St. Mary's School

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, in my own words. St. Mary's Catholic Church was officially organized in West, Texas, in 1892.

And from that beginning, parents in the community had a clear desire: they wanted a Catholic education for their children. So Father F. G.

Sebik sat down and wrote a letter. He wrote to Reverend Mother Florence, Superior General of the Sisters of Divine Providence, headquartered down in Castroville. Now, that letter must have been persuasive, because she didn't wait long.

She soon sent Sister M. Pelagia and three other nuns to teach West's one hundred and thirty-two Catholic children. One hundred and thirty-two.

Somebody counted carefully. The first school structure had three classrooms and living quarters for the sisters right there on site. Simple, practical, and just enough to get started.

But it didn't stay simple for long. As enrollment grew, the Sisters began accepting boarding students. Demand kept climbing.

By 1909 they were actually turning boarders away. Think about that. The school that started with three classrooms couldn't hold everyone who wanted in.

So in 1917 a new brick schoolhouse went up, six classrooms and an auditorium. Room to breathe. Room to grow.

And grow it did. By 1928 seven nuns were teaching at St. Mary's, and the facilities kept changing as more students arrived and more Sisters came to serve.

The school didn't exist in isolation either. Extracurricular programs with the West public schools made sure St. Mary's students got to participate in a wide variety of activities alongside the broader community.

In 1967 the Texas Catholic Conference gave St. Mary's its full accreditation. A milestone earned through decades of work.

But the second half of the twentieth century brought economic and social changes that no brick schoolhouse could simply wall out. The number of Sisters able to teach for a stipend instead of a salary decreased. The cost of a Catholic education increased.

Enrollment gradually declined over the decades that followed. And in 1984, the last Sister of Divine Providence left the school. She left behind something the marker calls a legacy of the Catholic educational tradition in West.

That's no small thing to leave behind. What kept St. Mary's going after that?

Parent-teacher initiatives. Development. The kind of stubborn community investment that doesn't make headlines but keeps the lights on.

The school continued to serve West, carrying forward what Sister M. Pelagia and three other nuns first brought to town at Reverend Mother Florence's direction. A letter written, a call answered, a school that outlasted them all.

What the marker says

St. Mary's Catholic Church was officially organized in West in 1892. Because parents wanted a Catholic education for their children, Father F. G. Sebik wrote to Reverend Mother Florence, Superior General of the Sisters of Divine Providence, headquartered in Castroville. She soon sent Sister M. Pelagia and three other nuns to teach West's 132 Catholic children. The first school structure included three classrooms and living quarters for the sisters. As enrollment grew the Sisters began to accept boarding students. Interest was so high that by 1909 they were forced to turn boarders away. A new brick schoolhouse with six classrooms and an auditorium erected in 1917 accommodated more students. By 1928 seven nuns were teaching at the school. Facilities continued to change as enrollment increased and more sisters arrived. Extracurricular programs with the West public schools ensured that St. Mary's students participated in a variety of activities. The school was fully accredited by the Texas Catholic Conference in 1967. With the economic and social changes of the second half of the 20th century, the number of Sisters able to teach for a stipend instead of a salary decreased and the cost of a Catholic education increased. Enrollment gradually declined over the next decades. The last Sister of Divine Providence left the school in 1984, leaving a legacy of the Catholic educational tradition in West. Parent-teacher initiatives and development ensured the survival of St. Mary's, which continues to serve the community. (1999)