View from the Cupola/Annual Report v.28 i.1 - Mount de Sales ...

Fr. Michael J.P. Roach
Member, Board of Trustees
Pastor, St. Bartholomew
MDSA is obviously a campus rich in history and tradition. What do you
consider to be the most significant, tangible piece of history at Mount
de Sales Academy?
The entire building is so rich in history. Many alumnae talk about the
Music Hall graduation and walking through the windows. Everyone
mentions the Chapel of St. Francis de Sales, which is the oldest Catholic
house of worship in Baltimore County.
Then I think of individual pieces housed in our archives. There is a
primitive host maker, found in the coal bin, I’ve only seen in the Museum
of Old Bohemia. I think of the calligraphy work done by the Sisters on
the holy topics.
Certainly the stained glass in the chapel is most notable, especially the
Sacred Heart circlet window above the high altar.
Then there are very ordinary things, for example, the brick floor on the
lower level in what used to be the tack room. It is said that there were
put in place by the original 12 nuns from Georgetown.
How does the history of MDSA contribute to the experience of our
current students?
Since Mount de Sales was one of the first ten Catholic schools for
women in the nation, it has an incomparable tradition of providing
young women with the learning and skills needed for their particular day
and age.
There is a rootedness provided by a Mount de Sales education, which is
extremely valuable in a time of radical change in society.
What is the most important lesson that we can learn from MDSA’s
history over the past 160 and how can we implement that lesson over
the next 160 years?
Mount de Sales has survived innumerable challenges and, yes, even
crises over 160 years. Somehow this "Academy of every virtue" would
survive to provide a Godly education for young women.
I can’t tell you how many women have told me that the happiest days of
their lives were spent at Mount de Sales. It goes without saying that we
need to dedicate ourselves to the preservation of this heritage of faith
and learning.
If you were asked to describe the significance of Mount de Sales
Academy’s history to someone completely unfamiliar with the school,
what would you say?
For many years, Mount de Sales was something of an unknown treasure
here in Catonsville. The cloistered nuns were not given to publicizing
their work. Since the Dominican Renaissance, however, there has been
no lack of buzz about the Academy on the Hill.
Even in the 19 th century Mount de Sales Academy was described
by historian J. Thomas Scharf as the most outstanding girls school in
North America. Its alumnae have included wives, mothers, physicians,
social workers, and academics. Much of their work has been done
without fanfare, reflecting the emblematic Salasian Virtues of sweetness,
wisdom, and discretion.
history
Recently, three letters written by
Katherine and Elizabeth (Lizzie)
Hamilton were brought to my
attention as Campus Archivist.
Katherine and Lizzie were
among the 21 students enrolled
at Mount de Sales Academy in
1852-53, its first school year. All
three letters are written to their
father, John Hamilton, a wellto-do
landowner and attorney
near Port Tobacco in Charles
County, Maryland.
Dr. James Zalucki P'12 '15, was
given copies of these letters by
a friend and donated them to
the Mount de Sales Archives
to add to our knowledge of
the early years of the school.
We are grateful for the generosity of
Dr. Zalucki and other donors to the archives, for there is little
surviving information about most MDSA students in the
1800’s!
For example, we don’t know if either Katherine or Elizabeth
graduated from our school. We do know that Katherine was
accepted into Sodality in 1854 because the Sodality records date
back to 1853. Katherine was born in 1841 and Elizabeth in 1843,
so if they did graduate, it would have been at about the time
that the Civil War began in 1861. This event seriously affected
school enrollment since most students came from the southern
states and U.S. troops occupied Maryland.
The letters provide a boarder’s view of life at Mount de Sales,
when the students lived in dormitories on the third and fourth
floors of what is now the A-side of the main building. School ran
from early September until the following late June or early July,
when the girls could return home for a two-month vacation.
