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A brief history of Catholic education in New Mexico…
The Catholic Church has played an
important role in education since the Spanish colonial era. As early as 1524, the Catholic
Church had established schools in Mexico to teach music, Latin, and other academic
subjects to native youth. A school for girls was established as early as 1534.
Unfortunately, this extraordinary educational tradition did not transfer well to New
Mexico when it was colonized by Juan de Onate in 1598. When the Spanish province of La
Nueva Mexico was established, this vast territory was designated as a Franciscan mission
for the pueblos of the region. The primary responsibility of the Franciscan friars was to
administer to the pueblos, where they taught reading, writing, and various trades, as well
as church doctrine. These myriad tasks did not allow the friars to devote much of their
time or resources towards instruction of the Spanish settlers.
In the absence of public schools,
the responsibility for educating the youth of Spanish colonial New Mexico fell to the
parents. Most children were generally tutored at home, although a select few were sent to
schools in Mexico and, in later years, to schools in the United States. The Spanish
government finally succeeded in establishing a system of public schools in New Mexico in
the early 1800s. By the end of the Mexican period (1821-46), the major towns of Santa Fe,
Taos, Santa Cruz de la Cañada, Alburquerque, San Miguel del Vado, and Belen were able to
boast of being able to maintain a school with regular attendance. Of these, the best known
may have been the preparatory school operated by the famous padre of Taos, Antonio José
Martinez.
Access to education improved
significantly after New Mexico became part of the United States following the
Mexican-American War of 1846. The critical need for schools was quickly recognized by Jean
Baptiste Lamy when he was named the first bishop of Santa Fe in 1850. One of his first
actions was to recruit the Lorentines of Kentucky, whom we commonly recognize as the
Sisters of Loretto, to come to Santa Fe. In 1853, a small group of these Sisters opened
the Academy of Our Lady of Light, a school we more commonly know as the Loretto School for
Girls. This nascent institution of Catholic education in New Mexico remained in operation
for more than a century, until changing times forced its closure in 1966.
In 1859, this tradition of
Catholic education was reinforced when Bishop Lamy arranged with the Christian Brothers to
open a similar school for boys. El Colegio de San Miguel, as it was originally known,
eventually evolved to provide post-secondary education at St. Michael’s College. Both
of these early institutions continue their mandate as St. Michael’s High School and
the College of Santa Fe.
These two institutions began a
long tradition of Catholic schools in New Mexico as the Sisters of Loretto and the
Christian Brothers opened several more schools throughout the territory. These were joined
by several other orders, including the Sisters of Charity, Sisters of Mercy, and Sisters
of the Blessed Sacrament, and by 1900 at least 15 Catholic schools were operating
throughout New Mexico. The influence of these schools is evidenced by the fact that
graduates of St. Michael’s made up 20 percent of the delegates at the 1910
Constitutional Convention, which developed New Mexico’s state constitution.
Even after New Mexico established
a system of public schools in 1891, Catholic schools retained their importance. Four of
the first teacher certificates issued in Albuquerque under this new public school law were
to Sisters of Charity. Following the famous Dixon Case in 1951, members of religious
orders were prohibited from teaching in public schools, and a number of parishes assumed
the responsibility of maintaining New Mexico’s long tradition of Catholic education
in their communities by opening parochial schools, several of which are still in
operation.
Other orders who have served the
youth of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe include the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), St. Casimir
Sisters, Sisters of St. Dominic, Canossian Daughters of Charity, Sisters of St. Francis
Seraph of the Perpetual Adoration, Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate, the Franciscan
Sisters Third Order Regular, Sisters of St. Joseph, Servants of the Immaculate Mary,
Sisters of Mercy of the Union, Sisters of the Company of Mary, Sisters of Mercy, Sisters
of Notre Dame, Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Mary, Divine Providence Nuns,
Sisters of the Society of Mary, Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, and the Ursuline Nuns of
the Congregation of Paris.
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