St. Joseph Convent 1890

St. Joseph Convent 1890. . In the year 1888 the Roman Catholic Priest Father Stephanus J.J. Niewenhuis passed away and in his last will and testament he left two houses, a plot of land and Ten thousand guilders to the Dominican Nuns of The Netherlands. The money and buildings were intended to lure the Dominican Nuns to St. Maarten to start a school there. He had been a priest on St. Martin for 35 years and saw where there was a great need for a school., The covenant and the school were blessed and were given the name St. Joseph. After Nuns safe arrival on May 31, 1890 they went to the future convent where everything was nicely prepared by Father Jordanus Onderwater O.P. and Miss Catherine Mildrum the former housekeeper of the late Father Niewenhuys. The convent was dedicated to St. Joseph. The Reverend Sister Egelie was the first principal of the new school and the first prioress of the St. Joseph Convent., Hurricane Irma a category five hurricane which devastated St. Maarten on September 6th, 2017 destroyed the complete second floor of the former building. A new cement roof replaced the old roof while the owners the Gioia Family taking into consideration the historic nature of the building replaced the former roof so that the building look the same as before the hurricane.