A View of the Past

Aquinas Academy

Aquinas Academy already had a long and distinguished history by the time we began our freshman year in 1962. The school had operated at several locations before the structure we knew opened in 1957. A private school for girls, it was run by the Tacoma Dominican Sisters and had earned the reputation as one of the premiere high schools in the City. Though the school officially closed in 1974 when it was consolidated with St. Leo's and incorporated into Bellarmine Prep, it was given new life and today operates at St. Patrick's School.

St. Patricks Parish & School

St. Patrick's Church first opened its doors on December 25, 1891. Following its destruction by fire in 1905, a new church was constructed in 1907 in its present day location. Most of us remember Msgr. Edward J. McFadden who served as Pastor from 1957 until hisi death in 1964. His successor, Rev. Thomas J. Pitsch was appointed pastor on October 1954, Our tenure as Aquinas saw many changes in the church. Vatican II had brought a new spirit of ecumenism along with many liturgical changes; among them the removal of the communion rail, Masses said in English and the repositioning of the altar to face the congregation.

Although the Dominicans Sisters had operated a parish school since 1892, the St. Pat's familiar to most of us opened at the corner of 11th and "J" Streets in 1919 with an enrollment of just 325 students. The school continued to operate at this location for the next 55 years. In 1974, St. Pat's relocated to the newly vacated Aquinas Academy and was torn down in 1992. To view vintage photos and a decade by decade history of the Church and school, see http://www.stpats-tacoma.org/.

Tacoma Dominican Sisters

Since 1892, the goal of the Tacoma Dominican Sisters has been to provide quality Catholic Education which has benefitted the parochial school childdren of the Tacoma area for generations. Much has changed for the Dominicans today. Gone are the familiar habits that we may remember as the Sisters have tried to keep pace with the modern world. Today they work in education, social services, health care, parish work or "wherever there is need for visible signs of God's love and Christian Community" (a quote from their mission statement). To learn more about the work of the Dominicans, see http://www.tacoma-op.org/.