Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Presence
With the pastorate of Fr. John D. Brislan, S.J. dreams for a school began to take shape. In 1923, Fr. Brisland invited the Adrian Dominican Sisters to come to St. Ann and set up a school, grades one through twelve. On September 8, 1923, four sisters arrived, Sisters Angelica O’Brien, Superioress, Rose Dominic LeBlanc, Alma O’Reilly, and Angela O’Brien. There was no convent; they stayed in a private house on Second Street. Thus began the presence of the Adrian Dominican Sisters in this area, to serve St. Ann school for seventy years with the noble service of one hundred and eighty-six sisters, and to establish Rosarian, originally a high school for girls. The land for Rosarian was donated to the Diocese by Colonel E. Bradley and transferred to the Adrian Dominican Sisters by Bishop Barry.
A New School
St. Ann opened as the first parochial school in Palm Beach County on September 24, 1923 in the original wooden church with an enrollment of 91 students, 20% of whom were non-Catholic, a tradition continued to this day. Fr. Brislan became ill and died November 21, 1923, while plans were underway to build a new school building, a high school for girls and a convent that would house the sisters for both schools. In 1925 a new school building was completed under the direction of Fr. F.J. Clarkson, S.J. at a cost of $157,000.00 – it would be 80 years before another building is built, the Jan Claire Kemper Gymnatorium/Mary Alice Fortin Fine Arts Center on Third Street and Olive Avenue. The school continued as a grade school and high school until 1961 when the high school was transferred to Cardinal Newman High School.
A Rich Tradition
St. Ann School continues to serve the communities that surround downtown West Palm Beach as well as the western and northern areas of the country. Presently, 241 students attend the school in grades PK3 through grade 8 and the school looks forward to celebrating its 88th birthday this year!
