President & Principal

On September 1, 1882, the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood of O’Fallon, Missouri, opened St. Elizabeth Academy at its current site in South St. Louis as a means of bringing to life and fostering the Gospel values in the lives of young women through quality Catholic education. SEA began as a resident high school for girls with four students, six Sisters of the Most Precious Blood, and a blind horse that knew its way to the parish church.

Since that rather quiet beginning, the SEA school community has experienced many changes and has evolved into a quality educational institution characterized by the gift of empowering an academically, culturally, economically, and racially diverse group of young women. As one student recently said,   “We have something that other schools don’t have. We have diversity. Diversity enriches our lives and prepares us to live in a global world.”

 “Empower” has become a familiar word at SEA. The prayer, “Let us affirm and empower. Let us be the presence of Christ. St Elizabeth, pray for us.”  is used every day as part of the school’s opening and closing prayers, as well as in all prayer services throughout the school day, in class, at club meetings, and in other situations. The word “empower” was taken from the mission statement of the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood and was included in SEA’s mission statement and prayer in order to emphasize the relationship between St. Elizabeth Academy and the Sisters.

SEA has indeed evolved since the school opened on September 1, 1882 and its mission of fostering Gospel values in the lives of young women through quality Catholic education has adapted to the contemporary reality of the school. If the original four students and six Sisters were to visit SEA today, initially they wouldn’t recognize the school. Yet, if they spent some time in the halls and classrooms observing the students, teachers and administrators they would recognize that the values of the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood are alive and well in the school.

The energy and desire to empower others has motivated the SEA school community to make decisions about SEA’s future in order to ensure that quality Catholic education continues to be accessible to the young women who choose SEA. As we plan for the future of SEA we invite you to participate with us in implementing this mission of empowering young women to develop their God-given talents. This is the mission that embodies the Gospel values that have been characteristic of the school since its beginning. Let us continue “Affirming Our Past . . . Empowering Our Future.”