Catltolic Educational Endeavors
tion was given to them as to our own." 11 The Sisters of Charity, whose main work is caring for the sick, did not come to Galveston until 1866. Development Since I865. The generous services so nobly rendered during the years of war won for the Ursulines the genuine respect and regard of the public. The growth of the Academy was greatly accelerated after the conflict. The cornerstone of the present chapel was laid on March 25, 1871. Three years later St. Angela's Hall was built. In this new hall a Sunday School for Colored women and children was opened in 1878, where instruction in religion was given to this neglected group for the first time in Texas. That same year the Academy was chartered and em- powered to grant diplomas. The cornerstone for the present Academy building was laid on December 8, 1891, the Feast of the Immaculate Con- ception. This was designed by N. J. Slaton, a gifted architect. The new building was considered one of the most handsome of its kind. The Acad- emy was by now attracting boarding students from all parts of the state. 12 The disastrous tidal wave and hurricane which wrecked Galveston on September 9, 1900, blasted the bright future of the Academy, saddling upon it an almost unbearable burden of debt, which the recurrent storms of 1909, 1915, and 1932 only served to aggravate. Each catastrophe has found the Ursulines ready to help without distinction of race or creed, all those who instinctively sought asylum in the safety and peace of the massive Convent and Academy. Temporarily discouraged, the Ursulines decided to open a school on the mainland in 1901 and selected Bryan for this purpose. The new Academy, known as Villa Maria, designed for the education of young girls, did not prove successful and was closed in 1929. In 1900, the Community of Galveston became a charter member of the Ursuline Roman Union. The enrollment of the Academy has grown steadily and its standards have been consistently maintained. In the words of the late Bishop C. E. Byrne: "Who can measure the influence ... of the teaching of a group of holy women, called by God to the vocation of teaching: who leave friends and home and name in order to devote their entire lives to instructing others unto righteousness? Surely they will shine as stars in heaven. In time of war of guns, and war of winds and water, they have been more than teachers, they have been rescuers and comforters and nurses. 11 Cited in Ursuline of Galveston, Diamond Jubiue, 1847-19n, pp. 4-8. 12 Urs11Une Academy in Galveston, Cent4"11ial, 1847-1947 (8-9] .
Powered by FlippingBook