Catholic
Schools
(The
article is taken from the Toluca 100 years book)
(Articles
from the Toluca Star - provided by Mark & Terri Taylor of TnT Images)
Father Boncini was called to establish
the St. Joachim’s School in 1900.
-- In 1900, - Fr.
Bonocini came to Toluca to establish a parish for the Italians. The first buildings were built by Charles Devlin, a coal mine
operator in Spring Valley and Toluca . The school building was two stories
with four rooms for pupils and apartments for nuns. He also built a combination
frame Church and parish house, seating capacity 250. The priests who served
the parish came from a missionary organization of Italian priests located in St. Louis . The generosity of Charles Devlin
enabled this parish to exist, and after his death, the Church could no longer expect help from this source.
October 4, 1901 - St. Joachim’s
school will open on Monday Oct. 7 Let everyone understand that the school is gratuitous and free for all pupils. Yet if anybody
insists to pay for tuition, they may arrange the matter with the sisters. – The Toluca Star
The sister’s school opened Monday
with a good attendance. - The Toluca Star
October 25, 1901 - The fair for the benefit
of the Sisters school will be held at the Toluca Opera House November 25
to 10 inclusive. – The Toluca Star
January 24, 1902 - There are over 250
pupils now attending the sister’s school here, and the capacity of the building is taxed to its utmost. It will be necessary
to build an addition before any more pupils can be accommodated – The Toluca Star
June 6, 1902 - The pupils of St. Joachim’s
School will give a public entertainment at the opera house, Toluca , Tuesday evening, June 17. – The Toluca Star
October 17, 1902 - Catholic Fair –
Invitations were sent out last week for the Catholic fair, to be held in Toluca , November 17 to 22 for the benefit of the
Toluca Sisters School . A good entertainment for every evening, including classic music is on the program. Admission 10 –
The Toluca Star
July 24, 1903 - Dr. Bonincini, the Catholic
pastor, who has charges of the parochial schools in Toluca , is contemplating the advisability of holding, or giving a picnic
here on August 15. This day is a holiday in Catholic church circles, and
if the picnic is held, the proceeds will be used for the benefit of the church and sister’s school. – The Toluca
Star
July 31, 1903 - The ladies of St. Joachim’s
church will give a lawn social near the convent, next Monday evening, Aug. 3. The proceeds will be for the benefit of the
Sisters school. – The Toluca Star
January 15, 1904 - Toluca has three schools
– the public school, the Sister’s school and the school of crime. The public school is supported by the taxpayers
of this district, and the school board has levied a tax ($11,500) eleven thousand and five hundreds to run it the coming year.
The Sister’s school is supported by voluntary contributions. The school
of crime is on the streets and in the alleys and holds its most important sessions at night, where the lessons learned are
cigarette smoking, foul language and obscenity. Parents, which of these schools does your boy attend? Do you doubt that this
school has a good attendance in Toluca ? If you do, you only have to use your eyes. You may find your boy in one of the classes
of the school of crime.
October 27, 1905 – A union
fair for the benefit of St. Ann ’s Church and the Sisters School will be held at Klinger’s theater for one week,
commencing Monday evening, November 13 and ending Monday, November 20. A program of varied entertainment will be given every
evening. All are cordially invited to attend. Admission 10 cents
January 5, 1906 - Miss McMahon, the principal
of the high school at the Sisters School , resigned her position the first of the year
August 31, 1906 - The high school room
of the Sisters school has been discontinued. The eighth grade will be the highest room the coming school year. (Guess now
that this would be St. Joachim's) since St. Ann's closed in 1928 (there is our answer)
March 8, 1907 - The news of the death of Dr.
Bononcini at the early hour Saturday morning, March 2, was a great shock to his friends here. While he had not been in good
health for several weeks, he was able to be around and to attend to his duties as pastor. Heart failure was evidently the
cause of death. In 1900 Bishop Spalding of Peoria , recognizing the need of an Italian priest for the growing Italian colony
in Toluca, asked the bishop in Kansas for a good Italian priest, and Dr. Bononcini came. He had a church erected here, and
a year later founded the convent and established the Sister’s school. During his administration the convent schools
were free, and all grades were taught from the primary to the high school, and the high school after the first year was second
to none in Marshall County .
June 21, 1907
-v Convent School
– Commencement Exercises – Six Graduates – The commencement exercises of the Toluca convent school
were held at the opera house Monday evening. Six girls graduated – two in the tenth
grade and four in the eighth. The graduates in the tenth were: Gertrude Proctor and Minnie Gerth. Those in the eight
were: Annie Wargo, Margaret O’Brien Teresa Farley and Kathleen Breen. The attendance was large, in fact the house was
packed.
