Our Presence in Quincy

St. Benedict the Moor, Quincy, Ill. Religion Class 1938

St Francis, Quincy, Ill. 1963

Notre Dame High School, Quincy, Ill. Faculty 1967

On Jan. 31, 2015, the Quincy Catholic Elementary Schools Foundation presented the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) with the 2015 Friend of Catholic Education Award. Here’s a look at the SSND history in Quincy, Ill.

During the past 155 years, more than 100 young women from Quincy have entered the School Sisters of Notre Dame. During these years, more than 1,040 SSNDs have served as principals and teachers within the various schools and in a variety of parish ministries and outreach within Quincy.

On Nov. 1, 1859, Mother Caroline Friess arrived in Quincy via steamboat at the urgent request of Bishop Juncker of Alton. The news of her arrival spread quickly among the German population.

Within a few weeks, St. Boniface school/convent was ready for the sisters. On Dec. 27, 1859, two sisters and a candidate arrived to teach 400 students. SSNDs would teach at St. Boniface for the next 119 years.

The Select School for Girls (1861-1867) became the nucleus for St. Mary Institute/Academy (1867-1924), Notre Dame of Quincy (1924-1940), Notre Dame High School (1940-1976) and Quincy Notre Dame High School (1976-2014).

SSNDs were sent to minister at St. Peter, originally St. Lawrence O’Toole (1861-1921; 2005-present); St. Aloysius Orphanage (1865-1945); St. Francis Solanus (1866-1996); St. Joseph for Negro Children (1878-1889); St. Anthony (1884-1996); St. Rose (1893-1919); St. John the Baptist (1990-1999); All Saints (1999-2005) and a variety of other locations within the city.

Thousands of children came under the influence of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in the city on the bluffs. Without the generosity and support of the people of Quincy, the SSNDs would not have been able to purchase property, expand buildings and experience growth in the pioneering days of their ministry in the city.

Currently, Sister Jeanette Feldott teaches at Quincy Notre Dame, Sister Jacqueline Sellmeyer is a pastoral care assistant at St. Vincent Nursing Home, Sister Joann Volk is a substitute teacher and Sister Jane Wand is a massage therapist.

How would you honor someone for dedicated service?

Photo credit: SSND Central Pacific Archives