St. Monica School History

Ryan appointed father Owen P. McManus pastor of the new parish and to organize the parish and build a new church on Ritner Street between the streets of 17th and 18th. The church was dedicated in the date of April 30, 1903 and St. Monica School was built beside it the year of 1906 dedicated on November 2, 1908, the IHM Sisters agreed to staff the school and quickly after 600 children filled the school. In 1920 the number of families had grown from 150 to 1,100, the flu epidemic affected many families and in response to the needs of those left single parents Father John Walsh opened the St. Monica Day Nursery at 1615 Porter Street and the St. Monica Business School the year of 1920. In 1944 father Aloysius F.X. Farrell was appointed pastor, in honor of the 50th anniversary renovated the church and established a kindergarten. The Baldwin Elementary School located at 16th and Porter Streets was purchased in 1956 and Cardinal John J. Krol dedicated and blessed the newly constructed Senior School at this site September 23,

The original Ritner Street School was razed and the foundation for a new Junior School was laid the summer of 1964 and dedicated by Cardinal Krol on September 8, 1965. In 1971 the Protestant Church property located at 15th and Porter was purchased, razed and a modern Day Care Facility erected. The school population continued to grow and peaked in the early 1980’s with over 1,200 students, 4 sections for every grade with 40+ students per classroom the business school closed the year 1995 and made classroom space for music, gym, tutoring and storage. Nearing his retirement in 2001 Bishop DeSimone established the St. Monica School Education Fund to provide tuition assistance for the needy families, that same year at the month of June Father Paul Quinter became a pastor. As of the 2002-2003 school year 633 students total enrolled to St. Monica School, classrooms to create counseling rooms, tutoring rooms and offices also each school has one classroom set up as a computer lab, and during this school year a wireless network and internet access were installed in both schools, in 2003 a new computer lab was installed in the Junior School. Father Quinter’s appointment to Rome in March 2003 necessitated the naming of a new pastor Father Joseph Kelley whose pastoral leadership inspires great hope and confidence in the future of Saint Monica School.