Saint Paul
School History
The Sisters of the Holy Cross, CSC, came in 1901 to teach at the St. Paul School at the invitation of Reverend Louis A. Moench, Pastor. There were four sisters in the original group, Sister M. Eulalie O’Brian, CSC, Directress, Sister M. Andre Pidgeon, CSC, Sister M. Cecil Didier, CSC, and Sister M. Thomasina Cullinane, CSC. The Sisters of the Holy Cross, CSC, provided teachers from 1901 to 1988. They faithfully taught in two school buildings– the four-room schoolhouse on Chicago Street, and the newer school erected in 1951. Sisters M. Deborah, Sister M. Lourdes, Sister Mary Katherine, and Sister M. Aloysia remained until the Sisters of the Holy Cross ended their 87 years of ministry at the Saint Paul School at the end of the 1987-1988 academic year, due to a shortage of sisters to provide teachers to St. Paul School. Sisters Judith Ann Murphy, CSC, became a Sister of Holy Cross from St. Paul Parish in 1958. She also served St. Paul Parish in Religious Education, and currently resides at St. Mary’s Convent, South Bend, Indiana.
1863
Saint Paul Catholic School traces its history back more than 150 years. Bishop John Henry Luers sent Father Michael O’Reilly, a native of Ireland, to Valparaiso in 1863 to minister to local Catholics. Saint Paul Catholic Church had been established in the late 1850s, but when Father O’Reilly arrived, he discovered it had closed due to financial troubles. Undaunted, he plodded on foot through the snow trying to locate a few Catholics. He rented a hall for two dollars a Sunday to say Mass. But Father O’Reilly had a bigger vision. As the congregation grew, he raised $8,000, purchased an acre of land, and initiated the building of a school.
1867
Saint Paul’s Academy and Grammar School opened its doors in 1867. Sisters of Providence from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in Terre Haute taught core academic subjects as well as music, drawing, painting, and fine needlework. Under Father O’Reilly’s guidance, the school grew and expanded its offerings to include a choir, band, fife and drum corps, drama club, and other extracurricular programs.
2006
Father O’Reilly died in 1887, but his vision endures. Saint Paul Catholic School outgrew the original acre lot he had purchased, and a new school was established at 1755 Harrison Boulevard in 2006. The current school features 14 state-of-the-art classrooms, a computer lab, science lab, 12,000-book library, art room, cafeteria, and gymnasium. Today, Saint Paul Catholic School’s campus bustles with activity, and more than three dozen faculty and staff members educate a diverse student body.
Today
Although the address, name, and size of the school have changed dramatically since its founding, Father O’Reilly’s passion for education continues today with a long legacy of success in its wake.
Graduates of Saint Paul Catholic School have gone on to become physicians, teachers, attorneys, entrepreneurs, priests, and professionals in a diverse array of fields. Mindful of the importance of serving others, a value that their SPCS teachers helped instill in them, graduates also enrich the communities where they live by sharing their time and talents through volunteer and philanthropic endeavors.