Highlights in Our History
It was the massive influx of immigrants to Alexandria area in the late 19th century that initiated the parish’s need to establish a formal parochial school.
With the building of the C&O Canal and the B&O Railroad, the arrival of Irish Catholic immigrants swelled in the mid and late 1800s. Driven by poverty, the potato famine of 1847, religious persecution, and laws depriving their children of education, new immigrant Irish parishioners knew that their children could find a path to prosperity through a formal education and Catholic formation at St. Mary’s.
The establishment of Saint Mary’s Parochial School would not have been possible without the commitment of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, a French order founded in 1841.
For 132 years of Saint Mary’s parish’s 224-year existence, the Sisters of the Holy Cross would play a critical role in transforming the hearts and minds of generations of students. They would staff the parish’s school for African-American parishioner families for 12 years from 1885 to 1897. Along with staffing the parish’s parochial school, the sisters established the beloved St. Mary’s Academy whose legacy would span 121 years. The last two sisters teaching at St. Mary’s School retired in 2001.
The end of World War II signals another major moment in the history of the parish for expanding and advancing its school.
By 1943, the school’s enrollment was already 215 boys and 125 girls. St. Mary’s Hall erected in 1868 as a social hall by the Young Catholic Friends Society and located at the corner of Royal and Wolfe Streets (now a parking lot) was over-crowed and the Lyceum was already being used to accommodate the overflow. In 1944, 90% of the School’s operating budget was generated from the parish collection.With the “Greatest Generation” returning home from World War II in 1945 and eager to start families and set roots, St. Mary’s School enrollment swells again making the need to build a new school inevitable.
A Critical Need, An Audacious Project – The Building of a New School
The new St. Mary’s School, now the Basilica School of Saint Mary opened in 1950 with a student enrollment of 512 students thanks to the tenacity of the parish’s well-regarded pastor, Father Edward Stephens and the great generosity of parishioners and school parents. Two years earlier in 1948 with the purchase of Pullman Farm at Green and Royal Streets, Father Stephens launches an ambitious fundraising drive to pay for $500,000 in construction costs associated with the building of a new elementary school. The School was opened in March 1950 with 12 classrooms, a library, a principal’s office, teachers’ lounge, clinic, cafeteria and multi-purpose room.In the 1950s, with postwar “baby boomers” reaching school age, Saint Mary’s School would once again be the educator of choice for parish families and enrollment would swell to 708 students by 1953. An additional wing (on the west side) was added to the School with five classrooms and a kindergarten and by 1954 plans were made to add another wing on the east side of the school. By 1962 school enrollment had reached 1,170.
CONVENT RENOVATION AND EXPANSION ALLOWS FOR A JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Although student enrollment decreased to less than 400 in the early 1980s, the school once again found itself at full enrollment capacity by the late 1980s. The increased enrollment created a lack of classrooms. The 1953 convent adjacent to the school was housing only three sisters. Under the direction of Father Stanley Krempa, the decision was made to renovate and expand the convent to serve as a junior high school. And as always, parishioners responded with great generosity helping to raise $1.3M to make the project a reality.
CONTINUED PARISH INVESTMENT IN RECENT UPGRADES AND RENOVATIONS TO THE SCHOOL CLASSROOM SECURITY, GYMNASIUM, AND FACULTY CENTER
Our parish school is the major apostolic undertaking of our whole parish family, involving sacramental, facility and financial support. The parish has provided over $1.1M over the last 3 years (2017, 2018 and ytd 2019) to assist with operational costs as well as important capital improvements.
The annual parish investment in the school, which covers operational costs including both cash and donated services (office/business staff time in parish) averages $150,000/year.
Recent capital improvements made to the school include:
Security upgrades to all classroom doors so that they that can be locked, even remotely, with the flip of switch.
Gymnasium renovation - new flooring, electronic bleachers, backboards and room divider.
Faculty conference and break room renovation.
Traffic engineers study and recommendations to help with carpool flow.
Architectural fees to formally initiate the planned school renovations/expansion.