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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate the students,
4teachers, and staff of St. Patrick's School on the occasion of
5the school's 155th anniversary; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The rich history of St. Patrick's School began in
7the late 1850's, when Miss Shepherd conducted parochial school
8services in a house on the 600 block of West Prairie in
9Decatur; after Miss Shepherd left in 1858, various teachers
10took her place in the years leading up to the Civil War,
11teaching children in various houses throughout the city; in
121857, Father Thomas Cusack built a modest frame church on the
13700 block of West Prairie; this building was used as a two-room
14school by Mr. and Mrs. St. Leger; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Following Mr. and Mrs. St. Leger's departure,
16seven Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary arrived from
17Montreal, Canada and opened the St. Teresa Academy; St. Teresa
18Academy was short-lived, however, and the parochial school came
19back under the guidance of secular teachers; throughout the
20late 1800s, the school was under the tutelage of the Ursuline
21Order, who decided to teach both boys and girls at the academy
22starting in 1882; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In 1912, Father Murphy began to make plans for a
2new school building on Jackson and North Streets, which was
3completed in February of 1913; the following year, the Ursuline
4Order vacated the St. Patrick school grounds and the parochial
5school was renamed St. Patrick School; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The early 20th century was a period of robust
7growth for St. Patrick School; in 1929, St. Patrick opened a
8high school for boys and girls on the Academy grounds; the
9church's numbers flourished in the subsequent years; and
 
10    WHEREAS, With the coming of Father Powell in 1945, St.
11Patrick School completely renovated their building and updated
12the school's equipment to become a first-rate school in its own
13right; today, St. Patrick School serves as a leader in quality
14parochial education in the City of Decatur, the State of
15Illinois, and the world at large; therefore, be it
 
16    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
17NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
18we congratulate the students, teachers, and staff of St.
19Patrick's School on the occasion of the school's 155th
20anniversary and wish them continued success and happiness in
21the future; and be it further
 
22    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be

 

 

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1presented to St. Patrick's School as a symbol of our esteem and
2respect.