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Providence Academy was a Roman Catholic school for girls operated by the Sisters of Divine Providence in Alexandria on Elliott Street, between 21st Street and Chester Street, from 1914 - 1968.
 St. Francis Xavier Academy on Fourth Street |
In 1884, Father L. Menard became the eleventh pastor of St. Francis Xavier Commercial College Catholic Church. On October 10, 1892, the works and prayers of Father Menard became a reality with the construction of the first school for boys in Alexandria. It was located on Second and Ogden Streets and was named the St. Francis Xavier Commercial College. In 1903, the school was rebuilt on the corner of Fourth and Beauregard Streets, next to the present St. Francis Xavier Cathedral. In 1915, the school was raised ten feet to provide a third floor and additional floor space to handle the increased enrollment.
Father Menard was also responsible for bringing the Sisters of Divine Providence and the Brothers of the Sacred Heart to Alexandria. The sisters taught at the St. Francis Xavier Girls Academy, founded in 1894, and later at Providence Academy, Providence Central, and currently at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Elementary School. The Brothers taught at the Commercial College and later at Menard Memorial High School.
St. Francis Xavier Academy, built in 1897, was located on Fourth Street in downtown Alexandria, adjacent to St. Francis Xavier Cathedral. It was remodeled and enlarged in 1907.
 Providence Academy
(historic postcard circa 1925) |
In 1914, St. Francis Xavier Academy became Providence Academy for girls and opened in a new four-story building on the corner of Elliott and Chester Streets. The building sat on a 6-acre plot, and cost $25,000 to construct. Building dedication was in November, 1914.
Providence started its 56-year career as an elementary-secondary school with an enrollment in its first year of 40 elementary and 29 high school pupils. The elementary school was always co-ed, but the high school wa limited to girls from the beginning. With its first year enrollment of 69 students, of who 23 were boarders, Providence was staffed by eleven Sisters.
Providence Academy was accredited in 1919, its 6th year of operation, by the State Board of Education while Sister Blandina was still its first principal. And that year the first alumnae association was formed. Msgr. L. Menard was chaplain from 1922 until his death in 1930.
 Providence Central High School
(graduation invitation, circa 1964) |
St. Francis High School and Providence consolidated in 1949 into what was renamed Providence Central High School, serving only girls in grades 9 - 12. By 1951 the building was bursting at the seams with 687 elementary and secondary students.
The elementary grades 1 - 8 left the building in 1952 to enter the newly constructed Our Lady of Prompt Succor School, and Providence transitioned to an all-girls high school. The enrollment in 1963-64 reached an all time high with 357 girls.
The school campus expanded over time from the original building to include a gymnasium, a home economics wing and additional classrooms. It also offered a "canteen", up a series of concrete steps, operated during recess and at other times, frequented by students from the nearby Prompt Succor school.
The old school building and the land it sat on were sold to Our Lady of Prompt Succor Parish when the new co-ed Holy Savior Menard Central High School was built in 1967.
At the same time, the old Menard Memorial High School on Elliott Street was closed and also merged into the new co-ed school.
 Attending Last Providence Homecoming -
(May 1, 1971) |
With Prompt Succor planning a demolition of the school, a final Providence homecoming was held on May 1, 1971, in the school's gymnasium. Dr. Barbara Cicardo emceed a brief program featuring a short address by Bishop Charles P. Greco.
The event was attended by over 800 former students of Providence (see newspaper clippings below). In addition to the students, a number of Sisters of Divine Providence, the order which had staffed the school for 56 years, were in attendance, including Sister Rose Annelle, Sister Lucille Gravel, Sister Angelena Murphy, and Sister Chrysantha Howard (a member of the school's first graduating class in 1915).
The building was demolished during the summer of 1971, and replaced by a new church for Our Lady of Prompt Succor parish in 1974.
The Statue of the Guardian Angel, which graced the front yard of Providence for decades, eventually was placed in front of the new Prompt Succor Church.
The original St. Francis Xavier Academy, built in 1897 |
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The enlarged and renovated St. Francis Xavier Academy, 1907 |
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St. Francis Xavier Cathedral Complex Historical Marker, Alexandria, Louisiana |
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Providence Academy, Alexandria, Louisiana
(original postcard circa 1925, from the archives of the author) |
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Program for Providence Academy plays presented
on May 7,1926
at Victory Place, Alexandria, LA:
"The Quest of the Pink Parasol" and "The Land of Dolls"
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Admission ticket to a play presented by students of Providence Academy,
February 20, 1928:
"Sunshine and Spring Glow" |
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Newspaper clippings from the 1920s about Providence Academy, Alexandria, Louisiana |
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Providence Academy, Alexandria, Louisiana, circa 1943 |
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Providence Central High School invitation, circa 1960s |
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Providence Central High School graduation invitation, 1964 |
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Program for Providence Central High Senior Class Night, May 19, 1964 |
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Providence ... School Bell to Ring Last Time - April 29, 1971 |
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One Last Homecoming for Providence Grads - by Sister Angelina Murphy |
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Seen Attending the Last Providence Homecoming - May 5, 1971 |
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Over 800 Providence alumnae in Alexandria for Last Homecoming - May 1, 1971 |
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Where is the Providence Guardian Angel Going? |
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Lonely Guardian Angel at Providence Academy, Alexandria, LA, after demolition of the school |
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If you have any photos or memorabilia about Providence to share, please email
them to photos@alexandria-louisiana.com,
along with a brief explanation: where, when, who, etc. |
