| Saint Mary's Academy and College | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Instaurare Omnia in Christo (To Restore All Things in Christ) |
| Established | 1978 |
| Type | Religious School, Society of St. Pius X |
| Principal | Rev. Fr. John D. Fullerton, Rector |
| Undergraduates | 682+ (Academy) (2008)[1] |
| Postgraduates | 50+ (College) (2008)[1] |
| Location | St. Marys, Kansas, USA |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Colors | Blue and White |
| Mascot | Crusaders (academy only) |
| Website | www.smac.edu |
Saint Mary's Academy and College is a religious school of the Society of St. Pius X located in St. Marys, Kansas, 25 miles (40 km) west of Topeka.
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The original college at this location, St. Mary's College, was founded in 1848 as an Indian mission. The school is the site of the first cathedral west of the Missouri River and east of the Rockies, the 1851 "log cathedral" of Bishop John Baptist Miège, S.J., Apostolic Vicar of Pope Pius IX known familiarly as "The Bishop East of the Rockies".[2]
(School literature refers to Bishop Miege's cathedral as the first cathedral west of the Mississippi. However, Upper California was part of the Diocese of Sonora, which was established in 1779 by Pius VI and, after 1840 it was under the bishop of Alta and Baja (Upper and Lower) California until the establishment of the Diocese of Monterey in 1850.[3] Further, the Diocese of St Louis, Missouri, was established in 1826 and the cornerstone of the current Basilica laid in 1831 on the western bank of the Mississippi river.)
The 465 acre (1.9 km²) college had been operated by the Jesuit order as a seminary since 1931. It closed in 1968 as the Jesuit order reoriented itself to other commitments, more in keeping with the new challenges of the day.[1]
In 1978, the Society of Saint Pius X purchased the property along with 12 major buildings. The school is now incorporated in Kansas as The Society of Saint Pius X, Saint Mary's, Inc. It has no direct ties with the previous St. Marys College. [1]
As of 2008, the Academy had enrollment of over 682 students K-12 and the two-year college had an enrollment above 50 in a liberal arts curriculum. St. Mary's does not have a seminary program. St Mary's offers boarding for students in the 8th grade and higher.[4]
St. Mary's Academy and College is not accredited by the State. Although in 2002, the governor of Kansas formally recognized Saint Mary's Academy and College for the excellence of its educational curriculum, the recognition was withdrawn in 2008.
The school operates its own radio station, KSMK-LP 98.3 FM since 2002. As of June 2011, the web site is "undergoing reconstruction"[5][6]
The Academy teams play in the Kansas Cristian League in football and soccer and against some non-league teams. [7][8]
St. Mary's Academy and College is also a traditional Catholic parish of approximately 2450 persons (2003).[9]
In February 2008, St. Mary's Academy made news when a female referee was told that she could not officiate at the high school basketball game. The other referee claimed that someone told him it was because "as a woman," she "could not be put in a position of authority over boys because of the academy's beliefs". St. Mary's Academy was on the Kansas State High School Activities Association list of approved schools, but not a KSHSAA member, and plays "one or two games per season" against member schools.[10]
St. Mary's official reply to the incident was in a press release[11]:
The as of 2008 the school was no longer on the KSHSAA's approved school list.[12]
In 2004, the school forfeited a football game against White City High School because the opponent had a girl on the team.[13]
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