As you can guess from the photo above, this month From the Archives is visiting Sacred Heart Academy. As plans unfolded for the opening of the new academy in Eggertsville (new Sacred Heart), the community at Sacred Heart on Washington Street (old Sacred Heart) continued their day-to-day lives, with, of course, the added pressure of moving a school and a group of sisters. For the time being both groups maintained a chronicle for “Sacred Heart” and some of the reports overlapped. The chronicles from the “new” Sacred Heart reveal just a bit about activities in May 1931.
It was noted that the annual students’ retreat “was held as one of the last activities at the old academy from April 28 through May 1.” The next days must have been very busy. Most certainly there was a mixture of nostalgia at leaving the building which for so many years had served variously as convent, novitiate, and academy, and excitement for moving to the new, modern facility on Main Street.
The chronicler went on to relate that on “May 11, Monday, classes were opened for the first time at the new academy. All the teachers went ‘home to sleep’ for there were no living accommodations prepared until May 21. (After that date) the teachers, at least some of them, remained permanently at 3860 Main St., Eggertsville, N.Y. Moving was a gradual process. One never realizes how many possessions he has until he begins to move (sic). Although our new academy is magnificent in every respect, yet, many loving thoughts have gone back to ‘749’ with many fond memories. We all experienced, ‘Scheiden tut Weh! [Separation hurts]
(In September) registration at the Academy showed no falling off of students, in spite of the fact that we are far away in Eggertsville. Owing to the great outstanding debt on our beautiful new building, both pupils and alumnae are working very diligently to help us financially. There have been candy sales, skating parties, card parties, cake raffles, parcel pots, etc., given by the various classes. In spite of the ‘hard times’ most of the enterprises proved very successful.”
--from "new" Sacred Heart Chronicles