Falling Down Convent

     
     This decrepit building is on South Union Street, next to an active Roman Catholic Church in Montgomery, not far from the Alabama Capitol.
     It was part of the first Catholic institutions created to serve African-American children in Montgomery. A 1935 history of the church and school explained:

      "Five Colored Catholics formed the nucleus around which Rev. D. J. Rice, S.S.J., established, in 1908, the work for the Colored people of Montgomery. Father Rice bought two one-story, four-room houses on South Union Street. One of the houses served as church, sacristy, and an office for Father Rice; the other was used as a school. The school opened its doors to the neighboring Colored children, regardless of creed, in September, 1910"

     The building served as a convent for several Roman Catholic nuns who arrived in 1917 to run the school. They were members of The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. A third building in the complex is to the right of the church. It was a rectory for the Josephite Fathers and Brothers.

The old convent is next to St. John The Baptist church.

IRONICALLY, considering the stone work damage o the old convent, the building is across the street from the headquarters of an early African-American Union building, the Bricklayer's Hall, which has just been placed on the National Register of Historic Sites.

Thanks to a previous pastor of the church, Rev. Richard M. Myhalyk, S.S.E., for pointed me in the right direction for articles previously written about the church. He also mentioned this:

Photo Courtesy of Fr. Richard

"When I was pastor of St. John's, we took the stained-glass windows from the convent chapel and incorporated them into the renovated sanctuary of the church.  This was our best way of preserving and honoring the contribution of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament who did so much during their many years of service."

The Convent. The Church is on the right.

Additional Information:

In March of 1943 a History of the church on South Union Street was written for the 35th Anniersary.

More recently, in 2013, A brief history by Jeff Benton appeared on March 28, 2013 in The Independent.