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Saint Bernadette of Lourdes School — also known as St. Bernadette School is a Catholic private elementary school that includes three-year-old preschool through eighth grade. It is part of Saint Bernadette of Lourdes Parish, Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. ==History== :''See footnote''〔(St. Bernadette of Lourdes: Our School History ... ) (Excerpts taken from The Parish of St. Bernadette of Lourdes 50th anniversary book). St. Bernadette School official website. Retrieved 2010-03-12.〕 On September 28, 1947, the Reverend Monsignor Joseph A. O'Brien, the founding pastor, celebrated the first Mass in the newly established parish of St. Bernadette of Lourdes. The Mass was celebrated in a home at 901 Foss Avenue that Father O'Brien purchased shortly after he received word from the Archdiocese that he would lead a new parish in the Drexel Hill section of Upper Darby Township. On July 2, 1947, ground was purchased for the future parish buildings. In September 1947, a contract was signed for construction of the Auditorium Chapel. Those plans were later supplemented to provide two additional floors for school classrooms. The parish site was located between Turner and Harper Avenues and between Bond and Marvine Avenues. On April 6, 1948, the School Sisters of Notre Dame accepted the challenge of forming the parish school. School opened for the first time in September 1948. Three Sisters of Notre Dame welcomed the first 127 students. The Sisters traveled back and forth daily from Villanova. There were six grades in the beginning and each sister taught two grades at a time. What was to become a great grade school rivalry was temporarily set aside, as for one year the school children of St. Dorothy's Parish occupied the third floor of the new building. In 1951 both the convent and rectory buildings were completed. Sister Jeanne Finnegan and six Sisters of Notre Dame moved into the convent. In March 1953, it was announced that permission was granted to St. Bernadette of Lourdes Parish to begin construction of the church building. On October 17, 1954, the Most Reverend John F. O'Hara, the new Archbishop of Philadelphia, consecrated and dedicated the Church of St. Bernadette of Lourdes. Over the next 25 years, the number of parish members increased, as did enrollment in the school. While winning many scholastic honors and scholarships, several athletic programs were offered to both the girls and boys. The trophy case in the school reflects the talents of the children who participated in the many athletic teams. The principal school rivalry was on the football field between "Bernies" and "Dot's." After more than 50 years, the annual "Turkey Bowl" continues to draw more spectators than many of the local high-school games on Thanksgiving Day. It was not unusual to see fans of both schools lined two and three deep completely surrounding the gridiron at Melson's Tract, known today as Dermond Field. In 1972 the Sisters of Notre Dame, who opened the school and began teaching in 1948, announced a change in their mission, which meant they would be leaving the school. While feeling great sadness at this news, students, parents, and parishioners were also filled with gratitude over the work they performed in starting the school and the standard of excellence they began in St. Bernadette School. The Sisters of St. Joseph began teaching at the school in September 1972. After 51 years of serving the faithful in various parishes, but particularly in founding and serving St. Bernadette Parish for more than 26 years, Monsignor O'Brien retired in 1975. For several years following his retirement, Monsignor O'Brien continued to be active in the parish, offering daily and Sunday Masses and assisting with the distribution of Holy Communion. Monsignor O'Brien was succeeded by the Reverend George J. Dougherty, who had recently served as pastor at St. Martha's parish in Philadelphia. 1983 marked another change in the staffing of the school as the Sisters of St. Joseph announced they were leaving the parish and school. Soon after, it was announced that the school would be administered and staffed by the Oblate Sisters of St. Francis DeSales. On November 6, 1986, at a special evening Mass, the United States Department of Education presented St. Bernadette School its "Excellence in Education" award. Sixty-eight thousand elementary schools throughout the nation were eligible for this award. St. Bernadette was one of only 272 schools chosen, one of only 60 non-public schools chosen, and one of only 34 Catholic schools nationwide chosen. St. Bernadette School was the only parochial school chosen in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the only parochial school chosen throughout the state of Pennsylvania. In 1988 another change in the administration of the parish became necessary when poor health prompted Father Dougherty to ask the Archdiocese for help. Father William A. Wright was appointed parish administrator. In 1989, realizing that his health would not permit him to return as pastor, Father Dougherty retired. Cardinal Bevilacqua then named Father Wright as the third pastor of St. Bernadette Parish. On December 24, 2008, Father Wright died after a battle with cancer. The Archdiocese appointed Reverend John J. Kelly, who arrived in February 2009 as pastor of St. Bernadette Parish. In 2010 the Oblate Sisters of St. Francis DeSales announced that they were leaving the parish and school due to the same number of their Order that were in active ministry. In June 2010, after seeing the graduation of the Class of 2010, the two remaining Oblate Sister's of St. Francis DeSales that resided at St. Bernadette's, left the parish community. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「St. Bernadette of Lourdes School」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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