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A parish church, a former convent and orphanage, a social hall, a museum, a cemetery and a school are today huddled together in a southwestern Grass Valley area bounded by South Church, Dalton, Chapel, Pleasant and Mill streets.
All are part of the sacred and secular mission of the Roman Catholic Church. All except the former convent and orphanage still provide service to the community that dates to the great California Gold Rush.
To backtrack: St. Patrick's parish began in the early 1850s, with Father John Shanahan, the pioneer Catholic priest of Nevada County, as its rector.
The former orphanage (1866-1932) and convent (1863-1968) are gone. However, the academic section of the enclave, Mount Saint Mary's Catholic Elementary School, will celebrate 150 years of continuous operation on Saturday.
Founded in 1859, it lays claims to being the oldest Catholic school west of the Mississippi.
On May 2, 1865, Bishop Eugene O'Connell, prelate of Northern California, dedicated the Sacred Heart Convent and Holy Angels Orphanage, located on the west side of South Church between Dalton and Chapel streets. The building and its services were envisioned and pursued by Father Thomas J. Dalton, the parish priest who arrived in 1855 and built St. Patrick's Church, a small frame building which stood on Chapel street at the corner of St. Patrick's Cemetery.
In 1866 the school, then called “academy,” moved into the brand new, three-story, multi-use structure where it shared space with the orphanage, convent and the living quarters of the Sisters of Mercy, the teaching nuns.
Records show the cost was $19,856 and included the furnishings — a minuscule sum compared to what it would cost to reproduce today.
The ground floor was built of stone and held the kitchen, the dining room, laundry, lavatory, store rooms and primary school rooms. The upper two floors consisted of brick and provided additional class rooms, the library, a chapel for the sisters, infirmary, the children's dormitories and the nuns' sleeping quarters.
Father Dalton was the school's founder who sought to educate the orphans and the community's children. He was a driving force behind many and varied community enrichment projects. One of those was the building of the now gone imposing, red brick St. Patrick's Parish Church of classic design that stood on today's school parking lot at Chapel and South Church streets.
Today, Mount Saint Mary's Academy is in a red brick building at the rear of the Chapel Street parking lot, providing education in classes from kindergarten through the eighth grade.
A 19th century brick wall extends from Dalton Street (named appropriately for Father Dalton) facing South Church to the parking lot at Chapel Street. At an entrance, a state historic landmark marker provides a brief history of Mount St. Mary's Convent and Academy. The marker was erected Oct. 28, 1972, and sponsored by the Mount St. Mary's Historic Preservation Committee, the Sisters of Mercy and the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
All are part of the sacred and secular mission of the Roman Catholic Church. All except the former convent and orphanage still provide service to the community that dates to the great California Gold Rush.
To backtrack: St. Patrick's parish began in the early 1850s, with Father John Shanahan, the pioneer Catholic priest of Nevada County, as its rector.
The former orphanage (1866-1932) and convent (1863-1968) are gone. However, the academic section of the enclave, Mount Saint Mary's Catholic Elementary School, will celebrate 150 years of continuous operation on Saturday.
Founded in 1859, it lays claims to being the oldest Catholic school west of the Mississippi.
On May 2, 1865, Bishop Eugene O'Connell, prelate of Northern California, dedicated the Sacred Heart Convent and Holy Angels Orphanage, located on the west side of South Church between Dalton and Chapel streets. The building and its services were envisioned and pursued by Father Thomas J. Dalton, the parish priest who arrived in 1855 and built St. Patrick's Church, a small frame building which stood on Chapel street at the corner of St. Patrick's Cemetery.
In 1866 the school, then called “academy,” moved into the brand new, three-story, multi-use structure where it shared space with the orphanage, convent and the living quarters of the Sisters of Mercy, the teaching nuns.
Records show the cost was $19,856 and included the furnishings — a minuscule sum compared to what it would cost to reproduce today.
The ground floor was built of stone and held the kitchen, the dining room, laundry, lavatory, store rooms and primary school rooms. The upper two floors consisted of brick and provided additional class rooms, the library, a chapel for the sisters, infirmary, the children's dormitories and the nuns' sleeping quarters.
Father Dalton was the school's founder who sought to educate the orphans and the community's children. He was a driving force behind many and varied community enrichment projects. One of those was the building of the now gone imposing, red brick St. Patrick's Parish Church of classic design that stood on today's school parking lot at Chapel and South Church streets.
Today, Mount Saint Mary's Academy is in a red brick building at the rear of the Chapel Street parking lot, providing education in classes from kindergarten through the eighth grade.
A 19th century brick wall extends from Dalton Street (named appropriately for Father Dalton) facing South Church to the parking lot at Chapel Street. At an entrance, a state historic landmark marker provides a brief history of Mount St. Mary's Convent and Academy. The marker was erected Oct. 28, 1972, and sponsored by the Mount St. Mary's Historic Preservation Committee, the Sisters of Mercy and the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
