St. Philomena Catholic School Home

St. Philomena Catholic School opened in the fall of 1963 under the guidance of four Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur: Sister Francis Julie, Sister Raymond Francis, Sister Mary Christopher, and Sister Joseph, plus one lay teacher, Mrs. Mildred Downey. The charism of this order is “to make known God’s goodness”, and so they also dedicated themselves to the Christian education of the poor, especially girls. St Philomena School opened with grades 1- 5, and the dedication of the school took place on April 19, 1964.

By 1969 the school had expanded to include grades six, seven, and eight. In 1973, during a period of economic decline both regionally and nationally, the sisters were called back to their mother house in Belmont, California. Despite the economic difficulties, the school’s parents decided they would do what was necessary to keep the school open.

With the aid of the pastor, a lay-led faculty was hired and a School Commission was established. In 1986 the kindergarten program was instituted, and in 1996 the extended-day program, known as Kids’ Club, began. At the present time, the school is staffed by a dedicated, entirely lay, faculty.