A look back at a 50-year history of St. Augustine School

 

By Dr. Roberto Juarez, Ph.D.

When the City of Laredo celebrates its 250th anniversary on May 15, 2005, restoration will be underway for the historically significant school structure that sits at the very center of the city established so long ago. St. Augustine School sits on the block where Don Tomás Sánchez began this city.

The first permanent church structure begun in 1768 and in use until 1873 was located at the very entrance of the St. Augustine School building on Grant and San Agustín. It is speculated that one of the skeletons found within the remnants of that church was that of Tomás Sánchez.

St. Augustine was not the first Catholic school in Laredo . As early as 1783 the Laredo ayuntamiento or city council issued a decree commanding all the citizens who had children “old enough to go to school and read” to enter school, and “those who may not be old enough to enter school to read, should be sent to learn the Christian doctrine, without distinction of persons, as well as farmers and ranchmen.” How well the decree was carried out we do not know. In the meantime Laredo was caught up in the revolutionary changes which catapulted Laredo from the jurisdiction of Spain to that of Mexico (1821), the attempt of the Republic of Texas to incorporate it (1836-1845) while it joined the federalist Republic of the Río Grande movement (1840), and finally to the United States (1848). Incredibly, the tradition of civil and ecclesiastical cooperation in education was continued after Mexican independence (1821-37) and resurrected again in 1846. When the parish of San Agustín was placed under American Catholic jurisdiction after 1848, the French diocesan clergy who served it for the rest of that century gave one of those priests the primary duty of supervising a school for boys.

Laredo was to be disrupted again between the competing Confederacy and the Union . Soon after the Civil War, in 1869, the Ursulines established a Catholic school, and in the 1890's staffed St. Peter's School. In 1895 an anonymous writer boasted that

Few cities of the same population can offer as varied a system of education as Laredo can. The public schools of this city have within the last few years made gigantic strides to the front, and are noted throughout the state for the excellence of their curriculum.... Besides the public schools Laredo can offer the Laredo Seminary under the auspices of the Women's Board of Missions of the M.[ethodist] E.[piscopal] Church, South, where every advantage is offered to patrons and scholars. Also the Laredo Convent, under the charge of the Ursuline Sisters, can well claim the support of the public. This institution is noted for thoroughness in all departments, and graduates of this school who have applied for positions in the public schools of Laredo have surprised the board of examinations by their complete and thorough knowledge of all the subjects required in the examination. The Catholic Church supports a school for boys, and in a few months will establish a school of Academic proportions.

In 1904 the Sisters of the Holy Ghost began Our Lady of Guadalupe School as a boarding school with day students; a small tuition was charged. In 1907 the Sisters Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Poor founded the Sacred Heart Orphan's Home. By 1926 the Ursuline Sisters had four or five nuns teaching at the Guadalupe and the Divino Redentor schools.

When the railroad arrived in 1881 Laredo became an important inland port and the population and wealth of the town increased. The Mexican Revolution of 1910 caused many exiles to move to Laredo . The existing Catholic schools experienced staffing and financial problems and so it became obvious that the need for Catholic education was greater than that which the three orders of nuns could provide. Apparently the success of the Methodist Seminary was the catalyst for the establishment of St. Augustine School . On March 14, 1914, Chancellor John H. Scheid in Corpus Christi asked Father José Comas in Laredo to send him a photograph of the Seminary “as soon as you possibly can. This is very urgent, and I trust that you will have it here in a day or so.” In September, 1922, the Oblate Fathers took over the parish of San Agustín from the Passionists. By then the only Catholic school in the city was the private Ursuline Academy . Since the Academy “could not accept or admit all the poor of the town,” the parishioners of San Agustín began plans for a co-educational school.

Their dream became a reality under the leadership of an Oblate of Mary Immaculate, Rev. Jesús Prieto, who was named pastor of San Agustín Church in September 1925. By 1927 he had obtained abstracts of all the properties belonging to the church. Bishop Emmanuel Ledvina of the Diocese of Corpus Christi promised Rev. Prieto the profit from the sale of the old Catholic cemetery between San Francisco , Montezuma and San Eduardo streets to help construct a new parochial school. After the remains were transferred, the old cemetery was sold for $20,000, and the Oblates estimated that they would save and collect $14,000 by September 1927. Several parochial schools were visited to get ideas, and the plans submitted were approved by the Bishop and the Oblate Provincial Council. Mr. Luis Fuessel of San Antonio submitted the lowest bid, $92,860. Including 14 classrooms, a library, typewriter and laboratory facilities, auditorium seats, steel cabinets, student desks, and “first class furniture” for the classrooms and the Sisters of Divine Providence, the total cost was approximately $100,000. The cost was considered high, but the Oblates were anxious to build a school which could compete with the best in the city.

