Time Line from 1845 -1995

1845  January 1, 5:30 am., The Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph arrived from Emmittsburg, Maryland to open St. Vincent’s Institute.

1850  The Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph became the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. The Old Convent building was completed to serve as a hospital.

1861  Hospital closed due to lack of funding — 13 orphans accepted.

1862  Federal troops took New Orleans and bombarded and burned Donaldsonville. Orphans were given refuge in the Sacred Heart Convent when St. Vincent’s Institute was threatened to be burned. Sgt. Scott, who killed the Union Lieutenant who ordered it burned, saved the building, but was later executed for his act.

1885  The Sisters of the Holy Family opened St. Augustine’s School for Black children.

1887  December 20, The Brothers of the Sacred Heart opened St. Joseph Commercial Institute for boys located on Paradise Alley.

1894  St. Joseph Commercial Institute was chartered as an institute with power to grant degrees.

1929  Football team was in existence.

1930  St. Joseph Commercial Institute became Catholic High School.

1931  St Marie Fogerty assigned to St. Vincent Institute.

1941  Football team was State Champs.

1942  St. Augustine’s School was renamed St. Catherine School.

1953  School band established.

1955  Ascension Catholic High School built. St. Vincent’s Institute was

on one wing and Catholic High School was on the other wing.

1961  New convent completed for Daughters of Charity.

1963  Catholic High School discontinued boarding students.

1964  The Daughters of Charity exchanged their traditional habits with the white coronet for a more practical dress.

1965  St. Catherine High School was dosed; the students were allowed to transfer to Ascension Catholic with grades 5-8 housed at St.

Catherine, renamed ACMS.

1968  The Brothers of the Sacred Heart departed.

1969  All three schools, St. Vincent’s, Ascension Catholic Middle, and

Catholic High School were amalgamated into Ascension Catholic

Interparochial School to serve 14 church parishes. The schools were

under the direction of the Daughters of Charity assisted by the

Sisters of the Holy Family.

1970  Catholic High School (old rectory) burned.

1969-1975  Ascension Catholic Primary school built 11 new classrooms, but they continued to use space in the St. Vincent Institute building (built in 1850). Four new classrooms were built at Ascension Catholic Middle School, and a new administration building, library and class rooms were built at Ascension Catholic High School.

1973  Football team was State Champs.

1977  Ascension Catholic High School was accredited by Southern Associa­tion of Colleges and Schools.

1978  St Natalie Marengo awarded prize in national contest by Scholastic Magazine.

1980  ACIS Development Program was established with a major fund raising drive.

1981  Sr. Marie Fogerty died in January The Sisters of the Holy Family withdrew in June.

1987  The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul withdrew.

1992  Football team was State Champs.

1993  Baseball team was State Champs.

1994  Baseball team was State Champs. Blue Ribbon Committee

reactivates the ACIS Development Program.

1995  150 year anniversary “The Tradition Continues”

Ground Breaking Ceremony

More to come...