St. Frances Academy, the original name of Owensboro Catholic High School, is seen in this undated photograph. COURTESY OF ARCHIVES

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC

When reading his April 2021 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic, Robert “Bob” Slack noticed – but was not surprised to see – that the original name of Owensboro Catholic High School, his alma mater, was misspelled.

The error appeared on page 13, in the story “’Keep up a good spiritual life…’ 102-year-old priest advises clergy, other Church ministers.”

The story had focused on several favorite memories from Msgr. George Hancock, who resides at the Carmel Home in Owensboro and had just celebrated his 102nd birthday.

The story referred to Msgr. Hancock as having taught at “St. Francis Academy” in Owensboro, which later became Owensboro Catholic High School.

Robert “Bob” Slack as a young student at St. Frances Academy in Owensboro. COURTESY OF ROBERT SLACK

Hoping to set the record straight, Slack reached out to The Western Kentucky Catholic.

In a friendly April 4, 2021 email, Slack introduced himself and said he had enjoyed reading the story about his retired freshman class teacher, Msgr. Hancock, who had taught Slack from 1948-1949.

However, he explained, the name of the high school was actually “FrancEs, named for the Mother Superior of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Mother Frances Gardiner, in 1849.”

He went on to share that the school, which was founded by and originally operated by this community of women religious, was for girls only, and then later added grade-school boys.

He shared that the “Frances” versus “Francis” situation has been a persistent problem in local reports that reference the high school, with obituaries frequently misspelling it as well.

“So don’t feel like the Lone Ranger,” he wrote.

Journey through history

After receiving his email, the WKC asked Slack if he would be willing to share more of his knowledge about this small, albeit significant, error.

Slack has dedicated years of research into his beloved high school’s history, working with both the Diocese of Owensboro’s Archives as well as the library at Owensboro Catholic High School, which is home to many resources about the school’s legacy.

He was more than happy to share some of his research with the WKC.

For instance: St. Frances Academy, founded in 1849, was originally located at Third and Allen St., Owensboro. In 1889, the all-girls’ academy moved to a location at Fifth and Allen St.

(The school became coed in 1914, according to the book “Daviess County, Kentucky 1815-2015 Celebrating Our Heritage.”)

In 1951, St. Frances Academy changed names to become Owensboro Catholic High School. It also changed locations, moving from Fifth and Allen to its current location on Parrish Ave.

Robert “Bob” Slack, who today attends Precious Blood Parish in Owensboro, graduated with Owensboro Catholic High School’s first Class of 1952. COURTESY OF ROBERT SLACK

Slack was a senior when the name change and the move across town took place. He and many classmates spent that summer helping move equipment for the new school, and today he recalls “the excitement of coming into something new.”

Slack graduated from OCHS in June 1952. One of his classmates included Florence Henderson, who went on to play Carol Brady, the mother in the 1970s sitcom “The Brady Bunch.”

(Slack even performed in a school play, “Jerry of Jericho Road,” with Henderson. Slack played “Uncle Pete, an old time westerner” and Henderson played the titular character, “Jerry.” Slack still has the program, whose orange construction paper cover has remained in excellent condition.)

Legacy of faith

According to a 2007 document compiled by Sr. Sheila Ann Madden, SCN, on the topic of OCHS’s history, St. Frances Academy was named not only for Mother Frances Gardiner but also for the school’s original patroness: St. Frances of Rome.

Slack is not sure why the persistent problem of misspelling “Frances” keeps happening.

“I think there’s an assumption that it’s named for the male St. Francis of Assisi,” since that saint is more commonly known, said Slack.

According to LoyolaPress.com’s “Saints Stories for All Ages,” St. Frances of Rome lived from 1384-1440. Despite feeling called to become a nun, she married a nobleman and raised four children on the wealthy family estate. She and her sister-in-law cared for the poor and the sick during civil wars and the plague.

“In 1424, with Lorenzo’s full support, she organized a group of women as the Oblates of Mary,” stated the online article. “They lived at home under the Rule of St. Benedict without vows and shared Frances’s mission to the sick.”

After her husband died in 1436, Frances joined the Oblates and became their superior. She received visions and ecstasies during the remainder of her life.

But interestingly enough, St. Frances of Rome is not today’s patroness of OCHS.

From early on in the high school’s history, OCHS has looked to Our Lady of the Assumption as its patroness, said Edward Wilson, the Diocese of Owensboro’s archivist.

“The seniors of the class of 1955 dedicated their yearbook to her and highlighted that she was the patroness of the school,” said Wilson in a July 8, 2021 email.

Keith Osborne, chief administrative officer of Owensboro Catholic Schools, confirmed that Our Lady of the Assumption remains OCHS’s patroness to this day.

Throughout the years of being a lifelong Catholic, Slack says his education with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth “taught me to embrace my own Catholic faith.”

“I still remember the songs we were taught; we memorized the old Baltimore Catechism,” said Slack, whose father came from a large Catholic family himself.

“I’ve never lost my faith,” he added. “I attribute it to (the sisters) and my family.”

Originally printed in the August 2021 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.