Vicksburg Landmark Has Collapsed - Funding Needed For Repairs

Part of a Mississippi landmark that housed Nuns and taught thousands of students in Vicksburg has collapsed and community funding is needed for repairs. DETAILS>>http://bit.ly/1Mv5O03

2016 St. Aloysius/St. Francis Alumni Banquet

Vicksburg Catholic School

St. Francis Xavier Academy ~ 1860

 St. Aloysius High School ~ 1879

April 9th, 2016

Special Guests

Class of 1966

Class of 2016

St. Paul Farrell Hall

The Vicksburg Apartments, old Y. M. C. A. and the Old Court House Museum in the background.

Class of 1959

Vera Marshall Brown, Myra Logue and George Brown.

George Brown, Glenda LaGarde and Bobby Alvarado.

Jim and Kay Hess Simms

Nina Cocarro Buell, Margaret Patricia "Patty" Hebler Grey, Sue McNamara Fowler and Tommy Ray McNamara.

Myra Logue, Nina Cocarro Buell and Margaret Patricia "Patty" Hebler Grey

Joe Harrison (Magician) Class of 1966.

Left to right: Myrtle Loviza Curro Alvarado, Sue McNamara Fowler, Kay Hess Simms, Ina Lott Whittington, Vera Marshall Brown and Marian Love Boyd Phillips.  The Class of 1959 celebrating 57 years!  Out of 20 girls, 5 have gone to their heavenly reward, 2 cannot be found and 7 classmates could not make it.  

St. Francis Xavier Convent East Wall Has Collapsed

Center needs help in funding repair

A section of the east wall on the first floor of the 1868 St. Francis Xavier Convent, which is now part of the Southern Cultural Heritage Complex, has collapsed.

Efforts are currently being made to rebuild the wall, the executive director of the SCHF Stacie Massey said, but the community's help is needed.

"The construction of the temporary wall is just starting.  Our fundraising goal to correct the problem that caused the wall's failure and to rebuild the exterior brick wall is $200,000.  The community and those who love these buildings are responding, and we appreciate that so much.  We have already raised almost $7,000 in just a couple of weeks of this fundraising project.  But we still have a ways to go," Massey said.

The four-story Sisters of Mercy convent building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Mississippi Landmark.

Built in 1868, the structure is one of the largest and best preserved example of 19th-Century Gothic Revival architecture in Mississippi and is one of the most historically significant buildings in downtown Vicksburg.

On January 31, bricks began to fall from the wall causing the collapse, and it has been the SCHF's immediate concern to stabilize the building and protect it from further collapse, Massey said.

However, before any work could begin, the foundation had to consult with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Laird and Smithers, Inc. was contacted and hired following approval from the department to give a structural engineer's opinion to determine a plan to secure the convent building, determine the collapse, develop a plan to fix the problem and rebuild the wall.

"Fountain Construction Company was hired to do this work," Massey said, which includes shoring up of walls for support in the basement and three of the four levels of the convent, carefully bringing down the exterior brick wall (saving the historic bricks and eight windows) and constructing a temporary exterior wall to weatherproof the convent.

"The engineers will then be able to get into the convent safely and determine the cause of the collapse and develop a plan to fix the problem, rebuild the exterior wall and restore the interior side of the wall.

"At this time, the shoring of walls, and the demolition of the brick wall is complete, and the construction of the temporary wall is just starting," Massey said.

For those wanting to donate to the rebuilding of the convent wall immediately, Massey said they could send a check made payable to SCHF, 1302 Adams Street, Vicksburg, MS, 39180.  The SCHF is also working on a way for individuals and groups to donate online, and hopes to have this information available on their website soon.

"The convent should be preserved and restored because of its historical significance and importance to the community," Massey said.

In addition to the convent's historical value, the building is used for SCHF events, which includes lectures, book signings, performances and tours. For more information about the SCHF, call 601-631-2997 or visit http://southernculture.org.

Happy Easter Classmates!

St. Aloysius/St. Francis 2016 Alumni Banquet

2016 Alumni Banquet and the St. Aloysius/St. Francis Charitable Trust

The 2016 Alumni Banquet will be Saturday, April 9, starting with Mass at 5:30 at St. Paul Catholic Church, and the social and banquet will be held at Farrell Hall immediately following Mass. We will be honoring the St. Aloysius and St. Francis Xavier Classes of 1966, as well as the St. Aloysius Class of 2016.

The Annual Alumni Banquet is also a time when we reach out to our alumni to support the Charitable Trust. The Charitable Trust was established in 1983 by the St. Aloysius/St. Francis Alumni Association to benefit the operations of Vicksburg Catholic School. Every year a check is presented to the school during the Alumni Banquet. Last year, the Alumni Association contributed $3,580 to be invested in the Charitable Trust.  Thank you for your generosity.

Contact Information

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Sister Jude Marie Piazza Dies

Sister Jude Marie Piazza died Wednesday, February 17, 2016, in Frontenac, Missouri.  She was 88.  

Sister Jude Marie was born in Vicksburg, MS on February 6, 1928, to Thomas and Elizabeth Piazza.  She attended St. Francis Xavier Academy in Vicksburg, and entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1954 and professed her perpetual vows in 1960.  She earned a master's degree in nursing and nursing education from Catholic University, Washington, D.C.

She served as a nursing instructor from 1969-1971 at St. John's School of Nursing and nursing supervisor from 1971-1972 at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, Missouri.

She was a staff nurse in the emergency room and coronary care until from 1972-1977 at Mercy Regional Medical Center in Vicksburg, and pastoral care chaplain from 1977-1992 at hospitals in Springfield; Fort Smith, Arkansas; Independence, Kansas; Daphne, Alabama; and Hot Springs, Arkansas.

She was a practitioner and instructor in energetic healing, and was influential in promoting holistic health.

She is survived by loving nieces and nephews and their families.

Services were Monday, February 22, 2016, with the Rev. Joseph Uvietta officiating.  Burial was at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis.

Bopp Funeral Chapel had charge of arrangements.

Classmate In Hospital

Please keep Vera Marshall Brown in your prayers.  She was admitted to the hospital this past Tuesday and hopefully will be going home soon.  Get well soon, Vera! May God Bless You!

Update:  She is back home and doing well. Thanks for your prayers.