Fifteen years after the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet arrived in
Missouri from
Lyon, France, four of the Sisters came to
Minnesota Territory.
Joseph Crétin, the first Roman Catholic Bishop of St. Paul, had asked them for help with the work facing the growing community. The four Sisters of St. Joseph arrived by
steamboat and settled on the banks of the
Mississippi River in November 1851. Within a week they opened their first school in the vestry of a log chapel, the forerunner of the
Cathedral of St. Paul. In 1901 graduates of St. Joseph's Academy formed an alumnae association and began their newsletter,
Chapter Chats. Although the newsletter lapsed for a number of years, the tradition was reinstated in 1931. In the early 21st century the St. Joseph's Academy Alumnae Association continues to send
Chapter Chats to thousands of members. St. Joseph's Academy was home to many accomplished teachers over the years. Several of the Sisters also contributed their talents to the wider community. Among them was Sister Mary Aloysius Sherin, a celebrated math and science teacher from 1935 to 1955. In 1938 Sister Ann Thomasine Sampson became director of the St. Joseph's Academy Glee Club. The group was in demand for many community-wide events in St. Paul. After retirement, Sister Ann Thomasine conducted
oral histories of a number of Sisters. The histories are still available in the archives of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Sister Irmina Kelehan, an English teacher at St. Joseph's, responded in 1956 to a request from the Japanese government to open a school in
Tsu, Japan. She joined several other Sisters of St. Joseph from around the United States and opened a school for girls. They named it St. Joseph's Academy. In 1971, enrollment declined while the costs of maintaining older buildings kept rising. The Sisters decided it was time to close St. Joseph's Academy and turn to other ministries. The property and buildings were sold to Christ's Household of Faith. ==Alumnae==