The arrival of the Sisters of the Assumption at Chicopee Falls on August
22, 1928, marked the 88th foundation of the Congregation and their 18th
foundation in the United States. Nine other houses were to be opened after 1928.St. George Parish History
The Sisters of the Assumption
as written in 1994
Founded in 1853 at St. Gregoire-le-Grand, Quebec, the
Congregation of the Sisters of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin had, by
1872, transferred to the Bishopric of Nicolet, Quebec. Sensitive to the
religious and educational needs of their Canadian compatriots in the United
States, the Sisters, in 1891, opened their first mission at Notre Dame Parish in
Southbridge, Massachusetts.
Between the years 1891 and 1928 the Sisters of the Assumption had 17
houses in the United States and were directing schools in the Dioceses of
Springfield, Hartford, Boston, Manchester, Burlington, Albany and Providence. In
1928, at the request of the Pastor, Father Gagnon, the Sisters of the Assumption
contracted with Bishop Thomas O'Leary to staff St. George School in Chicopee
Falls, their sixth school in the Springfield Diocese.
The arrival of the Sisters of the Assumption at Chicopee Falls on August
22, 1928, marked the 88th foundation of the Congregation and their 18th
foundation in the United States. Nine other houses were to be opened after 1928.
An appointment to the United States meant teaching large classes in a non-too familiar language with a more than favorable clergy and parent support. That is what the six appointed sisters found as they arrived to teach 274 students within six classes at St. George School on September 5, 1928.
From
the outset, the sisters became collaborators with the clergy, incorporated
themselves in the parish life, and, during the depression years, even shared the
parish financial burden. They truly responded to the needs of their times and
remained faithful to their mission of "Revealing the Father's Love Through
Education." Two hundred and seven sisters have served diligently in one
position or another throughout the years. Some were superiors, principals,
directresses; others were assigned to domestic services at the convent.
Daily
teaching was supplemented by a variety of parish responsibilities discharged by
the sisters. They were the sacristans, altar boy monitors and instructors of
Latin, organists, choir directors, piano teachers, play directors (rehearsing
the annual pastor's feast and graduation plays long hours after school) and
religion teachers to public school students. All these duties added to daily
prayers, class preparations and corrections made full but rewarding the days
that began at 4:55 A. M. and ended at 9:15 P. M.
From
1928 on, St. George School was known as a bilingual school. French and English
were taught on an equal basis. As long as the bilingual atmosphere dominated the
home, the bilingual approach to curriculum existed in the classroom. What
students required to nourish their spiritual life and keep alive their Canadian
heritage, they learned in French. What prepared them for the work force and
assured their growth as Americans, they studied in English.
In
the early 1940's the demands of the Diocesan Office for Education became more
stringent. The Program of Studies was enforced and all subjects of the
curriculum had to be taught in English. The Sisters complied with these requirements
while continuing to teach French as a secondary language.
Quality
education prevailed throughout the years 1928 - 1994. A strong Parent-Teacher
Group has been maintained and encouraged. The students have been stimulated to
achieve academic excellence. The Sisters have been known to instill in the
hearts of their students, respect for authority, discipline, and spiritual
training. They have prepared mature young people to pursue higher studies.
Some of their graduates have become distinguished scholars; others have
succeeded in professional careers. Several have answered the call to religious
life either in the sisterhood or in the priesthood.
St.
George School had peak years in their enrollments. In the second year of its
existence, 439; in 1930, 449; in 1939, 419; in 1958, 468 (highest) and in 1963,
430. Today (1994) the school enrollment is approximately 160. The student
body is multi-ethnic in population. In this last year of the administration of
St. George School by the Sisters of the Assumption, the roles of the teachers
are reversed. In 1928, two lay teachers joined the foundresses. In 1994, only
two full-time religious remain on a ten-member faculty; Sr. Lucille Roy,
Principal, and Sr. Celine Desrosiers, 3rd grade teacher.
Broadening
the range of their educational projects, the four sisters in residence at St.
George Convent are involved in positions of service to the Church at large. The
Superior (part-time Librarian at the school) heads the American Province
Associates Program; another has recently been appointed Director of the
Matrimonial Tribunal of the Springfield Diocese; another is a Mathematics
Educator at Springfield College and Westfield State College, while the fourth is
Staff Chaplain at Mercy Hospital. By their presence in the parish and their
willingness to share in the liturgical services they visibly witness to the
Church.
If
Vatican II opened the doors to the convent, that same Council energized the
sisters of St. George Parish to meet new life challenges with creativity,
resourcefulness, and a forceful dependence on God.
Their dwindling number, the rising cost of living, the retirement of so man% teachers may change certain community features but hardly affect their reliance upon the fidelity of the Spirit to keep alive the Charism of Faith and Dedication To Education that characterizes the one hundred and forty-one year history of the Sisters of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin.
(The School was merged with St. Joan of Arc in Aldenville in 1996)
This history reprinted from the St. George Parish Centennial Album .
acknowledgments
Stephen Jendrysik whose knowledge of Chicopee History was invaluable. Father Ronald Lussier, and Joyce Morissette who spent nearly a year finding information, compiling, and typing to put this history together. Also to all that sent articles, pictures and information that help put this amazing history in print.
Photo credits to Keneth Kostek for centennial photos