History

The Visitation Order was founded in America in 1799 by Bishop Leonard Neale, the second president of Georgetown College, and three “Pious Ladies:” Alice Lalor, Maria Sharpe, and Maria McDermott. These women wanted to dedicate their lives and work to God. Initially, they followed the Rule of the Jesuits but were admitted to vows in the Visitation Order in 1816. They found the spirit of the Visitation, especially its emphasis on liberty of spirit, attractive and fitting for a monastery established in our still-young nation. In a letter addressed to the monastery in Annecy on March 6, 1817, Bishop Leonard Neale explained the reasons for the foundation of the Visitation in Georgetown and the need for the Sisters to continue educating young women in their school:

“The total want of such schools as were calculated to impart to the female youth of this country, both the accomplishments suited to their respective stations in life and also Christian principles and sound piety had long been viewed by pious parents with great anxiety and perplexity of mind… When behold! It pleased Divine Providence to inspire some pious women who were under my direction, to unite and consecrate their abilities and time to the education of young females. Their views were purely religious, not confined to a transient object, but directed to form a permanent Religious establishment, whence the inestimable advantages of a correct education might be derived to the female youth not only of the present day, but also to those of future generations as they might succeed in the progressive lapse of time.” – Georgetown Visitation Since 1799, Eleanore Sullivan

The Convent Annals document rapid growth. By the 1830s there were 53 Sisters and approximately 150 students in the Academy and another 100 in the Sisters’ “Benevolent School” for the poor. As the community grew, Sisters would go forth to found new Visitation communities across the country. A new monastery building was built in 1832; a new school building was completed in 1873. This building was completely destroyed in 1993 by a fire which left only the four brick walls standing. Guided by the motto, “The Spirit Rebuilds the Place,” a new Founders Hall opened in 1995. Today, fourteen buildings on the National Register of Historic Places sit on the 23-acre campus in the heart of historic Georgetown. 

The patterns of life represented at Georgetown Visitation during its first century continued throughout its second and, now, into its third century. At one time the school had four elementary grades, a high school, a boarding school, and a junior college. As the secondary school has grown to over 500 students, the religious community numbers fewer than a dozen Sisters. With generous hospitality and trust, these Sisters have welcomed the partnership of dedicated lay women and men who have brought professional excellence and a steadfast spirit of loyalty to the spiritual traditions of Georgetown Visitation.

One dominant thread which has sustained Georgetown Visitation in meeting the opportunities and challenges of the present moment is a sense of God’s guiding providence. Both the religious community and the school have rested in that providence and trusted its direction for more than 222 years.

Additional Histories and Stories of Georgetown Visitation

A summary of the story of Georgetown Visitation is provided in The Spirit and the Place, Portrait of Georgetown Visitation, published in 1988. A more complete history of the Maryland Colony and the first Visitation foundation in Georgetown is contained in Eleanore Sullivan’s Georgetown Visitation Since 1799, the second edition of which was published in 2004. The new edition, revised and edited by one of Eleanore’s former students, Susan Hannan, brings the history of Georgetown Visitation up to the year 2004.
The fact that the Sisters of Georgetown Visitation enslaved people was included in both of the school’s published histories, but had been largely unexplored until 2016 when the St. Jane de Chantal Salesian Center was founded and a School Archivist was able to research Georgetown Visitation’s enslaved community. To date, 121 men, women, and children have been identified, either by name or by brief description, as having been owned by the Sisters of the Visitation between 1800 and 1862. The school and Monastery embrace humility, honesty, and humanity as guiding values in learning, sharing, and remembering this important and difficult history. More information can be found at: The History of Enslaved People at Georgetown Visitation: Learning, Reflecting, and Teaching.

Mission Statement

Georgetown Visitation, founded in 1799, is a college preparatory school rooted in the Roman Catholic faith and Salesian tradition, committed to educating young women from diverse backgrounds. We are a faith-centered community dedicated to educational excellence enriched by co-curricular and service programs.

Our mission is to empower our students to meet the demands and challenges of today’s rapidly changing and morally complex world. We guide our students to become self-reliant, intellectually mature, and morally responsible women of faith, vision, and purpose.

Portrait of a Graduate

A Georgetown Visitation graduate enthusiastically lives St. Francis de Sales’ exhortation to “Be who you are and be that well, to give honor to the Master Craftsman whose handiwork you are.”

SHE IS A WOMAN OF FAITH.

• She demonstrates strong character and deep faith, enriched by Catholic theology and inspired by the Salesian tradition of the Sisters of the Visitation.
• She values and cultivates authentic relationships with God, self, family, and friends.
• Empowered by her belief in God, she embraces the world beyond Visitation; she “Lives Jesus” and embodies the Salesian virtues as she acts for peace and social justice.

SHE IS A WOMAN OF VISION.

• She is intellectually curious, perseveres, believes in her potential, and commits to growth and excellence throughout her life.
• She thinks independently, critically, and creatively; she confronts ambiguity confidently.
• She balances innovation and tradition, embracing and drawing from a broad understanding of the liberal arts and sciences.
• She listens to others’ perspectives, communicates effectively, and collaborates to solve problems.

SHE IS A WOMAN OF PURPOSE.

• She exemplifies moral integrity, personal responsibility, and a commitment to sharing her talents for the betterment of society.
• She models service, empathy, and humanity in her leadership.
• She honors the dignity and sacredness of every individual, appreciating cultures, religions, and economic and ethnic backgrounds different from her own.

A Georgetown Visitation woman possesses knowledge and skills for a lifetime of inquiry and excellence. She cultivates the Little Virtues espoused by St. Jane de Chantal and St. Francis de Sales, which will animate her unique God-given gifts and enrich our world.