Father Joseph Gallagher of St. Patrick in Roxbury was the first advocate for establishing, in the Boston area, a private academy, conducted by the Sisters of Charity. Having obtained the necessary permission from Archbishop Williams of Boston, he noted that a very valuable piece of property had appeared in Wellesley, a beautiful town, 11 miles west of Boston, incorporated in 1881. It received its name from that of the Welles family, one of several "old" families who dominated the life and spirit of this bucolic suburb; however, old Wellesley discouraged immigration; the population was confined to descendants of the early settlers. Thus, under not very auspicious circumstances, but under the guidance of Mr. John Tighe of Roxbury, the purchase of the property was underway.

Sister Mary Berchmans Walsh was the superior at St. Patrick and visited the property with Mr. Tighe, Father Gallagher, and his sister, Teresa. Mother Mary Bonaventure Kennedy came from Halifax and she was so enraptured by the beauty that she agreed to its purchase. At the time, the property was owned by Mr. Marshall S. Scudder, whose Trustees agreed to sell Aug. 2, 1893. The sale was completed on Aug. 16, and a deposit of $3,000 was accepted as a partial payment. On Aug. 24, a further payment of $22,000 was made; the balance of $25,000 remained as a mortgage at the rate of 5 percent. On April 25, 1894, Mr. John Tighe deeded the property to the Sisters of Charity of Halifax, the consideration being $50,000. On that same day, Father Gallagher and his sister Teresa made a gift to the Sisters of the Dudley property, adding another 40 acres to the 155 acres they already possessed.

Thus, petitioned by Mary J. Eustace, Mary E. Hurley, Mary E. Power, Mary J. Walsh, Sarah A. McNamara, Ellen Collins, and Agnes Burns (Sisters had to use their secular names), the Academy of the Assumption was incorporated by the State of Massachusetts. Although the Academy property has lived through many lives, from a boarding school to a care facility for the elderly in Elizabeth Seton and Marillac Residences, the Sisters continue to serve: "the love of Christ urges us to spend ourselves for others in union with him who is among us as one who serves" (Constitutions 41).

Remember those Wellesley Field Days? The proceeds of those yearly summer events helped to defer the $50,000 bank note.