Here is a link to the web site of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood, NY.

About Mother Mary Louis

Photos of Mother Mary Louis

Profile of Mother Mary Louis, founder and namesake of The Mary Louis Academy

Mother Mary Louis was born Mary Ann Crummey in 1852 in Flushing, Queens. Upon the death of her mother in 1860, Mary Ann, along with her younger sister, Ellie, was entrusted to the care of the Sisters of St. Joseph at St. Joseph’s Convent on Main Street and Kissena Blvd in Flushing.

In 1867, at age 15, Mary entered the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, being given the religious name of Sister Mary Louis. Sister Mary Louis was a gifted musician, singer and organist and served as the Congregation’s Directress of Music at the Motherhouse. She was elected Superior General of the Sisters of St. Joseph in1892. She was repeatedly re-elected to this position by her own Congregation of Sisters, ultimately serving in this capacity for a total of 40 years.

During the tenure of Mother Mary Louis as Superior, the Sisters of St. Joseph enjoyed tremendous growth and achievement. When Mother Mary Louis took over the leadership of the Congregation in 1892, the number of Sisters was at 300. At the time of her death forty years later, the Order had nearly quadrupled, consisting of more than 1,100 Women Religious.

In addition to increasing the number of vocations to her Congregation, Mother Mary Louis was directly responsible for the purchase and establishment of the Josephite Motherhouse in Brentwood in 1904. At this time, it was unheard of for any female to transact any type of real estate deal, yet Mother Mary Louis personally surveyed, selected and negotiated the purchase of hundreds of acres of land in Brentwood. She also oversaw its development as Motherhouse, College, Novitiate and Boarding School for Girls, while maintaining the Convent of St. Joseph in Flushing.

Mother Mary Louis was a highly regarded woman of her time and worked closely with the male leaders of the Diocese of Brooklyn and Archdiocese of New York including Bishop McDonnell, Bishop Molloy and Archbishop Spellman.

Under Mother Mary Louis’ direction St. John’s Hospital in Elmhurst and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Rockaway were both opened and staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph, as well as 32 elementary and secondary schools and two colleges, mostly in Queens and also in parts of Brooklyn.

In early 1932, Mother Mary Louis began negotiations to open that Academy for girls on the hilltop just above Hillside Avenue at Edgerton Blvd/179th Street. The plans were interrupted, however, when Mother Mary Louis was felled by sudden illness in early April 1932, passing away a month later on May 22nd. The New York Times obituary of May 24, 1932 proclaimed Mother Mary Louis’ work of 40 years, "phenomenal."

The Sisters of St. Joseph took up the plans for their Jamaica Estates Academy deciding to name the school in honor of Mother Mary Louis, a woman of great vision, strength, courage, wisdom and, most of all, faith.