St. Angela Merici founded the Ursulines in Brescia, Italy, and began a totally new kind of religious life for women with an apostolic mission. She named the Ursulines after St. Ursula, a fourth century martyr and model of faith, courage and leadership, a favorite saint of young women in her day.

Marie of the Incarnation, an Ursuline Sister from Tours, France, went to Canada as a missionary, the first woman missionary to North America. She was canonized to sainthood on April 2, 2014 by Pope Francis.

Ursuline Sisters from France arrived in New Orleans, becoming the first community of women religious and opening the first Catholic school in what is now the United States.

Our own Ursuline Academy in St. Louis was founded by three Ursuline Sisters from Austria-Hungary and a young woman from Bavaria who was preparing to become an Ursuline Sister. They arrived in St. Louis on September 5, 1848. On November 2, 1848, less than two months after their arrival, they opened the school that would be known as Ursuline Academy. This first school was located on Fifth Street, near the old French market.

A larger school building was needed, and the school at 12^th and Russell Streets was built. Today this property is the site of St. Joseph’s Croatian Church.

As the new century dawned, the building on 12^th Street was in need of repairs and no longer adequate for the kind of education the Sisters wanted to offer. Towards the close of 1914, a beautifully wooded 28-acre tract with a fine old colonial-style mansion was for sale in Oakland. The Sisters purchased the property, and in the spring of 1915 the mansion was furnished and arranged for a school and the Sisters’ residence. A high school, known as St. Angela's Academy, was opened there in September 1915.

Ground was broken for a new convent and academy. By August 1926, the present brick structure facing the pond, now known as Merici Hall, opened to meet the needs of the growing enrollment. St. Angela's Academy and Ursuline Academy day students (12th & Russell) combined to become Ursuline Academy-Kirkwood. The mansion remained as a place for students who were boarders.

A west building, now known as Brescia Hall, was added to accommodate the young women joining Ursuline Academy due to the closure of Coyle High School. This offered additional classroom space and a new gymnasium.

The old mansion which had previously been torn down was replaced with a new residence for the Ursuline Sisters, where they lived until the summer of 2005. This made possible the Academy’s expansion into what had been the convent facilities.

Ursuline was recognized by the United States Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.

A new convocation and athletic center was constructed and joined to the gymnasium of 1960; it houses an enlarged gymnasium, athletic offices, training room, and fitness center with an extensive lobby for gathering purposes.

The new facility was officially named O’Hara Hall after a past Ursuline President of the Academy, Sr. Madonna O’Hara, O.S.U., who left office in 2006.

Renovations were completed on the former convent building in order to create space for the administrative offices of the Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union, Central Province.

Hartnett Hall, named for longtime educator Mrs. Thelma Hartnett. At 99 years old, Thelma continues to work in the Alumnae Office and has no plans to retire!

This space provides students with a STEAM model of education:

• Four new science labs

• A choral music and band room

• A modern dance studio

• An elevator system allowing the whole campus to be ADA compliant