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1846 – 1938
Founded: 1846, on the northwest corner of Cathedral Square, under Mother Theodore Guérin and the Sisters of Providence, who had arrived in August 1845 to take charge of the girls of the first Catholic school (second rung). One diocesan account has Mother Theodore herself arriving with three sisters in 1846; the sisters' journey is otherwise recorded in August 1845, with the academy opening the year after. The diocese counts St. Augustine as its first school, and Guérin — canonized October 15, 2006 — as its patron of education.
What it was: For ninety-two years St. Augustine Academy was Fort Wayne's school of academy standing for Catholic girls, taught by the Sisters of Providence on the cathedral grounds at Calhoun and Jefferson.
Fate: In 1938 the academy was merged with the boys' Central Catholic into the co-educational Central Catholic High School (below). Its ground on Cathedral Square is now occupied by the Diocesan Museum.
Sources:
- Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend, Catholic school history (2026).
- Today's Catholic (Oct. 15, 2006; Nov. 23, 2022) — the academy, its site, and the 1938 merger.