St. Joseph School Celebration

Dear Parishioners of St. Joseph,

 
     Plans are, as they say, in the works to celebrate the life of St. Joseph Parish School on Saturday night, May 20^th.  After 92 years of dedicated service to the families of St. Joseph Parish, as well as families from Homewood and surrounding communities, the school will be closing its doors once and for all as of June 7, 2017.
 
     The school has a colorful history.  In my four years here, I have heard stories of bees around the outside of the building, and  teachers (nuns) sending students to the store to pick up lunch for them.  I’ve heard, from more than one person, of students shooting spitballs up to the ceiling in the room that is now our library.  It is incredible when you hear that kind of story from someone who is now in their sixties.  May 20^th will give you the opportunity to relive all those wonderful memories. 

     The evening will begin with a special Mass in honor of our beloved school. Distinguished alumni will be doing the readings, as well as bringing up the gifts.  A special reflection will be read by a long time parishioner at the start of Mass.    The Mass will be the regular Saturday Mass and will begin at 5:15 pm. 
 
     From there, everyone will be invited to come over to the school.  Pizza will be offered for sale, as well as beverages.  A Memory Wall will be created where individuals will be able to write their favorite memories from their days at our beloved school.  Pictures will be out on display for you to see.   All the classrooms in the building will be open and you will be able to wander throughout the building.  This is your chance to see the school, as you remember it, one more time.  We will close down for the evening at 9:00 pm.
 
     Social media is a wonderful thing.  Part of the draw for the Winter Picnic comes through social media.  Please share our May 20^th celebration with all your friends on Facebook and Twitter.  The more the word gets out, the more people will be here.
 
     I encourage you to come and spend some time with us for the Mass and party afterward.  I also encourage you to tell your friends who have moved out of the area about this special evening.  This is the one chance to come and celebrate the history of the school.  The one chance to see friends you have not seen perhaps in years.  The word has been put out to all parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago, as well as in the Joliet Diocese.

 
Dan
From the desk of Dan Fleming, Principal, St. Joseph Parish School
     

History of St. Joseph School

The origins of Saint Joseph School date back to 1925, the year Reverend Stephen P. Sullivan assumed the post of pastor of Saint Joseph Parish and its mission, Saint Anne in Hazel Crest.  At that time, Saint Joseph was described as a “country” church with about 125 families.   Sullivan, who had previously been pastor at Saint Joseph Church in Rockdale, just south of Joliet, quickly recognized the need for a school for the area’s Catholic children. 
 
Shortly after his arrival in Homewood, the gregarious Sullivan set about raising funds for the school.  A carnival, bake sales, card parties and bunco games were held and, surprisingly, within a year, enough funds had been raised from Catholics and non-Catholics alike to begin construction of a six room brick 2 ½ story school building at 17949 Dixie Highway.
 
Billed as of “the most modern fireproof construction, embodying all the latest improvements for the comfort and absolute safety of the children”, the school was completed by the end of August 1926 and 72 students were present when the doors opened on September 7^thof that year.  The children were taught by 3 Dominican Sisters from Adrian, Michigan and the school’s first principal was Sister Mary James Marsh.  During the early years, the sisters lived on the top floor of the school and there were 4 classrooms on the lower floors.  Like many smaller public schools of the time, students from several grades shared the same classroom.


St. Joseph Church & School mid  1930's
 
Enrollment increased and by 1934-35 there were 132 children attending St. Joseph.  It wasn’t until 1943 that a 5^th sister was added to teach an enrollment of 201 children.  About this time, parishioners began a fund drive to remodel the school and provide a convent for the sisters to free space on the upper floor of the school for classrooms.  Unfortunately, the war intervened and a convent wasn’t actually built until 1954.  Twelve sisters moved into the spacious new convent after years of living in quarters that were described as “most elementary and would be accepted only by women to whom to serve God and His children is the most important and joyous task in life”.


St Joseph School grades 1 and 2  1940

 
The post war and “baby boom” years saw exponential growth in enrollment at the school.  An addition was completed in 1951 and the school was enlarged to its present size in 1955.  By the 1961-62 school year, enrollment had peaked at 1050 pupils and the school staff consisted of the principal, 16 sisters and 8 lay teachers.  As new parishes were established and Catholic schools were completed in towns surrounding Homewood, enrollment began to gradually decline.  During the 1970-71 school year, 11 sisters and 13 lay teachers instructed 678 students under the direction of Principal Sister Nancy Fischer.

St. Joseph School 1953


St. Joseph School Class of 1955


 St. Joseph School - 1st grade class 1958

Sister Nancy, who came to Saint Joseph in 1969, would serve as the school’s principal until her retirement in 2002.  Sister Nancy’s retirement would also mark the end of 76 years of exemplary service to the school by the Adrian Dominican Sisters. 
 
Today, 63 children attend St. Joseph and they are taught by 10 teachers under the direction of Principal Dan Fleming.  Students consistently perform well above national norms demonstrating the commitment to excellence that has been the cornerstone of St. Joseph since its opening in 1926.

School Principals

1926-1933          Sister Mary James Marsh, O.P.
 
1933-1939          Sister Geraldine Flannery, O.P.
 
1939-1945          Sister Mary Patricia Maher, O.P.
 
1945-1951          Sister M. Florence O’Connor , O.P.
 
1951-1957          Sister Mary Denis Gallagher, O.P.
 
1957-1963          Sister Joan Michael Donovan, 0.P.
 
1963-1969          Sister Clare James Boyle, O.P.
 
1969-2002          Sister Nancy Fischer, O.P.
 
2002-2010          Natalie Lamoureux
 
2009-2013          Thomas Kozak
 
2013-Present      Daniel Fleming