The Sisters of St. Mary of Namur
International Web Site
Western Province USA
Eastern Province USA
http://www.sistersofstmary.com/ Britain
Belgian Province

Beginnings
The Sisters of St. Mary of Namur began in the walled medieval Belgian city of Namur, complete with a commanding citadel at the confluence of the Sambres and the Meuse Rivers and a beautiful cathedral dominating the city square. Namur has been occupied since Roman times and has always been a city of military importance with waves of invasions including Phillip II of Spain, Louis XIV of France, and advancing German armies during World War II. St. Alban's Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint Aubin) was built between 1751 and 1767 on the site of a former Romanesque church, of which only the tower has survived. Near the cathedral stands St. Loup Church, built during the 17th century, where the eventual founder of the Sisters, Father Nicholas Joseph Minsart, was appointed pastor in 1813.

The congregation of St. Mary of Namur was founded after the French Revolution. In the years following the French Revolution, Father Minsart, a religious of the Order of St. Bernard, was deeply troubled by the plight of young girls in his parish. With no resources or education, deep poverty forced them into the most menial of tasks and even prostitution. In 1819, he asked two young women to open a sewing workshop so that skills and basic education could be offered. With these humble beginnings, Josephine Sana and Elizabeth Berger began the educational efforts of what eventually became the mission of the Sisters of St. Mary.

Even today the sisters observe November 11 as the beginning of the Order, and partake of a simple supper of baked potatoes and apples, remembering their beginnings in a little house in Namur.

Other young women soon came to join them, and, by 1834, the women were recognized as a religious congregation, approved by Bishop Barrett of Namur. On September 21, 1834, sixteen sisters received the habit. Among this group was Sister Claire of Jesus, who would be elected superior shortly before Father Minsart’s death in 1837. For the next thirty-six years, she led the community, devoting herself to forming the religious spirit of the sisters.

The sisters were excellent teachers, believing in providing spiritual development and educational opportunities to children, especially the poor. They established schools and academies in Belgium, and, in 1863, Mother Claire sent the first missionaries of the congregation to the United States of America. The Sisters came to Texas in 1873, continuing the venture into unknown places.

Mother Claire led the Sisters of St. Mary of
Namur Community for thirty-six years from
1837 - 1873.

Today the sisters are still educators and passionate supporters of non-violence, promoting the pursuit of peace and continuing their work in education, health care, prison ministries, immigration, and adult formation. The sisters maintain missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Cameroon, Tanzania, Brazil and the Dominican Republic.

The History of Bishop Dunne High School
In 1961, Bishop Dunne High School began under the name Our Lady of Good Counsel High School. The Sisters of St. Mary of Namur had established two girls’ high schools in Dallas; Our Lady of Good Counsel Academy in Oak Cliff in 1901 and St. Edward’s Academy in East Dallas in 1912. At the request of the Diocese of Dallas, the Sisters agreed to close the two high schools and invite students from them to be part of a new entity, a diocesan sponsored high school. The Sisters agreed to continue staffing the girls’ section of the institution, while the Brothers of the Sacred Heart were invited to staff the boys’ section of the school.

The school opened with the accreditation and as a continuation of Our Lady of Good Counsel, although boys were now welcome. The Sisters of St. Mary provided the principal and staff for the girls’ side and the Brothers of the Sacred Heart provided the principal and staff for the boys’ side.

In 1965, the name of the school was officially changed to Bishop Dunne in honor of one of the first bishops of Dallas. In 1969, the school officially became coeducational. At that time a Brother of the Sacred Heart was named principal, and a Sister of St. Mary of Namur was named assistant principal. The Sisters remained in administrative or teaching capacity at Bishop Dunne until 1992, residing in a convent on the grounds of the school. Today, one of the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur continues to guide us through her leadership on the Bishop Dunne School Advisory Council and as a retreat leader for student participants in Bishop Dunne’s Global Catholic Partnerships.

