St Francis College - Franciscan Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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THIS YEAR WITNESSES THE EIGHTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE COLLEGE

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PUBLISHED BY THE SENIOR CLASS SAINT FRANCIS COLLEGE BROOKLYN — NEW YORK

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$T- FRANCIS College history was begun by those Brothers who first arrived on these shores and pioneered in the latter half of the nine¬ teenth century for the charitable work of educating Brooklyn’s growing population. In due time their teaching expanded so far that it was de¬ cided to build on Baltic Street an Academy which was shortly destined to be the home of the College. In 1858 the population of the newly established diocese of Brook¬ lyn was being augmented with the arrival of every ship from Europe. Franciscans were needed to supply the education of the children of immigrants. Consequently Bishop Lough 1 in appealed for teaching Brothers to Archbishop McHale of Tuam, Ireland. The plea fell on sympathetic ears; and on May 3 1st, 1858, two Brothers, John McMahon and Vincent Hayes, arrived in Brooklyn to begin the foundation of the present Congregation. After many hardships and disappointments, the Brothers acquired an old house on Butler Street, to the rear of the Baltic property which they had recently procured. The result was that many new students could be accommodated, and many more aspirants to the Order accepted. The Order increased rapidly, and the insistent demand for Franciscan teachers in parish schools grew apace. In 1868, when the order was incorporated under the title Saint Francis Monastery of the City of Brooklyn,” the Brothers had already established no less than seven parish schools, a wonderful record for ten years. To day one may see these Brothers, who receive as recompense only the satisfaction of serving God, leaving their monastery on Butler Street every school day to travel to the parish schools scattered throughout the borough.