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Fontbonne Hall Academy |
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Women of faith and vision ... building tomorrow TODAY! |
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Mother Saint John Fontbonne |
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The Story of Fontbonne |
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Why did the Sisters of Saint Joseph name their school in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, “Fontbonne Hall Academy”? Fontbonne was the family name of Mother St. John Fontbonne, a Sister of Saint Joseph who lived during the time of the French Revolution. Young Jeanne Fontbonne, as she was known, joined the congregation with her sister Marie. In just a few short years, the Sisters elected her as the superior of the community, and their work of dividing the city and ministering to the most needy began.
With the coming of the French Revolution, the Sisters’ lives changed radically. Because they refused to take an oath supporting the civil government, their convents were seized. The Sisters returned to their family homes, continuing their good works and hiding members of the clergy who were loyal to the Church. To protect some of these priests in hiding, Mother St. John and some of the Sisters were imprisoned and sentenced to the guillotine.
On the day before the Sisters were to be beheaded, the French leader Robespierre died, and the guillotine was abolished. Since Mother St. John and her Sisters were no longer to be martyrs for their Faith, they were free to rebuild their religious order. In 1807, Mother St. John Fontbonne reopened the former convent and began her work of restoring the congregation, establishing over two hundred new communities.
In 1836, the story of the Sisters of Saint Joseph in the United States began, when Bishop Joseph Rosati of St. Louis invited a small group of Sisters to come from France to teach deaf children. As the ministry of the original Sisters of Saint Joseph flourished, members of the order were invited to various dioceses throughout the United States. In 1856, the Sisters were invited to Brooklyn, and this congregation was to become the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Brentwood, New York.
The Sisters’ commitment to education is part of the legacy of Mother St. John Fontbonne. Her bravery in the face of opposition and her ability to respond to the challenges of her time make her an excellent role model for the students of today. March 3, 2009 marks the 250th anniversary of Mother St. John Fontbonne’s birth.
On July 29, 1937, the Feast of Saint Martha, the Sisters of Saint Joseph bought the mansion on Shore Road known as the “Shell House”, which was once purchased as a gift for actress Lillian Russell by financier “Diamond Jim” Brady. The Sisters opened Fontbonne Hall Academy on this site, naming their new school in honor of Mother Saint John Fontbonne. The school opened its doors to forty students in September, 1937.
The last building erected on the school grounds is dedicated to Sister Ita Ford, MM, a Fontbonne Hall Academy graduate who was one of four women missionaries martyred in El Salvador in 1980. Her own words echo the spirit of Mother Saint John Fontbonne: “I hope you come to find that which gives life a deep meaning for you. Something worth living for—maybe even worth dying for. Something that energizes you, enthuses you, and enables you to keep moving ahead. I can’t tell you what it might be – that’s for you to find, to choose, to love. I can just encourage you to start looking, and support you in the search.”
Today, more than 540 students prepare for their future at Fontbonne. Our outstanding reputation as a premier academy for young women has consistently increased our enrollment. Our alumnae are recognized as women of academic excellence, able to assert themselves as leaders in a changing world. Truly, like Mother Saint John Fontbonne, the students of Fontbonne are women of Faith and Vision, building tomorrow TODAY! |
