Mission
St. Joseph’s Academy, sponsored by St. Joseph Educational Ministries, is a Catholic, private college preparatory high school founded and inspired by the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Our mission is to provide quality Catholic education for young women in an environment that challenges them to grow in faith, knowledge, and respect for self and others. Our community expects these young women to make a profound impact in the world.
A brief history
The possibility of St. Joseph’s Academy originated in Lyons, France, when Mother St. John Fontbonne, the Superior of the Sisters of St. Joseph, responded to an appeal in the mid-1830s from Bishop Joseph Rosati of St. Louis to send teachers to the mission territories of Carondelet and Cahokia. In particular, he requested sisters to teach deaf children. Immediately upon arrival, the sisters opened a convent school, followed by St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf in 1837 and St. Joseph’s Academy in 1840.
Providing a French education for girls, for several years the Academy was known affectionately as Mother Celestine’s school, for its founder. In the spring of 1841, the Academy moved from log cabin lodgings to a three-story brick building that still stands today at the motherhouse, and over time, built a reputation of excellence that continues today. Although the Academy has moved twice since its humble beginnings in Carondelet, it maintains the identity and Core Values established those many years ago.
Leadership
Marcia Neidringhaus, JD
President
SJEM Member
Mike Finucane
Director of Campus Ministry
SJEM Mission Representative
Julia Mize
Chair, St. Joseph Academy Board of Directors
