Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School is an all-girl, Catholic high school located in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois at 3737 West 99th Street. A small group of Mercy Sisters arrived in Chicago in 1846, led by Frances Warde, Catherine McAuley's closest friend. Francis Xavier Academy for Females, the first school chartered in the city of Chicago. The course of study covered
primary, secondary and collegiate levels. The first building was located on Wabash Avenue between Madison and Monroe Streets. When the Chicago Fire in 1871 destroyed the original building, St. Francis Academy relocated to 29th and Wabash for a short time, then to a larger site at 49th and Cottage Grove in 1900. In the 1950's, the southwest side of Chicago needed a Catholic girls' school to serve a fast-growing population. In 1956 "the Academy" relocated once again. Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School and St. Xavier College (which is now a university) opened in the fall of 1956 to serve secondary and post secondary women students respectively. McAuley opened with 523 students, 300 of which were first year students. Today approximately 1,300 young women and 150 faculty and staff members form the McAuley community.
