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Seeing an increase in the number of Catholics in the Mt.
Washington area, 45 families sent a petition to Archbishop Elder in 1892 asking
that a parish be started in the area. The Archbishop granted their request and
later that year the parish was organized at Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary, just down
the street from the present site of the parish.
The first church, erected at our present location, was eventually
replaced to accommodate the ever increasing congregation. The current gym served
as the church from 1948 until 1964. In 1964, the undercroft was used for Sunday
Masses while our church building was being completed. The existing church was
finished in 1971.
Just as the early parishioner took care to provide for their
worship to the Lord, so they set out to provide a Catholic education for their
children. In 1995, we celebrated the centennial of the parish grade school.
Having begun with a one room building and then a small two story building, the
school now gathers approximately 570 students from kindergarten through grade
eight. Over the years, it became necessary to begin a Catechetical Christian
Doctrine (CCD) program, which now enrolls another 300 students in grades one
through eight.
In 2007, Guardian Angels School was named a Blue Ribbon School of
Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education as part of the No Child Left
Behind program. The school opened its science lab in fall 2007 complete with
state-of-the-art instructional technology and facilities used by all grade
levels. Funds for the science lab came from generous gifts from parents and
parishioners to the school’s Annual Fund.
The Sister Dolores Beringer Parish Center was dedicated in 2005.
The Parish Center with its meeting rooms, music classroom, and large gym with
spacious stage and concession area was named in honor of Sr. Dolores, a beloved,
long-time Guardian Angels School primary teacher. In 2003, Guardian Angels
School renovated its main office space and redesigned and landscaped the main
entrance, adding beauty and security to our school.
From a small gathering of 45 families, Guardian Angels has grown
into a parish of over 2500 registered families. Guardian Angels is proud to be a
thriving and resourceful parish that always strives hard to meet the spiritual
needs of its members. |