The First Nuns in Arkansas

Today in 1851 marks the arrival of twelve Sisters of Mercy in Little Rock, Arkansas. They soon founded Mount St. Mary’s Academy, where February 5 is known as “Founders’ Day.” Not only was it the first Catholic school in the state, it was the first school in the state. In an area where there were few schools to begin with, Protestant and Catholic children studied together under the Sisters’ tutelage. The Mercys founded other schools throughout the state, including St. John’s in Hot Springs, which was attended by a future president Bill Clinton. Interestingly Clinton was the only president to attend parochial school, not JFK (who attended private schools). In 2001, on the occasion of Mount St. Mary’s sesquicentennial, Governor Mike Huckabee declared this day “Sisters of Mercy Day” in Arkansas.