Happy anniversary!
On the 23rd of April 1946, the Board of Collegiate Authority in Massachusetts gave approval to the Sisters of Saint Anne to found a college. Thanks to the Sisters, we are now celebrating 80 years of learning and teaching, hard work, imagination and creativity, ups and downs, a growing body of accomplished alumni, and the many bonds of friendship formed at Anna Maria.
This anniversary is an opportune moment to honor and to celebrate the vision of the founding Sisters, a vision which still inspires the holistic education we provide on both the undergraduate and graduate levels. This anniversary is an ideal opportunity to come together and re-commit to our mission in 2026:
As a Catholic institution inspired by the ideals of the Sisters of Saint Anne, Anna Maria College educates students to become individuals who will transform their world as ethical leaders and community-oriented professionals.
For 80 years, students have been coming to our College. Within the first decade, the student body grew from 25 to 160 students; and by the second decade, the campus had grown from three buildings to nine, while the number of faculty had increased from 10 to 60. We can happily contemplate so many milestones (and fun facts!) that mark our shared history as a College.
As part of their insistence on the liberal arts, the Sisters paid significant attention to music and art. So many beautiful music performances by students, faculty, and invited performers were held in Miriam Hall as well as off campus, including at Christ the King parish, the Worcester Art Museum, and the 1974 World’s Fair held in Spokane, Washington. Anna Maria students produced superb recordings with the monks at St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer. Magnificent art shows with contributions from the Sisters of Saint Anne, faculty, and students, filled Socquet House, the Moll Art Center (named for Sr. Marie Louis Arthur Moll), and Miriam Hall.
After the move in 1951 from Marlborough to Paxton, the Sisters and students found great joy and wonder in the almost 300 acres of campus, with plenty of room to grow as well as to contemplate the beauty of God’s creation. A puppy, named Paxie, gifted to the Sisters became a mascot in those early years, and perhaps paved the way for Elwood, everyone’s favorite assistance dog on campus.
The Sisters boldly carried on the mission of Mother Marie-Anne in making education available to those without easy access. Over time, the school complemented its focus on liberal learning by adding new graduate and undergraduate degrees, creating exchange programs with other colleges and universities across Worcester county and the United States, opening its doors to male students in 1973 as well as welcoming students from around the globe, and expanding internship and scholarship opportunities. Over time, we can point to the creation of local chapters of multiple Honors Societies, recognizing the intellectual and service achievements of Anna Maria students. Honorary degrees were awarded to local and national dignitaries, including Régine Pernoud, Alice Curtayne Rynne, former Governor of Massachusetts John Volpe, John Cardinal Wright, Rev. Gustavo Gutiérrez, and Elie Wiesel, among many, many others.
The Sisters of Saint Anne were always ready to fill an unmet need: starting an after-school program at a local Worcester Catholic parish, hosting a Montessori school on campus for a five-year period, providing a venue for talks on Biblical studies and Christian peacemaking, providing space for a local theatre company, and more. The value of service to community has been a core part of our mission for decades, with active service projects facilitated by campus ministry clergy, staff, and volunteers; as well as numerous opportunities to live out our mission value of service to the community, both near and far; by partnering with different organizations, such as the Peace Corps, the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, the Mustard Seed, St. John’s soup kitchen, and Habitat for Humanity.
So, happy anniversary to our College, and to borrow a common phrase in Catholic circles: ad multos annos! (to many years!)
Marc Tumeinski, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Theology
