The School Sisters of Notre Dame have a long history at Chatawa, dating to 1874. The sisters operated a school on site and constructed several prominent buildings, including two three-story dormitories in 1908. The school closed in 1975, 100 years after opening. The sisters converted part of the school into their retirement center in 1977. And in 1989, in this quiet, peaceful setting, they established a retreat center for private and group retreats in the original church and convent. That church, known as St. Theresa's, was the scene of a celebrity wedding in 1941 when Irish-born actress Maureen O’Hara married McComb native William Houston Price. Many of the Sisters of Notre Dame are buried in a small cemetery nearby St. Mary of the Pines.
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