Anne Faye

  Prologue August 14, 1921, Springfield, Massachusetts   Mother John Berchmans Somers shifted the papers in her hands as she waited in the chancellery office. Going to see the bishop was a bit like being called to the principal’s office. Bishop Beaven had always been so kind to her and to the whole Sisters of Saint Joseph community, but the Good Lord saw fit to call him to his eternal reward. She offered a quick prayer for his soul as she thought of him. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. Yes, he had been a good man and a good superior. She could only hope to have as cordial a relationship with the recently installed Bishop Thomas O’Leary. She understood that it couldn’t be easy to lead an entire diocese. The Diocese of Springfield covered much territory and included many people of varying ethnicities who lived in both urban centers and the most rural of hilltowns. Yes, she knew what it was like to bear the weight of responsibility.

  I was so pleased to see this review on Amazon from Laura Pearl , author of Finding Grace and Erin's Ring:     I have read three other novels by Anne Faye and enjoyed them all, but this might be my favorite one of the bunch. A lovely work of historical fiction, The Charter Class tells the story of the very first class of students at The College of Our Lady of the Elms in Springfield, MA ("Elms College" for short), an all-girls school that opened in the 1920's. In an era when few young women of modest means had opportunities for higher education, Mother John Berchmans (Mother Superior of the Sisters of Saint Joseph) envisioned an educational institution that would prepare its bright students--body, mind, and soul--for any future vocation, whether it be in the work force, in the home, or in the religious life. With the eager support of Bishop Thomas O'Leary, Elms College became a reality and welcomed its first charter class of 36 freshmen in the

  The Charter Class is now available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon. It is free on Kindle Unlimited.  Mother John Berchmans had a dream . . . Mother John Berchmans Somers of the Sisters of St. Joseph dreamed of establishing a college to serve the Catholic young women of western Massachusetts. With the support of Bishop Thomas O’Leary, that dream became the College of Our Lady of the Elms. In September 1928, thirty-six brave students embarked on the grand adventure of being the charter class for the new institution. In their quest to obtain a college education at a time when that was an unexpected route for young women, these students will face challenges at home, at school, and in their personal lives. Katie O’Sullivan’s recently deceased mother wanted her daughter to have more opportunities in life than to become a farmer’s wife, but Katie leaves for college with a heavy heart. She misses her father and the farm she left behind. Will she fulfill her mother’s dying wi

  The Charter Class is now available on Amazon Our Lady of the Elms first opened as an academy to educate girls in Chicopee, Massachusetts, in 1899. The diocese purchased a large home and property on Springfield Street to accommodate the new institution. The school was named in honor of the Blessed Mother and for the number of stately elm trees growing on the property. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, who had been serving the Diocese of Springfield since 1883, staffed the institution. It operated as a boarding school designed for girls from economically modest families, especially one-parent households, in addition to welcoming local students who could commute to school on a daily basis. While it doesn’t factor in this novel, the academy for younger students would coexist with the college until 1944. By 1910, the sisters established a Normal School, known as St. Joseph’s College, as an outgrowth of the academy, a two-year course of study that would prepare students to be