“From the Archives” — Holy Cross Convent Humor

 Much of the information we have gathered about Saint Mary School comes from the Holy Cross Sisters’ Archives, stored at their motherhouse and retirement home in South Bend, Indiana.

On a visit there, just before the pandemic, we talked with a number of retired sisters who had taught at Saint Mary. Along with the serious things they shared, many of their recollections were quite humorous. Sister Louise Condon (Sister Louise Therese) recalled that dogs were quite popular pets in the convent. Sister Melanie, the school principal, had two canine companions. Her successor, Sister Stella, had a small gray poodle, Peter, who accompanied her to her school office daily and walked around the building with her as she visited classrooms and went about her duties. The children loved him. A few years later, Sister Ambrose, an eighth-grade teacher, had a brown “sorta Labrador” that accompanied her to school and sat in the back of her classroom.

This would not happen today, of course, unless the dog is a certified guide or therapy dog. But Saint Mary’s alumni fondly recall having dogs in school.