Felician Academy Questions

[MrWCF]

The Felician Academy, an all-girls high school, was housed in the Felician motherhouse at St. Aubin & Canfield. In 1936, the Felician motherhouse moved to Livonia.

Did the Felician Academy move at that time? [[As of their 1947 yearbook, they were still located somewhere in Detroit.) What was their location up to the date of their closure in 1967?

I have an image of the Felician motherhouse at St. Aubin & Canfield. If the Felician Academy moved elsewhere, can someone post a photo of their high school building?

[Stinger4me]

The Felician Academy remained on Canfield until at least 1964. Many of the girls who attended the school rode the Chene bus. Some rode the Russel bus as well. I hope this helps. There was an orphanage in the area and may have been on the same block as the Felician Academy.

[MrWCF]

The Felician Academy remained on Canfield until at least 1964. Many of the girls who attended the school rode the Chene bus. Some rode the Russel bus as well. I hope this helps. There was an orphanage in the area and may have been on the same block as the Felician Academy.

Thank you so much for the information; it does indeed help! That confirms that they stayed there at Canfield until the high school was closed, and that the two photos of the motherhouse that I have are, in effect, photos of their high school.

Thanks, again!

[Margarite]

I attended Felician Academy on Canfield and St. Aubin from 1959-1963. The orphanage was in the same building as the convent and the high school. It was for girls only and called the Guardian Angel Home.

[MikeM]

Didn't the academy burn down in a big fire?

[Stinger4me]

There was a large fire there sometime between '69 and '72. DISCLAIMER: This data recalled from an old brain.

[MrWCF]

There was a large fire there sometime between '69 and '72. DISCLAIMER: This data recalled from an old brain.

Not that old a brain! You are right--the place burned down on November 3, 1969.

[MrWCF]

I attended Felician Academy on Canfield and St. Aubin from 1959-1963. The orphanage was in the same building as the convent and the high school. It was for girls only and called the Guardian Angel Home.

Thanks, Margarite--that's another confirmation that the Felician Academy stayed at Canfield & St. Aubin until it closed in 1967.

[MikeM]

Not that old a brain! You are right--the place burned down on November 3, 1969.

Thanks. I knew I posted a picture of that somewhere on this forum but I couldn't find it.

[maryloubrzezinski]

I attended
Felician Academy 1961-1963...as an "aspirant" or "prep" as we were called. We were young high school girls from all over the state of Michigan who believed we had a vocation to become a Felician nun. My home parish and school was Holy Rosary School in Cedar MI.
I remember many of the names of my classmates but have forgotten many of them as well. We lived on the third floor of the building and the first and second floors contained the classrooms and library and other living areas...as I recall there was a tall brick wall that enclosed the complex. The Guardian Angel Home was contained in the complex as well but we did not have much to do with the children there. I was kicked out of the convent when I was in my Sophomore year....so I lost touch with most of the girls. It was an excellent school especially in science. The nun who taught us science was Sister Bonavita....what a great name for a science teacher. There was an old nun, Sister Cecilia who taught us music and when she would get mad at us she would call us " Plaa plaa 's" I am not sure how that would be spelled but it rhymes with ha ha 's Our other music teacher was Sister Huberta. Our Mother Superior was Sister Ferdinand...she is the one who "dismissed" me ....I was not a bad kid but the rules were very strict and made little sense. We were not allowed to befriend the day students who were the girls from the outside who rode the buses to school every day...the thinking was that by befriending these girls we were in danger of losing our vocations to the religious life. Here are some names I remember. Patsy Biernacke....Teresa Guzdek, Alice Gradowski, Linda Montani [[from Mio Mi) Barbara Skornia [[from Bay City) Connie Smith, Barbara Furtaw, Pat Peck[[ my best friend who is now deceased) Bernadette Mikowski [[from my home parish in Cedar)Pat Monge [[ who is one of the few I remember who is still a nun and who I believe is in charge of hospice care in Livonia I think). Helen K. I can't exactly remember her last name but I remember we used to call her " H.K." There was one Africian American girl there and I remember that that was a really big deal and that there had to be "special permission" to allow this...her name was Sharon Copeland. More names are Camille Chris...Eileen Ryan, Theresa Gwiesdak ...not sure of spelling. Another nun we had was Sister DeSales....taught languages I think. I may be able to think of more names if I really put my mind to it. I am pretty sure I have no photos of my time here....we had visiting Sunday the first Sunday of every month but my parents had a lot of other kids and we lived on a farm up north and my mother was expecting a baby when I left for the convent so they were never able to come to visit me..[[violins playing ?) also we had to stay at the school during the summer instead of being able to go home ...we stayed because we were made to put on an Operetta for the big Mother Superior who would come to visit Felician Academy at the end of the summer. I think we got to go home for a grand total of two weeks near the end of the summer. It was an unforgettable experience in many ways....but it was way too young to make a decision about a possible religious vocation and I am sure no one has a place like this today. Thank you for posting the picture of the fire at the building ....I had no idea that this has happened....I am assuming that the entire building was lost? Our dorms were up on the third floor where those dormers are...and we used to go out on the ledge and look at the sky/stars etc....looks like it might have been a dangerous thing to do ...but we were young and I guess stupid.My name back then was Mary Lou Brzezinski.....my name is now Mary L Forster...I no longer live in Michigan but do get back up to Leelanau County frequently. If anyone has anymore memories of Felician Academy I would love to hear them. thank you!

[Hornwrecker]

There's a photo and Sanborn map that I posted in this old thread:

http://www.atdetroit.net/forum/messa...tml?1232873807