A loan for $50,000 from Wheelan and Gil Company of Massachusetts and one for $15,000 from the Oblate Province at 6% including commissions, was used to start the cement building with a brick facade. On April 4, 1927, Father Jesús traced the first foundations. The shade trees were transplanted to the south side and the old meeting hall was demolished. Mr. Mc. W. Ryan and his “young apprentice,” Mr. Alfonso Leyendecker, were in charge of the construction.

After several attempts to have Bishop E. B. Ledvina bless the corner stone, it was decided to have Father John Dubourgel, Archpriest of San Pedro, do the honors on August 14, 1927, at 10 a .m. Monsignor Silvestre de León, Apostolic Prothonotary of the Diocese of Tamaulipas, came from Ciudad Victoria and preached an eloquent sermon in Spanish in which he praised the work of the Oblates. A zinc box with the date of erection, authorities involved, coins and newspapers was located within the angular stone.

Mr. Fuessel had promised the school would be ready by September 1, 1927. Over 100 workers labored hard, but the great Spring floods of that year on the Mississippi River prevented the shipping of the 12,000-pound steel beams for the auditorium. Some 40 days of labor were lost. School nevertheless opened on September 12, the same day that the public schools began. The sound of hammers and trowels competed with Father Jesús when he intoned the Veni Creator Spiritus (Come Holy Spirit). Only the second floor was ready, and it took a month and a half for the rest of the building to be finished. The Oblates were criticized for building the school without sufficient space for recreational facilities, but the priests argued that the location served the needs of the Sisters and would accustom the children to attend Mass.

The Ursuline Sisters were invited to run the school, but they did not have the sufficient personnel with permanent state certification. The Sisters of Divine Providence of Our Lady of the Lake in San Antonio agreed to the following conditions. Over a 10-month period the Sister in charge of cooking would be paid $250, the elementary teachers would be paid $300, and the high school teachers $350. The nuns would be given a furnished home with water, gas, electricity, heating and telephone expenses to be borne by the school.

The Superior General of the Sisters of Divine Providence, Rev. Mother Mary Philotea, sent seven nuns who arrived two days before classes began. Since their rooms were not ready the majority had to stay in the Bishop's rooms and the others stayed with Don Benjamín Salinas. Sister M. Philomena came as Sister Superior. Sister Mary Virginia, who had come as assistant, had to be replaced in September by Sister Elizabeth. Sisters M. Honora, M. Esperanza, Helen Agnes, M. Canisia, M. Gervaise (the cook) were the others. All seven classes (for the first five elementary grades) were filled with over 500 children from the first day. Enrollments grew to such an extent that the Provincial, Rev. Theodore Labouré, was asked to obtain at least two more nuns. None were available, so two secular teachers who had graduated from Our Lady of the Lake were sent: Ruth and Alice Wankerbach. Another lay teacher had to be hired, Mrs. María de la Peña , who lasted only one week. When Miss Ruth's mother took sick, Miss Leonor Guerra of Laredo substituted for three months. A Mrs. L. Ayala, characterized as a pious widow, took care of tuition, bookkeeping and the sale of school materials for a modest salary.

Many students came from Nuevo Laredo . They were students who had already graduated but who wanted to learn English. A special class in charge of Sister Superior was formed, and other students were interspersed in the other classes. Characterized as “generally very intelligent but very mischievous,” these students quickly learned English and were able to skip one or two grades. Mexico was in the middle of the church-state conflict known as the Cristero Revolt (1926-1929), and thousands of the faithful came from as far as Saltillo , Monterrey , and Tampico to hear Mass and receive the sacraments.

Some four hundred students transferred from the public schools. The Sisters, by one account, had difficulty establishing discipline at first since the students were supposedly not used to obeying anyone. Classes were taught in English, but religion and catechism were taught in Spanish. Two of the Oblates explained catechism four days a week. The pastor supervised all activities closely and made suggestions for improvements. The students, as an Oblate chronicler put it delicately, did not belong only to the lower class, but mostly to the middle class and even to the wealthy. Among the latter were the daughters of M. Raymond, and the grand daughters of Antonio M. Bruni, “one of the community‚s most prosperous businessmen.” The idea behind a $2 per month tuition for those who did not live within the parish, and $1 for those who did was precisely to prevent the poor from “taking over the school.” Apparently many parishioners thought that the school was to be free for them and when they found otherwise enrollments decreased for a brief time. Many failed to pay the tuition, but “with God's help” and the bookstore which sold books, tablets, ink, pencils, candies and fruit, and the monthly collection for the school, the parish, in spite of the national Depression, was able to meet costs. The $65,000 debt was paid off from church savings, jamaicas , and theatrical presentations.

