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Volume 074-3 - July 2020 (8 pages)
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Page: of 8
NCHS Bulletin July 2020
Music Students of the Day School, 1892 (Sisters of Mercy)
Legacy
When the history of women in the American West is
written nuns and sisters are rarely featured, for the
mythic woman of the west is defined by her place in
the traditional family. Women religious experienced
the same adventures and hardships as other women
pioneers, but their choice to remain unmarried, forego
motherhood, and live communally in poverty with
other women set them apart, and often rendered them
invisible. We are pleased that the Nevada County Historical Society has covered some aspects of the Sisters
of Mercy’s story in our older Bulletins. Many of those
articles are included in the Notes.
The contributions made by the Sisters to Grass Valley
and the region cannot be overstated. Never numbering
more than twenty five women at any given time, the
Sisters served the community for nearly 140 years,
and directly made better the lives of many thousands
of people. Working in a largely Protestant community,
the Sisters navigated the complexities of a changing
frontier society adapting to those changes, but never
losing sight of their mission to serve the vulnerable,
poor, sick, and uneducated.
In the last half of the 20" century, forces out of the
Sisters control would change their role in Grass Valley. In 1932 the Diocese of Sacramento opened St.
Patrick’s Home on Franklin Boulevard in Sacramento.
On August 22 the orphan children were relocated to
the new orphanage. As described by Father John Dwyer: “Grass Valley witnessed busloads of children and
weeping nuns headed for Sacramento and new era of
care of the orphans in the Sacramento Diocese.”
Following the relocation of the orphans the Sisters
focused their efforts on the education programs, which
continued to be successful. But beginning in the late
1960s, the number of women entering religious orders
in the United States began to drop dramatically. By
2014 the number had dropped by 75%, making it
impractical to staff their education program with Sisters.** The Sisters celebrated their Centennial in 1963
with a festive gathering at Mount Saint Mary’s, but on
March 18, 2001, after nearly 140 years of service, the
last two departed Grass Valley for good.”
But the legacy of the Sisters of Mercy lives on in our
community. Mount St. Mary’s Academy, now part of
the St. Patrick’s parish, continues to provide pre-kindergarten through 8" grade schooling to boys and girls.
It is the oldest continuously operating Catholic school
west of the Mississippi. In 2012 the Sisters of Mercy’s
health care program, Catholic Health Care West changed
its governance structure by moving out of the Catholic
Church. The newly structured organization was named
Dignity Health, which operates our own Nevada County
Memorial Hospital. And the Sisters former convent, with
its high brick wall and distinctive green gate, is still one
of Grass Valley’s most important historic buildings, now
in the care of the Mount St. Mary’s Historic Preservation Committee. The museum on the second floor houses
some of the Sisters’ artifacts, photos, and memorabilia, as
well a restored classroom.