For almost 300 years Ursuline sisters have served the New Orleans community; they have joyously struggled with multiple opponents (usually men) in order to conduct their mission. This book, adapted from Sister Jane Frances Heaney's doctoral dissertation, recounts the first century of these struggles in great detail. Throughout the narrative the devotion and commitment the Ursulines held to their city which guided every development and improvement they made is manifest in their communications. This book was published by the New Orleans Ursulines with the generous help of the community; it includes an index and notes, and photographs, maps, and drawings are generously interspersed throughout the text. While it is narrowly focused and of little broad appeal, this volume is a useful reference for the social and political conditions of New Orleans during its first century, as seen through the eyes of intelligent witnesses whose influence in the city began even before their arrival. ( )