The Sisters of the Holy Cross in Bertrand
At the prompting of Fr. Sorin, Sisters of the Holy Cross were brought to the St. Joseph River valley in 1844. Because of hesitancy from the Bishop of Vincennes to have both a men's and women's novitiate in the same location, it was decided to locate the Sisters mere miles away in the town of Bertrand in the Diocese of Detroit. Joseph Bertrand rented a small home for the sisters to use as their convent and school. They ran out of room before they even began but after two years they were given a parcel of land to the north of the Mission and with monies granted by the Propagation of the Faith (a Catholic charity which helps fund missions to this day) a new two story home and school was built which was named "Our Lady of the Seven Dolors". The school became known as St. Mary's Academy.
"This institution is beautifully situated in a healthy and pleasant location on the bank of the St. Joseph River, four miles from Niles and six from South Bend. A daily line of stages running from the former town to the latter, and passing though Bertrand, forms the connection between the Michigan Central and Southern Railroads, and renders access to the academy easy from all parts of the country."
(Sr. Eleanore, C.S.C., On the King's Highway. p.156)
The Sisters offered an education in the midst of the wilderness. Opportunities that never existed in the St. Joseph River valley were made possible at St. Mary's Academy. The tuition chart for each five month semester is particularly interesting:
Entrance Fee...$5.00
Board and Tuition per session (semester)... $35.00
Washing and Bedding... $7.50
Use of the Piano... $10.00
Music and Piano per session... $10.00
Guitar... $10.00
Latin...$10.00
French... $6.00
German... $6.00
Drawing and Painting: water colors... $6.00
Drawing and Painting: oil... $10.00
Flowers.... $3.00
Fruit... $3.00
Apparatus... $2.50
(Eleanore, OKH. pg. 158)
I'm not sure what is meant by the "Apparatus" but it might refer to various chemical instruments and globes available at the school. I do like that French and German were considered discount languages when compared to Latin.
In addition to their work of educating the young, the sisters would often visit the sick of the area to bring words of comfort and prayers of healing. The sisters likewise were given the rather menial task of doing the laundry of Notre Dame.
"The nearness of plenty of water was their sole advantage in their primitive laundry. Not owning a wash-boiler, they had to borrow one from a neighbor when it was needed. Over an out-of-doors fire they boiled the clothes and then returned the boiler to its owner with thanks. The clothes were rinsed in the St. Joseph River, a process perhaps no harder on the Sisters' backs than carrying pails of water up the steep steps would have been. Sometimes the novices and postulants walked the six miles to Notre Dame and did the laundry work there; for of course a horse and wagon were not always procurable to bring the clothes to Bertrand."
(Eleanore, OKH. pgs. 133-134)
By the year 1850 the academy boasted 50 students. Yet there were many difficulties that the Sisters had to face. Besides the hardships of daily life on the frontier and the ravages of sickness, there were instances of the anti-Catholic bigotry that was especially prevalent in 19th century America.
"In the night of November 7, 1847 their church was robbed, the tabernacle broken open, the Sacred Species and Vessels stolen. Shortly later, one of the college buildings was destroyed by fire. Often sneering, 'anti-popish' throngs gathered outside the grounds. Silently the Sisters kept on the alert; they were well aware of the evil work being done through the hatreds instigated by the secret societies and the calumnies spread by nomadic preachers."
(Ringwelski, Early History of Bertrand. pg. 44)
In the 1850s it also became clear that the town of Bertrand was not going to be the town people had hoped it would become. Fr. Sorin, writing as early as 1844 wrote concerning his doubts about the viability of a boarding school in the town, saying, "...Bertrand which was, and will be for a long time to come, nothing more than a dead town." (Sorin, Chronicles. pg. 49)
In addition to the decline of the town of Bertrand were added difficulties in connection to the Bishop of Detroit who apparently did not care for the Sisters' service to Notre Dame which was in a different diocese, even though it was only a few miles away. The decision was made to move the sisters from Bertrand to their current location near South Bend.
Sr. Eleanor shares a touching moment as the dear Sisters of the Holy Cross completed their move from Bertrand to South Bend after 11 years of difficult but faithful service in the former location,
"At length came the moment when, all the buildings and even the cows and pigs having been moved to the new location, the Sisters stood in the desolation and wept at least for the dear ground that had known their footprints and now must be left behind. As human hearts must ever do, they forgot all the sufferings at Bertrand and remembered only its joys. The future lay great and beautiful before them; but the past was very near and dear and sweet as it faded irrevocably into memory. And, somehow or other, even to-day when one drives past the old home-ground in a high-powered automobile, one seems to hear the creaking of old wagon wheels and the shuffle of an old horse's feet making a sort of rhythmic undertone to the sighing of little lonely ghosts of forgotten joys and loves and griefs that wander forever homeless and forever longing for the Sisters whom for the last time they watched drive sadly away with old Joseph."
