- Eight Schools... One Community
- School System Timeline
- Who was Bishop Thomas O’Gorman?
Eight Schools... One Community
With six elementary schools, a junior high and a high school, weserve more than the Sioux Falls population and would like our system name to reflect that wewelcome children from all communities. Students attend our schools from many cities and towns across the southeast part of South Dakota and even into Minnesota, including Brandon, Harrisburg, Tea, Lennox, Canton, Hartford, Humboldt, Dell Rapids, Montrose, Crooks, Renner, Valley Springs, Beaver Creek, Canistota, Hurley, Lyons, Madison, Parker, Worthing and Sioux Falls.
We are blessed at Bishop O'GormanCatholic Schools to have a strong community of parents, volunteers, friends and supporters who are all driven by our mission. The experience of shared community can be witnessed at our Masses, special events, activities and service opportunities. Students, parents and faculty alike gather in prayer, serve our community and support each other in athletic, academic and artistic endeavors. We have been especially blessed by a strong support system of dedicated faith leaders and generations ofalumni and friends. We are a community like no other.
School System Timeline
- Our Roots
- 1949
- 1955
- 1959
- 1960
- 1961
- 1991
- 1996
- 1998
- 2002
- 2008
- 2019
- 2022
Our Roots
The roots of our current Catholic school system can be traced back over 100 years.
In September of 1905, six Dominican sisters began classes for 195 students. Classes were held in the nooks and crannies of St. Michael’s Pro-Cathedral for about a week until a new school building was completed. A group of dedicated women formed the St. Michael’s School Society which through its activities, made free tuition possible for parish children.
In 1913, the Dominican Sisters began instruction for their first freshman class, inaugurating the expansion to secondary education. In 1917, the first class of high school students graduated.
In October of 1926, the cornerstone for Cathedral High School was laidin a ceremony attended by nearly 2000 people. Classes began in September 1927.
1949
St. Mary School was established in 1949 with two Presentation sisters teaching 69 students.
1955
Christ the King School opened in 1955 with four Benedictine sisters teaching 138 students.
1959
St. Lambert School opened in 1959 with two Benedictine sisters teaching 85 students.
1960
In 1959 the Cathedral grade school was torn down and the new St. Joseph Elementary School opened in 1960 with 1,000 students and a waiting list.
1961
O’Gorman High School opened in 1961. The former Cathedral High School building was then used as a Catholic junior high until 1998.
1991
A Catholic school system, Sioux Falls Catholic Schools, was formed in cooperation with all of the parishes of the city, allowing the schools to coordinate curriculums, purchasing, human resources, lunch programs, guidance services and other programs. The consolidation of the current schools was an effort to assure the strengthening of the schools and their strong existence far into the future.
1996
St. Michael Elementary opened, beginning with preschool and kindergarten, expanding each year until it was a full Preschool – 6thgrade school.
1998
O’Gorman Junior High opened for grades 7-8, the first centralized junior high for the system.
2002
Holy Spirit Elementary opened for grades PreK-6.
2008
St. Katharine Drexel Elementary opened, beginning with grades preschool - 1stand later expanding to become a PreK-6 grade school.
2019
New system name:Sioux Falls Catholic Schools becomes Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools.
2022
Bishop O'Gorman Catholic School starts astrategic growth planning process.
Who was Bishop Thomas O’Gorman?
Thomas O'Gorman was born on May 1st, 1843, in Boston, MA, to John and Margaret O'Gorman. He and his parents moved to Chicago, Illinois, when he was still a child, and then to St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1853, he and John Ireland were chosen by Bishop Joseph Crétin to study for the priesthood in France. Upon his return to Minnesota, O'Gorman was ordained a priest on November 5, 1865. He served in a variety of parishes and, in 1885, he became the first president of the newly-established College of St. Thomas where he also served as professor of dogmatic theology. He was named professor of church history at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. in 1890. During his tenure at Washington, he wrote, "A History of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States."
On January 24, 1896, O'Gorman was appointed the second Bishop of the entire state of South Dakota by Pope Leo XIII. He was later installed at Sioux Falls on May 1, 1896. During his 25-year tenure, he increased the number of priests and Catholics in the diocese, and erected numerous churches, schools and hospitals. He dedicated St. Joseph's Cathedral in 1919 and founded Columbus College in 1921. Bishop O'Gorman later died in 1921 at age 78.
