The School Sisters of Notre Dame established St. Mary of the Pines in Chatawa, Mississippi, in 1874 to educate girls, opening a day and boarding school in 1875. The school closed 100 years later and the facilities were renovated to become a retirement community for sisters in 1976. In 2019, as part of the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) Central Pacific Province’s Integrated Implementation Process, St. Mary of the Pines began the process of closing. The majority of the sisters who resided there have moved to St. Anthony’s Gardens in Covington, Louisiana. When the process of moving and closing the property is complete, Chatawa will have been in operation for 146 years. With such a rich history, it is difficult to see St. Mary of the Pines close but the sisters who lived and worked there leave a powerful legacy. In September 2019, the sisters started saying goodbye to St. Mary of the Pines with A Celebration of Gratitude and Farewell to 145 Years of SSND Presence at Chatawa. During the celebration sisters remembered, shared and rejoiced by creating a memory tree with written reflections about St. Mary of the Pines; the tree will follow the sisters to St. Anthony’s Gardens.
Read more about the history of St. Mary of the Pines.
St. Mary of the Pines: A Journey of Grace and Gratitude
Enjoy the history of St. Mary of the Pines created and shared by sisters who lived and ministered there.