History
St. Michael Catholic School: A Historical Overview
Founded in 1834 by Maria Matilde De Mattias, an Italian teacher dedicated to serving the Catholic Church, the Adorers of the Blood of Christ is a religious congregation committed to spreading the message of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and redemption through acts of love, education, and healthcare. Canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church in 2003, Maria Matilde De Mattias’s legacy lives on through the Adorers’ global mission.
In 1971, the Adorers extended their mission to Liberia, with Sisters Alvina Schott and Bonita Wittenbrink establishing a healthcare mission in Grandcess Territory. Two years later, Sisters Virginia Walsh, Mary Nagle, and Alvina Schott founded a mission in Gardnersville, marking the inception of St. Michael’s School. Sister Alvina Schott’s leadership was instrumental in the school’s growth from an elementary to a high school by 1982.
In 1983, St. Michael’s High School relocated to a new campus in New Georgia, where it continues to thrive. Sisters Raphael Ann Drone and Mary Nagle were among the pioneering educators at the new location. Since graduating its first senior class in 1984, the school has produced numerous accomplished alumni, contributing their talents globally.
And sometimes it’s the very otherness of a stranger, someone who doesn’t belong to our ethnic or ideological or religious group, an otherness that can repel us initially, but which can jerk us out of our habitual selfishness, and give us intonations of that sacred otherness, which is God. Karen Armstrong
In 1992, amidst the civil conflict in Liberia, Sisters Barbara Ann Muttra, Mary Joel Kolmer, Kathleen McGuire, Agnes Mueller, and Shirley Kolmer, members of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, were tragically killed while providing healthcare and support to those in need. Their selfless sacrifice remains a testament to the values of compassion and service.