Saint Patrick School - We Believe in Miracles

History

St. Patrick Parish was founded in 1841. On December 26, 1848, a day school opened for boys of age eight and up, with an initial enrollment of 35.

The first teacher salary, “allowed at the rate of $300 per year”, was paid for from tuition funds and parish collections. Documents from that same time state, “The parents who are able to pay $1.00 per quarter…and provide books, but no boy if well conducted is refused, until the number shall amount to 80.”

In March 1851, the parish applied for Sisters of Mercy to staff a school for girls. This girl’s school opened in September of that year.

The Sisters of Mercy provided faculty staffing for the school for 120 years. In the 1960’s, St. Patrick Parish was severely impacted by the construction of Interstate Route 95. The ensuing decline of parish membership because of the displacement of many families resulted in a decision to close the school in June 1971.

However, according to God’s plan, the work of the school had not ended. The Catholic Charismatic Movement began to have a profound influence on the life of the parish in later 1971. Members of the active prayer group were committing to renewal of the parish and began efforts to provide for the opening of the school. In September 1972, the school reopened. Although Sisters of Mercy continued to serve as principal and/or teachers, the faculty was composed primarily of lay teachers, as it is now.

When the school reopened, it operated on the principle of individual attention to the ability and talents of each student to achieve academic excellence in the tradition of the prior 130 years of the school’s history.

The school was founded because immigrants to the United States wanted to provide for the education of their children in the Faith and in academic instruction that would equip them to use their God-given abilities to the fullest. The early history of the school witnesses to a strong commitment and willingness to sacrifice to provide an education rooted in the belief that every person is of immeasurable value and is loved by God. That same commitment and willingness to sacrifice is evidenced today by the parish; the administration, faculty, and staff of the school; parents; and other benefactors.

When the school was founded, it served the children of Irish immigrants who faced the pressures of socioeconomic challenges and discrimination. The school, located in an inner city neighborhood, continues to serve the children of immigrant families who come from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Almost uninterruptedly for over 150 years, St. Patrick School has been a place where parish, parents, and teachers have worked together to teach children that they are precious in the sight of God, calling them to develop their gifts and talents to be used for the building of God’s kingdom.

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