the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore made it binding on priests and laity to establish schools wherever possible.

* In the 1860s, when St. John's School [now St. Joseph's/St. John's] in Rensselaer was established, the tuition was as follows: "Children who could already read and write paid 12 cents a week; those who could only read, a dime; and those in the beginning class, 6 cents." (From "Canals and Crossroads," the history of the Albany Diocese, by Sally Light.)

* During Bishop John Conroy's tenure, the Sisters of St. Joseph, the Sisters of Mercy and the Christian Brothers expanded their schools. Prior to going to Vatican I, Bishop Conroy asked the priests to lobby for a state law that would "secure a fund for the permanent aid and support of our Catholic schools."

* While anti-Catholicism was rampant in public schools (where the Protestant Bible was used as a reader along with books that were considered "moral and instructive" that were actually "abusive tracts against the Catholic religion"), Bishop Francis McNeirny spent the last year of his life on the New York State Board of Regents.

* By 1898, schools were being staffed by the Christian Brothers, French Brothers of St. Viateur, the Brothers of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Ladies of the Sacred Heart, the "Black Cap" Sisters of Charity, the Sisters of St. Anne, the Sisters of the Holy Names, Sisters of Christian Charity, the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, the Sisters of the Presentation, Sisters of the Good Shepherd, the Sisters of Charity, Sisters of Mercy, and the Sisters of St. Joseph. At that time, there were 13,000 students enrolled in parish schools and 1,600 in colleges, academies and select schools.

* The Diocesan School Board was established under Bishop Burke at the end of the century. Principals were usually the pastors. Rev. William R. Charles was the first superintendent.

* During his tenure, Bishop Edmund Gibbons added 26 parish schools. Five schools opened in 1926, the largest number of schools to start in one year, according to "Canals and Crossroads." Under Bishop Gibbons, centralized high schools were established.

* The 1922-23 Annual Report of the Schools of the Albany Diocese states: "Nothing could be more gratifying than to record, the realization of our long cherished dream of a Central High School. Troy has at last set the pace. Under the urging of his Lordship, Bishop Gibbons, pastors and people faithfully responded, and in the drive begun May 1923 they pledged $185,000. No sooner was the path blazed, than the pioneer work was under way, and within a remarkably short space the workmen proceeded to make old St. Mary's Hospital into a school building capable of housing the pupils who gathered from Troy, Green Island, Watervliet and their rural vicinities. You have today the new Central High School, carrying on with spirit and efficiency despite material disadvantages. That was proof of faith, hope and charity -- a final proof, to the public, if any were needed, that Catholic education in Troy is full of zeal and vitality. The value of a Central Catholic High School has already demonstrated itself. Floreat Troia! [Long flourish Troy]. The great work is begun. But the need is for more such in Albany, Amsterdam, Schenectady and Cohoes so that secondary education may yield the fullest and richest fruits of our Holy Religion."

* Vincentian Institute was the only high school to be established in Albany under Bishop Gibbons. The high school was founded in 1921; according to "Canals and Crossroads," it was the largest parochial high school in the Diocese. "The Sisters of Mercy taught there. Later, in 1935, the Brothers of the Holy Cross instructed the boys. This was the first appearance of that order on the East Coast, far removed from their base in Indiana at the University of Notre Dame. It was their first time teaching in a parochial school anywhere. Among their numbers was a priest who would become world famous in the 1940s and '50s: Father Patrick Peyton."

* Prior to the establishment of the high school, St. Vincent de Paul Church had an elementary school which opened in 1917. These students were housed in greenhouses that had been salvaged from an estate. Students wore sunglasses and lightweight uniforms, and had to watch out for sunburn even in the winter.

* Sermons given by Rev. Edmund O'Connor, principal and pastor of St. Mary's Church in Little Falls in 1931, provide a glimpse of Catholic education during the 1930s. "Be assured, parents, that St. Mary's will continue to be a cooperating agency with you in the moral well-being of your children. St. Mary's will require of our students observance of our traditional school and parish regulation: viz., home chores, odd jobs, play in God's fresh air and sunshine after school until 6 o'clock -- but after 6 o'clock...studies till the class work of the day is made their own."

* Under Bishop William Scully, the schools of the Diocese grew in size and number. In 1955, according to "Canals and Crossroads," the Bishop's Fund was started to support improvement and expansion of schools, made necessary by the baby boom that followed World War II. Cardinal McCloskey Memorial High School in Albany, Notre Dame High School for Girls and Bishop Gibbons High School for Boys in Schenectady, Bishop Scully in Amsterdam, Bishop Burke in Gloversville and St. Patrick's High School in Catskill were opened under Bishop Scully, as were 21 new elementary schools.

(08-21-97) [[In-content Ad]]