Vancouver College - Collegian Yearbook (Vancouver, British Columbia Canada)

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Mount St. Francis Monastery, the Brothers, first house in North America. It is the residence for the Brothers who teach at St. Patrick ' s Hall, St. John’s. The introduction of the Christian Brothers into the schools of Newfoundland raised the attendance from sixty-six students to over three hundred in the first month of their instructions. The increase in students was so incredible that “...many others who had applied for admission had to be denied entrance for lack of ac- comodation. The system was far superior to anything which had obtained in the classes since their establish- ment in 1832.” This problem of expansion was solved by the subcription of $13,000 by the Benevolent Irish Society to erect a new school. In July of 1877, the cor- nerstone of St. Patrick’s hall was laid. The construction of this structure began only six months after the first foundation of Mt. St. Francis Monastery had been laid. Three years later, both buildings were completed, and although this extra space was provided, overcrowding was still a large problem. As a result. Holy Cross School in St. John’s was erected in 1890. From here, the Christian Brothers moved strongly across Newfoundland, then slowly spread into the rest of Canada and the United States. In August of 1889, the Brothers officially took over St. Bonaventures College. In 1898 Mount Cashel Orphanage was opened in N ewfoundland. In 1906, the Brothers’ first American school was opened in New York City. Since then, a number of schools have been opened in the States, coming as far west as Washington. Br. J.S. Nash, Left; Assistant Superior General of the Brothers, along with Br. Bates, our school principal. In 1915, St. Louis College in Victoria was taken over by the Brothers. It had previously been run by the Oblate Fathers and the Sisters of St. Ann. From here, the in- fluence of the Christian Brothers spread to Vancouver, where Vancouver College was opened in 1922 in Rosary Hall on Richards Street. In 1924, the College moved to its present property. From this time on, the Christian Brothers have opened a large number of schools across North America including O’Dea High School in Seattle, Iona College in New Rochelle, Cantwell High School in Montebello, Los Angeles, St. Joseph Academy in Antigua and St. Mary’s Academy in Dominica, to mention just a few. For one hundred years, the Christian Brothers have been going strong in North America, spreading their good works across the continent. We pay a special tribute to them in their centennial year and hope that their work will persist for centuries to come. 3

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COMMEMORA TION TO THE WORK OF THE CHRISTIAN BROTHERS IN NORTH AMERICA Vancouver College has remained alive for the past fifty-four years thanks to the work of the Christian Brothers. As students, none of us has really seen or felt the coming to life of our school or the striving of the Christian Brothers to keep it running as it has been for over half a century. Where exactly did Vancouver College come from? How did it get started? The answers to these questions are found in the establishment of the Christian Brothers in North America. Although 1876 marks the opening of the first of the Brothers’ schools in North America, the Christian Brothers were originally asked in 1831 by Bishop Fleming of St. John’s to send out a group of religious teachers. Because of the great demand for their services in Ireland, Brother Edmund Ignatius Rice found it im- possible to meet the request, and the project was tem- porarily dropped. The Brothers ' s residence at Vancouver College, founded 1922. Br. Howland. Superior of the Brothers at Vancouver College, along with Br. |.F. McGowan, Left; Provincial Superior of the Brothers for the Western Province of the IJ.S., and Br. J.l,. Kelly, Bight; Superior General o( the Congregation of Christian Brothers. In 1847, Dr. Fleming was successful in getting four members of the Franciscan Brothers Community to travel to Newfoundland, but after a few years they left, and the schools were left in the hands of lay teachers. In 1863, the Benevolent Irish Society called on Bishop Mullock to take up the matter of sending a number of religious teachers to Newfoundland, preferably a group of Irish Christian Brothers. Again, because of com- mitments in their native land, the Brothers were unable to send a group out at that time. In 1875, the Benevolent Irish Society stressed the fact that the Christian Brothers’ coming to North America was absolutely necessary for the continuation of the present schools. Bishop Mullock appealed to the Christian Brothers to take charge of the schools, and at last the application for their services was received. Rev. Brothers Hoope and Macdonald were sent by the Superior General to survey the educational problems and to study the local conditions. As a result of their study, they arranged to take charge of the schools from January of 1876. The four Brothers making up this first community were Brothers Holland, Prenderville, Mit- chell and Tully. 2

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In 1922, four members of the Christian Brothers, headed by Br. M.J. Lannon arrived in Vancouver to open Vancouver College. To illustrate the interest the Brothers aroused in Vancouver, 91 students turned up on the opening day of school. Sept. 5, 1922. The Brothers residence was at 1112 Broughton St. whereas the school was in what is presently Rosary Hall on Richards Street. The Shaughnessy Heights location was purchased with the aid of Fr. W. O’Boyle and Charles Stafford. The original wing, now known as Lannon Hall, was opened in 1925. McCormack Hall, built through the generosity of J.D. McCormack, was built in 1927 and housed thirty boarders. After completion of this wing, the enrollment rose to 300 students. During the Depression years, the enrollment fell to 200 students. College growth was somewhat stunted during this period. In 1939 at the Depression’s close, Br. E.B. Walsh became principal of Vancouver College. He served V.C. for 28 years as an administrator and teacher. By the end of his term in ' 1945, he had been successful in raising $45,000 toward a Gymnasium for the College. 4 TOP OF PAGE: Vancouver College before the great fire of 1946. ABOVE: The construction of Mackin Hall, our present Cafeteria and grades ten and eleven hallways. RIGHT: The early construction of Nichol Hall. UPPER RIGHT ON 1ACING PAGE: the basic plan in Nichol Hall shows the present placement of the grade eight hallway.