Empowering and education women since 1882 in the tradition of the sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.
Founded and rooted in the Gospel values of the Catholic church and the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, the Academy of Our Lady of Peace empowers young women in an innovative learning environment that honors the individual while fostering community, and develops faith-filled leaders dedicated to the “love of God and the dear neighbor without distinction.”
The Primitive Constitution of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet states that the Congregation is dedicated to “the practice of all the spiritual and corporal works of mercy of which a woman is capable and which will benefit the…dear neighbor.” Those works of mercy were brought to San Diego in 1882 when four Sisters of St. Joseph arrived on board the steamship Ancon and founded the Academy of Our Lady of Peace. The Sisters arrived at the behest of Father Antonio Ubach, who had been petitioning the Sisters since 1870 to establish a school in San Diego.
The 132 years of OLP’s presence in San Diego have been replete with a tradition of educational excellence. Currently, this education excellence is fostered by a college-preparatory liberal arts curriculum, which annually sees 99% of the graduating class pursuing higher education. The Academy’s philosophy incorporates the ideals of developing young women in six specific areas: spiritual and moral; intellectual; aesthetic; physical; psychological; social. A challenging college preparatory liberal arts program and enrichment activities play major parts in accomplishing some of these goals, but Religious Studies and a curriculum-wide emphasis on Peace & Justice issues are considered fundamental in providing an important “education of the heart.”