Stella Niagara Centennial, 1908-2008
New building, seminary, signs of early growth

Lewiston Porter Sentinel, March 8, 2008
by Mary Serbacki, OSF
Province Archivist
Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity

The new building north of Lewiston and on the River Road progressed rapidly as more than 50 workers strived daily to complete the immense structure. Already, by February 1909, the pumps had begun drawing water from the river to the large cistern behind the powerhouse, where it was filtered and then pumped to all parts of the house.

The community chronicle relates that Divine Providence favored the sisters, as the aqueducts were undamaged by the terrible ice jam of that winter, unrivaled since 1844, according to the old river men. By July, the kitchen, bakery, and two dining areas could be used, and August saw the installation of the chapel altars and new pipe organ. Plans had been underway for months when the dedication ceremonies of Stella Niagara’s building and chapel took place on Oct. 4, 1909.

The Seminary of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, begun humbly in 1908, by 1920 was enjoying a growing reputation as a select boarding school. The high school for young women drew students from as far away as California, Puerto Rico, Latin American and Germany. There were also non-resident students and an elementary school for girls and a few boys. The first boys were enrolled in what was known as the Juvenate, a special arrangement to accommodate the wishes of parents “desirous of lacing their boys under the care of the Sisters, and having both a son and daughter at the same institution.”

Special outings for early students included jaunts to Niagara Falls. The chronicle notes one trip where the pupils walked into Lewiston, rowed across the river to Canada, and caught the gorge route to the Falls.

Another excursion took the eager pupils to Fort Niagara. “At nine o’clock in the morning, the electric car left the station at Stella Niagara and in a very few minutes the merry throng had been conveyed to the shores of the lake, five miles distant, where the entire morning was spent in fishing, rowing, riding on the merry-go-round, or in walking.” There were also the highly anticipated annual sleigh rides.

Of course, not everything was recreational. In January 1915, the chaplain organized the “Dante Society” for the purpose of furthering literary taste among the older students. During the society’s weekly meetings, its members exchanged literary opinions. It was also noted in the chronicle that these students occasionally entertained the others by giving dramatic performances. Visits by guest lecturers were regular occurrences, and the annual patriotic programs on Feb. 12 and 22 were the occasions for readings, songs and drills.

Each June, the closing exercises allowed the students to exhibit their musical and oratorical skills. Diplomas were awarded to increasing numbers of graduates, and in 1922 the past pupils met at Stella for the purpose of establishing their Alumnae Association and welcoming the new graduates, thereby establishing what would become an annual rite of passage.