“Fortunately” the Bishop imposed a 6% tax (Catedráticum) on all ordinary income, which amounted to more than $1,200 a year. The architect was paid $2,000. Cement walks were added at the front and the north side of the school ( Grant Street ) and in the space between the church and the school. Screens were added to the windows on the first floor, and window shades and heaters installed throughout the building. Bedding supplies were bought at great savings from Franklin Bros. who had bought out Ed Cruz, and school furniture was also bought on sale from a Mr. Davis.

On October 1, 1927 evening classes for adult men and women were started. Three teachers were hired, but the program was closed down by April because costs could not be met.

The school was blessed on December 8, 1927, by the Very Reverend Superior General of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Monsignor Augustine Dontenwill, Archbishop of Ptolemáida. Monsignor Dontenwill was visiting the order's rectories in Canada and southern United States . He and Provincial Theodore Labouré and numerous priests celebrated Mass at 10 a .m. In spite of the bitter cold many of the faithful attended the ceremonies. That day was the end of the novena in honor of the Immaculate Conception, and in his sermon Rev. Tomás Lozano highly praised the work of the Oblates in Texas and Laredo , particularly the “splendid parochial school,” considered a “model school building.” A literary, comical and musical velada (soiree or evening reception) was held. Father José Arratibel, O.M.I., who had arrived in Laredo in August, 1927, to replace Father Emiliano Diez who had been named pastor of Asherton, organized the function. The famous dwarf, Alice, appeared and won the hearts of the public. An orchestra led by Rosendo Caballero accompanied the singers and a Mrs. G. De Lasseaux “cooperated very effectively.” Father Theodore Labouré said the first Mass in the Sister‚s Chapel. Father J. Prieto also celebrated Mass in the school auditorium for the first time.

Father Fidel had established a parochial library with some 2,000 volumes consisting of devotional works, science and novels meant to “counter the influence of bad works.” When the school opened these books were reserved only for the students since too many books were otherwise being lost. It was also Father Fidel who had started the Banda Juvenil de Cadetes de San Agustín (Youth Cadet Band). In spite of the fact that Father Jesús Prieto had bought uniforms for the 36 members of the band at a cost of $800, it was disbanded in 1927 because of the “rebelliousness, insubordination and indecency of some of its members in the bars across the river.” The membership of the band was then made up of the “more docile” children of the new school. Professor Don Tiburcio González was the band director. The Thursday and Sunday concerts attracted hundreds of listeners who “sometimes applauded frantically the popular Mexican songs which they so correctly interpreted, touching the souls of the people.”

With time and under the influence of the Sisters of Divine Providence the unrestrained students improved in their conduct. They were required to go to confession at least once a month or more frequently depending on circumstances. The teachers did an “admirable” job of inculcating piety. Classes began around the first Tuesday of September, slightly ahead of the public schools, and lasted until the end of May.

By the second year, 1928, enrollments were so great that the Sisters of Divine Providence had to send another nun, Sister Pierre, and the Ursuline Sisters were kind enough to lend the school Sisters Anna Marie and Hyacinthe. Some of the 435 students wore uniforms. The priests took it upon themselves to visit the classes often and the Pastor tested the majority of the students at the end of the year. Art and geography work was exhibited at the end of the second year. Some of the public school board members visited the expositions, and Mr. Eugene Christen and Mr. Galligan commented that the art work of the 4th and 6th graders at St. Augustine was superior to that of the public high school students.

St. Augustine could boast that it had the only auditorium, and for its time it was well equipped and quite elegant. Many city functions were held there. The auditorium was a focal point for the community. Not wishing to beg for movie projectors, the parents bought two powerful ones in Dallas . They hoped to pay for them by charging fees for “moral films.” Unfortunately, the floor was not inclined enough, and the movie business did not flourish. Veladas, on the other hand, were well attended. Since many of the parents could not speak English, the Oblates and Sisters of Divine Providence , with great foresight, encouraged the community to express its own culture through dramatic and musical productions in Spanish. St. Augustine and Laredo were fortunate that the Oblates and the Sisters of Divine Providence did not truncate or mutilate the bilingual environment in which they had to function. From March 1929 on, a special Mass for the students with special instruction for them was celebrated at 9 a .m. in the auditorium.

