“From the Archives” World War II and Saint Mary School

The 1941-42 school year started out as normal for Saint Mary School, although the specter of war must have been on people’s minds, especially in Alexandria, so close to the Pentagon and the Nation’s Capital. Yet the first archival entry of the Holy Cross Sisters, who taught at the school — besides the enrollment, opening Mass and new teachers — was about a movie shown to the whole school—featuring sound for the first time!

Father Taylor, of the Propagation of Faith, visited to urge the children to buy Holy Childhood stamps to support the missions. In November, Book Week was observed and Grade 7 presented a radio show, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” In December, a lady from the Junior American Red Cross recruited students for a sewing circle after school. Things seemed pretty routine.

Then, on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was bombed and the United States of America was at war. The school felt the impact almost immediately. On December 15, the school celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Bill of Rights. Father Thomas Rankin, pastor, spoke to the students and the seventh grade presented a patriotic program. The Children’s Crusade of Prayer was organized and the children gathered every day to say the rosary, followed by a hymn. In February, 105 children were enrolled in the Sodality of Children of Mary. In February, a Philco radio was donated to the school to help them keep up with the war news around the world. In March, the school began a drive for national defense through the sale of Defense Stamps every Wednesday.

Even then, the school’s usual activities continued. Father Taylor returned with a movie on the Jesuit missions. Field trips were made into Washington to the Pan American Union, Smithsonian and National Symphony Orchestra at Constitution Hall, contributing to a sense of normalcy for the children. TB tests, an annual event in those days, took place. Sister Elaine, the Holy Cross Community Supervisor, made her usual annual visit to the school.

But the war regularly made an appearance. In June, the Crusade of Prayer met for the last time before summer vacation to pray for the troops. Father Rankin congratulated the children for contributing $1,400 worth of stamps during the school’s 12-week drive. In accord with the government campaign to conserve fuel and tires, the usual end-of-school picnic to Glen Echo amusement park in Maryland did not occur. Instead, the children watched a movie, “Hansel and Gretel,” in the Lyceum. Prizes were awarded and the children returned to their classrooms for ice cream, donated by a parishioner, Judge William Woolls. The Sisters also contributed to the war effort by planting a victory garden in the convent yard.

So, school life continued in the midst of global turmoil.

– Kitty Guy, Parish Historian

Throughout 2020, the Basilica of Saint Mary will present “From the Archives.” It is a weekly feature online and in our bulletin spotlighting the history of the parish. All of our “From the Archives” features are located here.