The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-11-04
Tnternlountaift news.
BUTTE, MONT.
Wonderful Growth of ST. Patrick's
parochiaI School.

CaIOSTiai SCHOOL,
Following was published in a recent
issue of the Intermountain:
From the mother house of Leaven-
worth, Kan, in 1889, there was sent a
band Of Sisters of Charity to take
charge of st. Patrick's parochial school
of Butte. The present building stood
ready, and that year there were $50
pupils enrolled. This was, however.
not the genesis of the school. There had
been for few years prior a. small
frame building next TO the church, and
in this about seventy children learned
their catechism and studied their three
RS. But with the construction of the
new edifice on Park and Idaho streets
the real life of the school began.
The Rev. Father Van Devan was
then the head Of the parish and looked
with great interest to the affairs of the
school The newly arrived sisters were
aided by him in every possible way to
make the school efficient and success
full.
When the new building was opened
there was occasion to use only Eve
rooms in it for school purposes, but as
the growth of the parish progressed it
was necessary to open room after room
until now there are twelve in use From
the original six sisters necessary to
pills, there has been an increase until
now twelve teachers are instructing
the 500 students in the various grades
From 1889 to 1892 the enrolment in
creased from $50 to 800 and in 1894 the
high school or academic work was
added to the curriculum of the school.
The first graduates of the academic de-
partment received their diplomas in
1896. With the addition of this branch.
e i h.
population in the parish. the school
reached a total attendance of ECO in
1897. Since that time there has been
some reduction owing to the opYling
of the Centerville. Walkerville and
Dublin Gulch schools, which have
drawn off the excess.
One of the strongest manifestations
Of the interest and pride taken in the
school by the members of the church
throughout the city and indeed by all.
the people of Butte, was the celeritY
with which the debt of the institution
was paid off in 1896. A debt of $42, 600
was lifted from the school in exactly
three months. Protestants. Catholics
people of every denomination and oc-
cupation gave their money to wipe out
the Indebtedness, and since then the
school has had to labor under no bur-
den Of money due.
The school is supported jointly by the
church organization and by tuition
fees. Each child attending pays a fee
Of S1.00 per month The teaching is
done entirely by the Sisters of Charity.
who are given nothing beyond their liv-
ing in recompense of their services.
This makes the expense of the school
far less than for a public school of the
same size. and yet in addition to the
tuition fees. which aggregate about
s.. 400 a year, the church expends on
the institution nearly $4,000 per annum
This heavy charge is cheerfully borne
by the parishioners of st. Patrick's.
since they realize the benefit to them
Of an excellent school. A part of this
$1,000 is raised every year by the grad
uation and closing exercises of the
school in June. Tickets to the an+er-.
tainment are sold from the host of par
ents and friends of pupils who attend.
the receipts amount to $500 or more.
The remainder of the $4,000 is a charge
upon the church revenues.
IT may be freely estimated that this
school OF st. Patrick's has saved the
city large amounts Of money, for it
takes about 500 children from the public
schools and relieves the city of the cost
of their education Estimating the
amount spent per year on each public
school child as S22. the total saving to
the city is $4,000 a year, an amount
by no means petty.
The courses of study are practically
similar to those in the citv schools
both in the grammar grades and the
high school department, except that the
parochial institution includes Bible his
tory and the committing of the cate
chism.
The faculty of ST. Patrick's school is
COMPOSED of the following Sister Mary
Regis, Drincipaf: Sister Seraphia and
Sister Mary Evangelist, high school de-
partment: Sister Perfecta eighth
grade; Sister Rosario. seventh grade;
Sister Mary Augustine, sixth grade;