History
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. Fr. Haley 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 580 students from kindergarten through grade eight. Over the years, it became necessary to begin a Catechetical Christian Doctrine (CCD) program, which now enrolls another 270 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 2300 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.
Former Pastors
| Rev. John Brinkmeyer Rev. J. Henry Schengber Rev. Andrew Hemmersbach Rt. Rev. John P. Downey Rev. John Joseph Kelly Rt. Rev. Louis J. Nau Rt. Rev. Henry J. Buse Rev. Bernard Luebberman Rev. Henry J. Winner Rev. Louis J. Nau Rev. John B. Dickhaus Rev. Herman H. Rechtin Rev. James G. Falls Rt. Rev. James Henry Rt. Rev. George Gorry Most Rev. George J. Rehring Rev. John H. Lamott Rev. James R. Haley Rev. Msgr. Bernard H. Piening Rev. J. Raymond Favret Rev. Thomas Nolker Rev. Thomas M. King |
1892-1894 1894-1897 1897-1903 1903-1905 1905-1906 1906-1907 1907 1907-1908 1908-1909 1909-1910 1910-1911 1911-1913 1913-1918 1918-1921 1921 1921-1923 1923-1960 1960-1968 1968-1979 1979-1991 1991-2002 2002- |