(Eleanore, OKH. pgs. 201-202)
"This institution is beautifully situated in a healthy and pleasant location on the bank of the St. Joseph River, four miles from Niles and six from South Bend. A daily line of stages running from the former town to the latter, and passing though Bertrand, forms the connection between the Michigan Central and Southern Railroads, and renders access to the academy easy from all parts of the country."
(Sr. Eleanore, C.S.C., On the King's Highway. p.156)
The Sisters offered an education in the midst of the wilderness. Opportunities that never existed in the St. Joseph River valley were made possible at St. Mary's Academy. The tuition chart for each five month semester is particularly interesting:
Entrance Fee...$5.00
Board and Tuition per session (semester)... $35.00
Washing and Bedding... $7.50
Use of the Piano... $10.00
Music and Piano per session... $10.00
Guitar... $10.00
Latin...$10.00
French... $6.00
German... $6.00
Drawing and Painting: water colors... $6.00
Drawing and Painting: oil... $10.00
Flowers.... $3.00
Fruit... $3.00
Apparatus... $2.50
(Eleanore, OKH. pg. 158)
I'm not sure what is meant by the "Apparatus" but it might refer to various chemical instruments and globes available at the school. I do like that French and German were considered discount languages when compared to Latin.
In addition to their work of educating the young, the sisters would often visit the sick of the area to bring words of comfort and prayers of healing. The sisters likewise were given the rather menial task of doing the laundry of Notre Dame.
"The nearness of plenty of water was their sole advantage in their primitive laundry. Not owning a wash-boiler, they had to borrow one from a neighbor when it was needed. Over an out-of-doors fire they boiled the clothes and then returned the boiler to its owner with thanks. The clothes were rinsed in the St. Joseph River, a process perhaps no harder on the Sisters' backs than carrying pails of water up the steep steps would have been. Sometimes the novices and postulants walked the six miles to Notre Dame and did the laundry work there; for of course a horse and wagon were not always procurable to bring the clothes to Bertrand."
(Eleanore, OKH. pgs. 133-134)
By the year 1850 the academy boasted 50 students. Yet there were many difficulties that the Sisters had to face. Besides the hardships of daily life on the frontier and the ravages of sickness, there were instances of the anti-Catholic bigotry that was especially prevalent in 19th century America.
"In the night of November 7, 1847 their church was robbed, the tabernacle broken open, the Sacred Species and Vessels stolen. Shortly later, one of the college buildings was destroyed by fire. Often sneering, 'anti-popish' throngs gathered outside the grounds. Silently the Sisters kept on the alert; they were well aware of the evil work being done through the hatreds instigated by the secret societies and the calumnies spread by nomadic preachers."
(Ringwelski, Early History of Bertrand. pg. 44)
In the 1850s it also became clear that the town of Bertrand was not going to be the town people had hoped it would become. Fr. Sorin, writing as early as 1844 wrote concerning his doubts about the viability of a boarding school in the town, saying, "...Bertrand which was, and will be for a long time to come, nothing more than a dead town." (Sorin, Chronicles. pg. 49)
In addition to the decline of the town of Bertrand were added difficulties in connection to the Bishop of Detroit who apparently did not care for the Sisters' service to Notre Dame which was in a different diocese, even though it was only a few miles away. The decision was made to move the sisters from Bertrand to their current location near South Bend.
Sr. Eleanor shares a touching moment as the dear Sisters of the Holy Cross completed their move from Bertrand to South Bend after 11 years of difficult but faithful service in the former location,
"At length came the moment when, all the buildings and even the cows and pigs having been moved to the new location, the Sisters stood in the desolation and wept at least for the dear ground that had known their footprints and now must be left behind. As human hearts must ever do, they forgot all the sufferings at Bertrand and remembered only its joys. The future lay great and beautiful before them; but the past was very near and dear and sweet as it faded irrevocably into memory. And, somehow or other, even to-day when one drives past the old home-ground in a high-powered automobile, one seems to hear the creaking of old wagon wheels and the shuffle of an old horse's feet making a sort of rhythmic undertone to the sighing of little lonely ghosts of forgotten joys and loves and griefs that wander forever homeless and forever longing for the Sisters whom for the last time they watched drive sadly away with old Joseph."
(Eleanore, OKH. pgs. 201-202)