The nuns of Spokane have been Franciscans, Dominicans, Sisters of the Good Shepherd and the Holy Names and several other orders and their works and presence has been powerful in Spokane history. They operated hospitals, schools, lay ministries and led protests. It's hard to overstate their influence on education and social services. 

Then and Now for the coming week will focus on the Sisters of the Holy Names, also called the Sisters of the Names of Jesus and Mary, an order founded in Canada in the 1840s. They are best known for running a Catholic girls' school and college between 1891 and 1975. And although there are still several hundred Holy Names nuns still living, many are elderly. Spokane's sisters are retiring to local assisted living centers and leaving the work they're best known for. Read about the school and college on N. Superior St. in Spokane this coming Monday, 2/15. 

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