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| From Convent/School to Plan B, C, or . . . |
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As with most things in life, the transformations and evolutions we are about to encounter are revelatory. Hopefully, the story behind the story will emerge, delight and heal. Come with me on a journey that is more than herstory or geography. It is a journey of discovery. It is in the larger picture that the revelation occurs. From Convent/School to School
Our Lady of Peace High School in St. Paul is the William Mitchell College of Law. The convent still bears the BVM symbol and original name. The chapel serves as the “Opinion Center.” Immaculate Conception Academy in Davenport now part of the Palmer School of Chiropractic. The old St. Vincent High School in Petaluma, Calif., is now a learning center for the elementary school. Most Holy Redeemer School in San Francisco is now a Quaker elementary school. St. Joseph 's Academy in Des Moines was sold to the Des Moines Osteopathic University. Eventually, the building needed to be replaced. Xavier High School in St. Louis was purchased by St. Louis University for its speech and drama department.
Regina convent in Iowa City has been incorporated into the new elementary school.
St. Anthony convent in Missoula, Mont., has become the administrative offices for a merged high school. From Convent/School to Homes
St. Paul's in San Francisco has seen the primary school, high school and the high school convent sold to developers and converted into condos. The income from the sales helped to retrofit the church against earthquakes and helped fund the building of a new elementary school. Sacred Heart convent in Fort Dodge, Iowa is now a family home, as is St. Thomas the Apostle convent in West Hempstead, N.Y. St. Agatha Seminary for the Education of Young Ladies in Iowa City was converted into condos. The second and third floors of St. Gregory the Great convent, Bellerose, N.Y., is now three apartments for groups of sisters. From Convent/School to Pastoral Needs
St. John parish, Butte, and St. Charles convent, North Hollywood, are also now parish offices and meeting rooms. The convent of Incarnation in Glendale, Calif., houses the parish offices. St. Robert's in Burbank has parish offices on the ground floor and a residence for priests on the top floor. Fort Dodge, Iowa has an interesting story because a new parish has been formed out of eight former parishes. Holy Rosary is now used for the offices of the “Catholic Team” that serves the new parish. St. Mary's convent, Iowa City, has become Bishop O'Keefe Hall—a residence for the priests who serve the Newman Center at the University. Our Lady of Loretto Convent in Hempstead, N.Y., houses the offices of Catholic Charities.
From Convent/School to Special Use St. George convent in Seattle, located in a low-income area of the city, is a resource center for the poor.
St. Agnes, Phoenix, is now the Cornerstone Center, serving the diocese of Phoenix as a house of Centering Prayer. Corpus Christi, Fort Dodge, is now used by the “STARS” program. The ministry is one of S ubstance Treatment for Adolescent Recovery and Success.
Another of our former convents is now a safe house for battered women and their children. For obvious reasons, the convent will not be identified. Des Moines is making good use of St. John's convent to assist 16-26 year-old homeless pregnant women or mothers and their children with services up to two years. Visitation convent, Des Moines, was a Catholic Charities food pantry and clothes closet for the poor and now is part of the school. Both St. Patrick's and St. Raphael's schools in Dubuque have been sold to Fair Oaks, an agency which provides a variety of programs to meet the needs of troubled youths. St. Philip convent in San Francisco is now home to a group of young people (8) from nine to 17 years of age. It is part of a national program called Boys Hope Girls Hope. Their mission is to help academically capable and motivated children-in-need by providing value-centered, family-like homes, opportunities and education through college. St. Francis Xavier convent in Council Bluffs is presently a shelter for women. St. Clare convent in Portland, Ore., is now used by the YWCA to provide needed services to women and children. What once was the home of the religious faculty of Wahlert High School in Dubuque, Regina convent, has morphed into a complex of offices, classrooms, coffee shop, dinner theatre and restaurant (the former chapel). It is called “ Fountain Park.”
“Your ways are not my ways, says the Lord” and well we see this beautiful truth once again. The pain we felt at leaving was the pain of birthing many wonderful things that make the Kin*dom come more fully. There is a network of new compassionate ministries, many of them serving those who are the poorest. The network exists because we have moved on to new homes and new ministries. Let us rejoice and give thanks! About the author: Maureen O'Brien, BVM (Matteo) is pastoral associate at the Church of the Visitacíon, San Francisco, and its mission church, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Brisbane, Calif. Return to Table of Contents. |
St. Joseph 's convent in Butte has been remodeled and is now part of the Central Catholic Elementary School. Called Noah's Ark, it is a pre-school and computer lab. 
Christ the King convent in Seattle has become part of the school and houses a library. 
St. Paul the Apostle convent in Davenport has become a pre-school, kindergarten, art studio, center for youth and an after school care program. 
In case you are looking for a home away from home, the Mandolin Inn of Dubuque was once the St. Patrick's convent. Now you may enjoy it as a B&B without the bats. 
Mount St. Gertrude in Boulder was sold to the University of Colorado and used as offices until a fire devastated the building. A new entity called “The Academy” provides upscale condos for seniors. 
Holy Redeemer convent in Montrose, Calif., was converted to parish meeting rooms and rooms for children's catechesis and the liturgy of the Word. 
St. John convent in Seattle is the Quigley Center for adult education and RCIA. 
The first floor of Pius X convent in Mountlake Terrace, Wash., is school offices and science rooms. 
Most Holy Redeemer convent in San Francisco was converted in 1987 into “Coming Home Hospice,” the first such hospice in the country for AIDs patients. 
St. Agatha convent in Chicago is now the “SAFE” program...read St. Agatha's Family Empowerment. Two inclusions for clients are a library and computer room. 
St Paul grade school convent in San Francisco rejoices with song and laughter as the Missionary of Charity novices pray, learn and minister to the poor of the city. This is one of a number of novitiates and serves mostly the Americas. 
St. Anne's convent in Butte is a residence for people who are in crisis with mental health issues and need time and services for stabilization.