June 24, 1910 - A grand entertainment
was given at Jensen’s theatre on the evening of June 16th, by the children of St. Joachim’s school.
October 7, 1913 - Home Talent Entertainment
– Father Silvio Prati of St. Joschim’s church of this city is delighted in finding so much musical talent in Toluca,
and to have this talent recognized, is arranging for a concert to be given on the 31st of December, and he intends
to ask all the local talent to take part in the program which will be announced later. The program will consist of quartettes,
piano solos, piano duets, violin and vocal solos and readings. The Toluca Star
June 2, 1916 - Class Banquet –
The evening of Wednesday, May 24, was one of gay festivities for the graduates of St. Joachim’s School. At 5:30 o’clock,
arrayed in evening attire they assembled in the parlors of the Sister’s home which were artistically decorated in the
class colors, while ferns and flowers made a fitting background for the happy faces.
At six-thirty they were ushered into
the dining room where they enjoyed a five course banquet served by the little Misses May Schwartz and Doris Durham, who proved
themselves skilled waitresses.
Rev. P.T. Walsh, who was the guest of
honor, acted as toastmaster and was readily responded to in a happy manner by the members of the class. After
the banquet they enjoyed themselves with songs and music and a class prophecy was read which caused much merriment. –
Toluca Star Herald
June 2, 1916 - Sisters School Entertainment
and Closing Exercises – Friday evening, June 16, at Jensen theatre the
closing exercises of the Sister’s School will be held including fantastic drills, tableaus, pantomimes and play participated
in by the two hundred pupils of the school. Seven graduates will receive their diplomas during the evening. – Toluca
Star Herald
July 28, 1916 - The graduating class
of the St. Joachim’s school, went to Streator last week and had their
pictures taken which will be prized highly by the class – Toluca Star Herald
June 13, 1919 - Sisters school will close
on Monday, June16th with a grand entertainment by the school children in Jensen’s theatre. – Toluca Star Herald
In the summer of 1922 the school was moved in 2 parts from West Santa Fe Avenue
to the present location at 121 North Chestnut.
At the request of St. Joachim’s
Bishop Dunne, the supervision of the school was turned over to Fr. Phillip Walsh, pastor of St. Ann ’s Church at that
time. - The congregation of St. Joachim’s continued to meet under the leadership of the pastors until 1921,
when it united with St. Ann's Parish.
1928 - The music room at
St. Ann ’s School was decorated in the appropriate red and white colors of Valentine Day and with the guests as vivacious
as ever, it is no wonder that the Valentine Party sponsored by the St. Ann ’s High School Girls was voted a huge success.
The high school was discontinued in the year of 1928. The
children were taught by the Sisters of Saint Francis whose Mother House is located in Clinton, Iowa.
St. Joachim’s Church was also moved
and located just north of St. Ann ’s Hall (Hall was constructed in 1936) and was used as a gymnasium. This later burned
down. The Sisters of St. Francis
who’s Mother House is located at Clinton , Iowa , taught in the grade school for many years.
Pastors - In 1936, a new parish hall was completed under the supervision of Fr. Francis J. Casey. Much of the work of building
this hall was done by the parishioners during the depression. This building was used not only as a parish hall, but as a gymnasium.
- Father
Boncini was called to establish the St. Joachim’s School in 1900. In the summer of 1922, the school was moved in two
parts from West Santa Fe Avenue to the location at 121 North Chestnut. St.
Joachim’s Church was also moved and located just north of St. Ann ’s Hall (Hall constructed in 1936) and was used as a
gymnasium. This later burned down - The Sisters of St. Francis whose Mother House is located at Clinton , Iowa
, taught in the grade school for many years.
Father Roche rebuilt the school in 1950 for $30,000. Franciscan Sisters are teachers. Father Patrick Convery, I. C., was administrator for a few months
after Father Roche’s death in 1954, until Father John Schumacher was appointed in May of that year. The church was remodeled
in 1954. Father T. J. Lesniak was appointed June 2, 1970.
St. Ann ’s Grade School closed
in 1971. The Toluca Schools leased the school to the Toluca School District for several years because of the need for more
classrooms.
The C.C.D. (Children’s Religious
Education) programs and the Adult Education Programs were coordinated by nuns in the early years, after the closing of St.
Ann ’s School, and later these programs were coordinated by members of the parish.