Roll of Honor – Sisters of St. Mary of Namur Who Have Taught at Bishop Dunne

Bishop Edward Dunne
Edward Joseph Dunne was the second Catholic Bishop of Dallas, and was born at Gertnahoe, Tipperary, Ireland, on April 23, 1848. He grew up in Chicago, where his parents had moved when he was very young. He was educated at St. Mary of the Lake School in Chicago, St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee, and St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1871, returning to Chicago as an assistant parish priest. In 1873, he worked at St. Mary's Parish in Chicago, and in 1875, he was appointed pastor of the new parish of All Saints and the fiscal overseer of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Dunne was installed as Bishop of Dallas on January 17, 1894. During his sixteen years as Bishop, Dunne built several schools, churches and St. Paul’s Hospital. He raised funds for, and helped design, the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, later renamed the Catedral Santuario de Guadalupe. He was known for his frugal lifestyle, vision for Dallas, and his commitment to education. On August 5, 1910, Dunne died of a heart attack and was buried in Chicago.

Brothers of the Sacred Heart History
From Plus Fifty: Another Half-Century of Service, 1947-1197 by Brother Xavier Werneth, SC
And www.brothersofthesacredheart.org

The Order of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart was formed in France in 1821. Founder Father André Coindre, impressed with the teachers of St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Augustine of Hippo, was a strong advocate for teaching the compassion of Jesus Christ. Their brotherhood, based around The Rule of St. Augustine, said that all members of the community were equal and should share equal responsibility in the efficient running of their group. The Brothers of the Sacred Heart took as their mission the Catholic education of young boys in all walks of life. By 1847, a small group comprised of five Brothers of the Sacred Heart was sent to Mobile, Alabama. Here they began missionary work as educators and social workers. Very soon, the Brotherhood’s presence was seen throughout the southern part of the United States, as well as in New York, New England, and Canada. While the Brothers are no longer active participants at Bishop Dunne, their community continues to run schools throughout the world. From Louisiana to Rhode Island, and from Columbia to the Philippines, their presence is still very strong in the Catholic education of young people everywhere.

In the late 50’s, Bishop Thomas Gorman of the Diocese of Dallas-Fort Worth and the superintendent of Catholic schools, Reverend Edward Maher, urged the creation of a co-institutional high school in Dallas. In June of 1958, the provincial council of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart began to consider accepting a high school management. August of the same year brought a contract that committed the brothers to supply staff and teach and manage the boys’ division of a new school scheduled to open in the early 60’s in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas. Brother Martin Hernandez, provincial, laid out the terms of the contract that were accepted by the bishop and by Mother Devota, provincial superior of the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur.

The diocese furnished a site with 38 acres for the boys’ division, agreeing to build the high school with separate wings containing 12 classrooms for boys and 12 for girls and with common wings for science labs, a library, gym, auditorium, cafeteria, and chapel. They also agreed to create a brothers’ residence with bedrooms, a community room, library and a recreation room. The residence also included a brothers’ chapel and reception parlor.

The contract between the Diocese of Dallas and the Brothers of Sacred Heart was signed on August 27, 1958, with the brothers and sisters assuming financial and personnel responsibility for the school.

Brother Martin was named Principal of the boys’ division in May of 1961. The school was called Our Lady of Good Counsel and opened its doors in September of that year to a total of 586 students. There were 34 teachers that included 5 brothers, 14 sisters, 1 Cistercian priest, and 14 laymen and women. The boys had 122 freshmen and added a new class each year. The girls began with all four classes since the new school was a continuation of Our Lady of Good Counsel girls’ school started in 1903 by the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur.

In 1963, Bishop Gorman changed the name to Bishop Dunne High School. Bishop Dunne was from Ireland and had been the second bishop of Dallas in 1893, leading the Catholic community for 17 years.  The Lions became the Falcons.

Through the mid to late 60’s, as the school began to grow in enrollment, the brothers became overworked with the amount of duties they were having to take on in order to maintain some revenue for the province.

In 1969, Brother Adrian Guadin was Principal of the entire school, which had become coeducational and had 732 students. The five brothers that were at Bishop Dunne at the time were: Brothers Adrian Gaudin, Anthony DuRapau, Patrick McGinity, William McCue, and William Chester. They were all dedicated to their school and community. Showing their true colors and spirit of giving, three brothers built the old track. “A very interesting task” in “very hot” weather was how one brother described their hard work for the students of Bishop Dunne.

The provincial council decided in 1975 that the brothers could no longer provide staff for the school.  The president of the Bishop Dunne school board wrote to the provincial, Brother Mark, to appeal the decision. He wrote,

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