Another piece of property was added in 1928. Doña Elena González Vda. de García donated lot No. 3 of 711 Zaragoza Street which then contained three small homes.

Only grades 1 through 5 were offered during the 1927-1928 school year. In 1928-1929 the 6th and 7th grades were added and in 1929-1930 the first year of high school was added when the Mother General promised two more Sisters. Each following year one grade was added.

Sister Philomena Hayes, the first principal, served from 1927 to 1933 and Sister Nathalie Walsh who followed her served only two years (1933-1935) due to illness. But they had done their job well. Their successor, the “young and full of vigor and zeal” Sister Celine (1935-1941) applied for state accreditation in 1936. A Mrs. Henderson from the State Department of Education visited the school in the Fall and returned in the Spring of 1937 in 110 degree weather. Although she almost fainted and had to be seated under a fan with cool drinks and the work of the students taken to her, the school was fully accredited. By the time Sister Mary Octavia Schroeder had completed her six-year term in 1947, St . Augustine students were doing as well as if not better than students from other schools.

Enrollments soon rose to 770. The facilities built in 1927 had to be expanded. In August 1948 the Sisters, who lived on the third floor of the school building, moved into the Martín García home on Zaragoza Street . They were not to be far from a classroom environment, however, because the music and homemaking departments were housed there. In Spanish there is a saying “No hay mal que por bien no venga,” (there is no evil which does not bring good) and the disastrous flood of 1954 proved that saying to be true. The parishioners and Laredo built a modern convent in appreciation of the untiring efforts of the nuns. They moved into a new, modern building in 1960 which included home economics, music, and practice classrooms. When the nuns vacated a wing of the school‚s third floor a large typing room was created as well as science rooms and a spacious library. The auditorium anteroom was turned into a classroom and the auditorium itself became a gym with shower rooms, enlarged rest rooms and a cafeteria.

Sister Mary Celine (1947-1953), Sister Mary Octavia (1953- 1955), and Sister Bonaventure Jordan (1955-1961) built on the base of their predecessors. By the 1950's there were fifteen nuns. New furniture was bought, the high school was remodeled, the Parent Teachers Association was vitalized. An All Catholic High Parents Club was initiated to provide activities for the youth. The first Student Council Workshop in the city was held for all the city schools. Honors in dance, poetry and costumes were brought from conventions. The choir under Sister Mary Stevens and Rev. Henry Jansen and later Sister Mary Agnes became well known throughout the region. School delegates were sent to the Boys and Girls State Conventions. Many Laredoans contributed numerous hours of volunteer work to make sports an integral part of the curriculum especially when the auditorium was transformed into a gymnasium. Many lay teachers, emulating the nuns, gave unstintingly of their knowledge, time, and love.

Space in downtown Laredo was at a premium. Sister Bonaventure headed a committee to visit Bishop Garriga. The Bishop turned down the plan to relocate St. Augustine on land which had been offered in northern Laredo . He advised waiting until the population grew in that area. Sisters Victorine Kleen, Rogata Kalina and Mary Jane Bell had to content themselves between 1961-1971 within the constricted space of the old school. That did not keep them from producing students who were finalists in the National Merit Scholarship, who were awarded scholarships to such universities as Notre Dame and UT Austin, and who went as delegates to the National Student Presidential Conference in Washington, D. C.

In February 1973 St . Joseph Academy announced it would close its doors at the end of the school year, and soon thereafter Ursuline Academy discontinued its high school. Sister Elise Bangfort (1971-1973) with the support of Father William Grant, OMI, immediately made plans to accommodate more students. The Marist Brothers were welcomed to the faculty. The Bayanihan Dance Troupe was created, and it brought great honors to St. Augustine .

In November of 1975 Ursuline Academy announced its plan to close and sell its entire school plant. Sister Bonaventure organized her troops and the Laredo Catholic Education Fund Drive was initiated. The Most Rev. Bishop Thomas Drury gave his support to the idea of relocating. In a gesture of unselfishness and generosity the Sisters of Divine Providence sold their convent for $300,000 to help with the $500,000 down payment needed to purchase the Ursuline property. Over $200,000 was raised to complete the down payment. People from all walks of life and from every denomination expressed their support for St. Augustine .

St. Augustine relocated to the Ursuline campus at 1300 Galveston in September 1976. The Sisters of Divine Providence asked the Ursulines to continue with their elementary school and make their school co-educational as St. Augustine had been since 1927. By consolidating, Laredo continued to have a K through 12th grade system on one campus. The Ursuline Sisters moved to their new convent at Century City subdivision and the Sisters of Divine Providence moved into the former Ursuline convent.