The last day of the school year was called Distribution Day
because students got a variety of awards for good attendance,
for good deportment, and for the quality of their academic
work. In her June letter, Lizzie reminded her father that, “…
our distribution will take place on the eighth of July, 4 o’ clock in the
afternoon, but you and darling Momma must come in time to get a
good seat, and also to see us…”
After the Distribution Day activities, the parents would take
their children home with them. In the same letter, Lizzie
wrote, “I hope my darling Pa does not expect a long letter this time,
as it is so very near the holidays…indeed, I am almost crazy to see
you for I have not been home in so long a time…”
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From the Archives George Wright, Campus Archivist
For the boarders, the Visitation Sisters hired
local doctors and dentists to care for the girls’
needs, and Katherine wrote on February 5,
1855, “…we were unexpectedly visited by the
dentist. I have suffered so much pain from the
toothache, that I summoned up all the courage
possible and had two of my back teeth extracted
without murmuring. Do you not admire the heroic
courage of your daughter?” There was a lot of
snow on the ground that February, for she
related that “…the next day, (after the dentist’s
visit) I was prevented from taking a sleigh-ride
for fear that I would take cold; the girls on their
return gave me a glorious description; no doubt
they enjoyed it much.”
Clearly, there have been many changes in
160 years, but there was one concern that
Kate Hamilton had in common with modern
MDSA students: her grades. She wrote,
“Dear Papa, I am very glad that you think that
there is a decided improvement in my writing,
but my report! I expect that you will shut your
eyes and ask for a glass of water when you read
it. I would very much like to see it; when you
write again, please send it to me and let me see
how I will like it.”
It has been hard to find out more information
about these two women. A search of the
Internet revealed that both had inherited
Prospect Hill, the
family estate in 1884 right after their father
had died. A Charles County genealogist
reported that the 1910 federal census showed
both Katherine and Elizabeth living at
Prospect Hill. Neither woman had married.
Katherine died in 1916 and was buried at the
St. Ignatius Chapel in Port Tobacco. A year
earlier, Elizabeth had died and was buried in
a family graveyard.
Nevertheless, these letters reveal much
about what concerned students nearly 160
years ago. Since they saw their parents
so seldom and letters took a long time to
deliver, students were always curious about
the things happening at home and longed for
the day when they could actually go to their
families. Staying in touch was easier if your
family lived in Maryland. In her October
15 letter, Lizzie was particularly excited for
her father's upcoming visit and asks, “I hope,
dear Papa, when you come up to see us on the last
of this month, that you will please take us out
to Baltimore.” A change of scenery was as
appealing to girls then as it is now. Whatever
Katherine’s grades might have been, her
cursive handwriting was excellent and so
was her spelling and grammar, especially
when we realize that the girls were only 12
to 14 years old when they wrote these letters!
I’m ending this article with an appeal to
our MDSA families to share historical
letters with the Archives. (They don’t
have to date back to the mid-1800’s!!)
We can make copies of them, return
the originals to you, and use the
information in them to fill in some
of the blanks in the history of Mount
de Sales Academy. Please feel free to
contact me at 410.744.8498.
Grace Woo '13
Vice President, Student Council
MDSA is obviously a campus rich in
history and tradition. What do you
consider to be the most significant,
tangible piece of history at Mount
de Sales Academy?
The most significant piece of
history at MDSA is the Chapel. It’s
beautifully described as the heart
and soul of the school and it always
has been.
Students walk through it every day
and it is a constant reminder of the
presence of God in our lives and
His continual presence at Mount de
Sales.
How does the history of MDSA
contribute to the experience of our
current students?
It adds to our perspective by
showing us what things are really
important. It shows the value of
legacy and tradition in a constantly
changing world.
What is the most important lesson
that we can learn from MDSA’s
history over the past 160 and how
can we implement that lesson over
the next 160 years?
The power of prayer, because
God has helped Mount de Sales
Academy so many times over the
years. With our hard work, He will
help us now if we recall to ask Him.
If you were asked to describe the
significance of Mount de Sales
Academy’s history to someone
completely unfamiliar with the
school, what would you say?
The experience of Mount de Sales
shapes alumnae into well-spoken,
well-rounded women. There is an
emphasis on service, compassion,
and responsibility, while improving
the community in which we live.
35 history