HISTORY OF ST. CLEMENT MARY HOFBAUER SCHOOL

     St. Clement School began in 1932 during the Depression years. The first building erected housed four classrooms. In response to a request made by Monsignor Joseph L Curran, the first pastor, four Sisters of St. Francis arrived to teach the 138 children who had been registered for the first six grades.
     Since the new school was not ready for the fall, the Sisters held classes in the basement of the church using cardboard partitions to create classrooms.
      In January of 1933 the finishing touches on the new building were completed and the Sisters and the students moved to their new classrooms. Each year thereafter, another grade was added. St. Clement School graduated its first class in 1935. There were eleven proud graduates.
     Over the next ten years the rapid growth in enrollment made it necessary to add a second floor to the original structure. In addition, a separate wooden frame building containing two classrooms was erected at the rear of the school. This little wooden schoolhouse was later remodeled to house the school library.
     Again in 1953, because of the continued growth in the Rosedale community, it became necessary to add four new classrooms to the left of the original building.
     Double tragedy struck St. Clement in 1961. On September 17, parishioners learned of the death of their beloved Pastor, Father Curran. The following day a serious fire broke out in school which caused extensive damage to the entire original building. Luckily it occurred during lunch time when all 900 children were out on the playground.
     Students were bussed each day for the remainder of the school year to St. Katharine on Preston Street while the damages were being repaired. It was decided at this time that an entire new wing would be added to alleviate the crowded conditions that existed before the fire.
     The buildings stand today as a monument to the hardworking, dedicated people who made this "the greatest parish and school in the world."

 

Click here to see how far St. Clement has come in the last 76 years!