St. Mary’s Dominican Class of 1956 Continues Connections

From left: Patricia O’Brien Toso, Maureen Pfister, Sandra Meacham Gutknecht, Marie O’Rourke Hosemann, Jolise Heiderhoff, Sr. Dominic Savio OP (Celeste Estorge), Georgia Ann Power Horne, and Donna Ward Heim

Members of St. Mary’s Dominican High School Class of 1956 celebrated over lunch when one of their classmates who has lived in Georgia for many years was briefly in New Orleans recently.

Over the past six decades, classmates have kept in contact, and several are also alumnae of St. Matthias Elementary School in New Orleans. The elementary school closed in 1979 after 58 years in operation. In 2016, the school’s alumni gave to St. Mary’s Dominican High School the marble state of St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and Patron of Catholic Schools, originally located at the elementary school. It was given in gratitude for the Dominican sisters who taught at St. Matthias, the school’s graduates who attended Dominican, and the parishioners of Blessed Trinity Catholic Church in New Orleans. The statue’s relocation was made possible by Catholic Daughters of the America Court Mater Dei #868.

Since 1860, St. Mary’s Dominican High School has been a leader of Catholic education in the New Orleans region. The school’s 161-year legacy is rooted in the tradition of prayer, study, community, and service. These are the pillars of Dominican life and form the foundation for the Dominican student’s experience.