St. Vincent de Paul School Celebrates is 90th Anniversary

With an unbroken history of women religious, Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic School will celebrate its 90th year anniversary in September 2017. With Sr. Mary Norbert Parsmeault as principal, the Sisters of Loretto opened the doors to 45 students for grades four to six and stayed until 1984 under the leadership of Sr. Joan Patrice Clement overseeing nearly 500 students and a faculty of mostly lay teachers teaching preschool through 8th grade. The Sisters of St. Joseph sent Sr. Pat Dunphy who served as principal from 1985-1996. Sr. Mary Angela Hatfield led the way for the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia who were invited by then Archbishop James Stafford to oversee the school and are still serving to this day with the recent arrival of Sr. Dominic Quinn as principal.

In the nearly 90 years of St. Vincent de Paul School, there’s no doubt that it has made an enormous contribution to the parish, the archdiocese of Denver, Colorado and beyond. Among the notable graduates of the school include George Evans, who later became auxiliary bishop of Denver, was a member of Saint Vincent de Paul’s first graduating class. The building housing our gymnasium and auditorium are currently named in his honor. In 1976, Bishop Evans returned to Saint Vincent de Paul to say a Mass of Thanksgiving in honor of the Sisters of Loretto who had been serving as teachers of the school for 50 years.

Other notable St. Vincent’s graduates include Mrs. Terry Polakovic, who co-founded ENDOW (Educating and Nurturing the Dignity of Women); Mr. Kirk Huggins, Senior Vice President, Citywide Banks, Cherry Creek Branch; and the Rev. Robert Sullivan, who has been a Jesuit for more than 60 years.

Indeed, thousands of students have walked through the doors of the original school building. Many probably have passed on, but we will continue to seek those who are still around to tell stories of their life then and now.

Since 1927, the school building, which still sits on the corner of Josephine Street and Arizona Avenue, also has housed the church, parish hall, convent, rectory, religious education, and Eucharistic Adoration Chapel. Indeed, the school building has stood the test of time! Today, the building has rooms for art, Spanish, science, library, and extended care. The school, which is now NCA accredited, can boast of a state-of-the art computer lab, SMARTboards, and updated technology.

Last School Year 2016-2017 St. Vincent de Parish and School said goodbye to Sr. Maria Ivana, principal and Mrs. Heather Grams, assistant principal, who have brought many innovative programs to the school. We also welcome new principal Sr. Dominic Quinn and new assistant principal Mrs. Mary Cohen.

We look forward to many more years of outstanding and quality education centered on Christ will permeate throughout St. Vincent de Paul School.

St. Vincent de Paul School Principals 1927-1984 Under the Sisters of Loretto 1927 Sr. Mary Norbert Parsmeault, SL 1928-1970 No record of principals 1971 Sr. Mary Judith Brown, SL 1976 Sr. Marie Agnes Fobes, SL 1981 Sr. Joan Patrice Clement, SL Under Sisters of St. Joseph 1985 Sr. Pat Dunphy, C.S.J. Under Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia 1996 Sr. Mary Angela Highfield, O.P. 2000 Sr. Mary Jordan Hoover, O.P. 2004 Sr. Mary Reginald Lane, O.P. 2007 Sr. Mary Gertrude Blackenhagen, O.P. 2011 Sr. Maria Ivana Begovic, O.P. 2016 Sr. Dominic Quinn, O.P.