“Ave Crux, Spes Unica” (Hail to the Cross, our Only Hope) – Motto of the Academy of the Holy Cross
The Academy of the Holy Cross
The Academy of the Holy Cross (AHC) is an all-girls secondary school now located in Kensington, Maryland. The Academy is celebrating its 150th anniversary, and was featured in a recent issue of The Catholic Standard, the weekly newspaper published by the Archdiocese of Washington. For its entire history, AHC has been lovingly administered by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.
A Warm Welcome Back
“What a gift it is to return with your sisters and their spouses to celebrate all you have received while you were here, and all the gifts that have come into your life since.” -Fr. Dominic Foster, TOR
It was a lovely Sunday afternoon in October and AHC alumnae Patricia and Rosemary were invited to their old Alma Mater on Upton Street in NW Washington D.C. Though each had often passed by the site, it was to be the first time they would enter the actual building in many decades. Howard University purchased the property in the 1970’s and they graciously allowed use of the campus to both commemorate the 150th Anniversary and celebrate the women who matriculated from Upton Street. Despite modern classrooms and facilities on the back side of the historic buildings, the red brick Tudor Gothic structure remained just as impressive and imposing as it seemed when the two were teenagers. Even the chapel in the annex – the former Dunbarton College of the Holy Cross – remained much as they remembered it, including the pre-Vatican II High Altar with its inscribed mosaic detail and the statues of Our Lady and her Blessed Spouse Joseph on each side of the sanctuary. More than 50 women were able to attend, accompanied by spouses, family, and guests. Current AHC students and staff members were out in force to honor and welcome the returning alumnae. After a joyful celebration of the Eucharist in the chapel, the ladies and their guests we served champagne, hors d’oeuvres, and nostalgic conversation in the lobby of their former school. Each attendee was given a beautiful Christmas ornament as a memento.
A Building Filled with Memories
Pat and Rosie remembered their years at Upton Street as a time of shortages, shared sacrifice, and uncertainty. “Even so,” remarked Pat, “We had a wonderful time here.” The United States’ involvement in World War II began early in their freshman year and did not conclude until the summer after their graduation. Rosie remembered gas rationing and that “It seemed everything was cancelled, [but] we had the Junior-Senior Prom here. We took the bus in our long dresses and the guys in their tuxes. We sang and danced and had the best time. A lot of those boys were going off to war.” Pat attended Holy Cross Prep School, also at Upton Street, and continued at the high school. She remembered passing an all-boys school on the way to and from the bus stop on Connecticut Avenue. “We would put on lipstick, which was not allowed, then take it off when we got to school. We were afraid Sister Fernanda would catch us.” “Sister Fernanda was a terror,” Rosie agreed.
“There was a lot of spirit here,” Rosie remarked. She remembered playing basketball, “At the time, boys would use the whole court but girls only played half-court.” Pat remembered playing tennis on courts that used to be behind the school. A fellow alumna pointed out the stone retaining wall along the driveway. “I had to come see the wall! During break time we’d sit on the wall and talk. I’m glad it’s still here.”
As they walked toward the old grotto to which they often paraded during Marian feasts, the women pondered the past and chatted. “There were a lot of grounds here,” Pat recollected. “It’s been built up so. There was a lot more walking space then. We’d sometimes walk down to Peirce Mill. The whole [Washington] area has changed so much. I used to take the streetcar down 7th Street past Griffith Stadium to Hecht’s and Lansburgh’s. That’s where we did our clothes shopping.”
Lives of Faith and Family
“So many of our classmates have passed on. We’re lucky to be here, and on such a beautiful day.”
Pat raised five children, Rosie raised six, and both continue to live out their Catholic faith, as taught and nurtured by the Sisters of the Holy Cross at AHC. “I’ve lived a good life,” Pat gratefully acknowledged, “Not to say I haven’t had my share of tragedy. And to think it all started here.”
Author’s Connection: Pat is my customer and my friend. I was privileged to escort her and Rosemary to the reunion. My mother Mary Ann Grayson Guevara (1942-2015) attended AHC from 1956 to 1958. Hers was the first class to attend the Kensington Campus. I was pleased to represent her, and wish she could have been there too.
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