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Years of Growth: 1856–1860
SI started in debt and continued in debt until well into the 20th century. By the end of 1856, SI owed nearly $20,000, and was operating at a loss. The school’s net revenues were barely half of what was paid on the annual interest ($1,489) toward its debt.36 To pay off this interest, Maraschi simply…
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School is in Session
The school re-opened the following fall, this time drawing 89 students for the 1856–57 term. These students, primarily the sons of Irish and Italian immigrants, went to a school whose purpose was distinct from that of public schools in the U.S. The purpose of Catholic, Jesuit education was not only to train students for a…
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Educating the Youth of the Bay Area Since 1855
At the dedication of St. Ignatius Church, Archbishop Alemany preached and declared that he was “most happy to have the members of the Society of Jesus as his cooperators in the work of promoting the salvation of souls and in giving a good education to the youth of the diocese and especially in the city…
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Lot 127 Changes Hands
St. Ignatius College was not the first Jesuit school attempted in San Francisco. Fr. Flavian Fontaine (a member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary who were staffing Mission Dolores) acquired land in 1853 and erected a brick building, which, he hoped, would educate both day students and boarders. After spending…
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Gold Rush Beginnings
Imagine San Francisco before the Gold Rush: only a few low scrub oaks, only a few settlers’ homes, only a ship or two in the harbor. All that changed within months after the discovery of gold on January 24, 1848. No one, least of all the Catholic Church, was prepared for the rush of people…
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The Founding of St. Ignatius College: 1849–1861
Six years after the Jesuits arrived in California, St. Ignatius College appeared on Market Street as a one-room schoolhouse with the mixed blessing of Archbishop Alemany. What makes the history of SI so remarkable is that six years after the construction of this small school, SI built an impressive college right next door and attracted…
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From Spiritus Magis: 150 Years of St. Ignatius College Preparatory
by Paul Totah ’75 It is hard to imagine a less auspicious start for our school. When Fr. Anthony Maraschi, SJ, opened the doors of the first St. Ignatius Academy on San Francisco’s Market Street, expecting to see a crowd of Catholic boys eager for Jesuit education, only three small faces peered at him on…
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Top 10 History Highlights
1. Rapid Growth & Success SI went from a one-room schoolhouse in the sand dunes (where the old Emporium used to be) to one of the leading colleges in the west in a few short years, primarily because of anti-Catholic sentiment in Europe. Priests in hiding and on the run from angry mobs (in the…
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SI History: In Brief
From the Gold Rush to the New Millennium: San Francisco’s Jesuit School Since 1855 It is hard to imagine a less auspicious start for St. Ignatius College Preparatory. When Fr. Anthony Maraschi, SJ, first opened the doors of the brand-new St. Ignatius Academy on San Francisco’s Market Street, expecting to see a crowd of Catholic…