Probably a
fire drill--exiting from west entrance.
As you may
have read here before, the Sisters of Notre Dame have kept annals of their institutions
and activities for over a century. The
early ones are sketchy, but by the time we reach the 1940s, they become much
more detailed and helpful for our purposes.
Below are two entries that shed light on the final months at the 5th
Street location.
JANUARY 1,
1963. OUR LAST YEAR AT THE OLD NOTRE
DAME ACADEMY
“If it is
true that great events cast their shadows before, then the marshaling of events
and progress of our new academy foreshadow that the year 1963 will see our
removal into our long-dreamed-of New structure on the Provincial House acreage,
in Park Hills, Covington. Here at our
old Academy, memories hold us back, while the inexorable touch of wear-and-tear
urges us to look forward to new, modern school and cloister. We are now labeling many activities ”our
last”: Our last Christmas (just past), our last Forty Hours’ Devotion, our last
feastday observances, and so on.
Sometimes we live in the archives of memory; sometimes, in the dawn of a
bright future; but most regularly we are pulled into the very important present
tense with its joys, problem, and promises.
We thank our Dear Lord for this year 1963 open before us. What will its pages record? He knows.”
It isn’t
known anymore who wrote that entry—there were several good writers among the
Sisters on the faculty, but it is certainly poetic. It’s striking also that the year 1963 had a
few other and broader history-changing events—the election of Pope Paul VI and
the assassination of John Kennedy. They
are a reminder that what significantly affects any institution very often lies
far beyond its portals.
In the Music
House.
An April
entry gives us a peek at one of the many fund-raising events taking place
during this period:
APRIL
19. ALUMNAE CARD PARTY. SUMMARY OF ALUMNAE ACTIVITIES
“The Card
Party is one of the annual fund-raising activities of the Alumnae Association. It is held at St. Joseph Heights. Despite a heavy downpour, a great crowd
poured in—a rewarding sight for the hard-worked committee members. The activity netted $1453.99 toward the
Chapel Fund, which is the alumnae’s building project.
“Other social
activities which are intended to bring the alumnae members together are various
class reunions, a summer dance, and the formal Blue Grass Ball. The Board also reaches more than 2300 members
through the Alumnae Newsletter.”
Sounds like
women on a mission here. And indeed they
were; with a mailing list this large, the Alumnae Assoc. created many donors for
the new academy over the years just prior to 1963 as well as thereafter.
Final photo: Gavel production.
