From Oregon to San Francisco
May 21, 2026
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Sisters Loyola and Marie Catherine traveled from the Oregon mission to San Francisco to meet newly arrived Sisters from Belgium. Recognizing the urgent educational needs created by the Gold Rush, California’s Catholic population grew from 20 in 1848 to 20,000 by 1951. They remained in California despite having little more than 25 cents and an abundance of faith.
Later that same year, the Sisters settled in San Jose, where they opened a boarding school, the Academy of Notre Dame on Santa Clara Street, filled with the daughters of Spanish Californians, Yankees and European settlers.
The school offered day and boarding programs, as well as high school and college programs. The Sisters expanded educational opportunities at a time when education for girls was far from guaranteed. True to Julie’s spirit, no child was turned away.
