St Anthony of Padua High School - Paduan Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

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ILailllBIIIMlIlM MllllBlirR JilSil ST. ANTHONY SCHOOL The Parochial school of St. Anthony of Padua was the first Catholic school in what is now the city of Minneapolis. The little settlement in which the school was located was then known as St. Anthony Falls. The school was opened in 1853. Some time before that, about 1849, the block upon which the church and school now stands had been purchased by the parish. Soon afterward the erection of a new frame church was begun, and in August. 1851. it was completed. It was the first Catholic church in Minneapolis. The Rev. Dennis Ledon was appointed its pastor and was thus the first resident priest in Minneapolis. It was during his pastorate that the school was opened. We read in the Acta et Dicta. Vol. III. that shortly after he assumed charge of the parish, with a view towards opening a school, he applied to the Bishop for Sisters. An old frame building that had been used by fur-traders was secured and fitted up as a home for the Sisters, and on the fifth of November. 1853, two Sisters of St. Joseph and a postulant came up from St. Paul, and took possession. In talking with some of the old settlers, we learned that the parish school was opened in a two-story, rented house—the lower floor only was used as a school, the owners of the house occupied the upper floor. This house was located on Marshall Street (then called First Street) and Ninth Avenue, on the corner north of their intersection. Two Sisters conducted the school—one for the boys, the other, for the girls. There was but little money in the settlement in those early pioneer days and though the cost of carrying on the school was small, nevertheless, to meet it. was quite a problem. However, under the helpful supervision of Father Ledon. it continued to grow. In 1851. Father Ledon was removed. His successor. Rev. John Fayolle. was in failing health, and could give but little thought to the needs of the school. In 1859. from motives of economy, the rented rooms were given up. and all the pupils were transferred to the convent, where a room had been prepared for them. Here, boys and girls were in the same room. By this arrangement, which continued nearly one year, there was but one Sister engaged in the work of the parish school. Late in 1 859. Father Fayolle suffered a severe nervous breakdown, and had to give up his charge. At that time the Bishop had no one to send in his place, and the parish was left without a Pastor. The Sisters were obliged to discontinue their work. In January. 1860. they went back to St. Paul. During the summer of 1860. Rev. John McDermott was appointed pastor of St. Anthony parish. In the fall of the same year the Sisters returned and the school was again opened. This time an old store was secured and moved up on the east corner of the block, upon which the church was located. The store was divided into two rooms, and again two Sisters were employed—the boys and girls being in separate rooms. 6

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iTTnrnrnrn i ■ 111 ■ i n ■ n i ■nn=iAutJANi-i i ■ 111 ■ iirrrm ST. ANTHONY CHURCH, 1861 In 1861 the present stone church was completed. Some time later the old frame church was moved near the school, and it. too. was used to accommodate the increasing number of pupils. Prom time to time, as need arose, additions were made to those two buildings. As the number of rooms increased, there was. necessarily. an increase in the number of Sister teachers, and from the late 60’s on for some twenty years a man teacher was employed for the larger boys. Rev. Felix Tissot succeeded Father McDermott and was pastor from 1866 to 1888. During his pastorate, in 1885, a new brown stone school was built. It contained four school rooms. With the opening of this new building, a High School department was added to the parish school. Also a small private school, which from their first coming the Sisters had conducted in the convent, was closed and thecc pupils were transferred to the new building. There were now about three hundred pupils in attendance and even with the new building there was not sufficient room. 7 RtV. FELIX TISSOT