It’s been 135 years since a determined priest named Father Frederick Kivelitz planted the first seeds of Catholic education in Monmouth County in a one-time public school building on Orchard Street in Freehold.

Were Father Kivelitz there in person at the festive April 9 commemoration of the founding of St. Rose of Lima School, he surely would have joined in the celebration of the anniversary and of those gathered to mark the milestone.

Click HERE for a gallery of photos from this event.

For indeed, many fifth, fourth and third generation alumni – not to mention their contemporary heirs in faith and scholarship – gathered for the anniversary Mass in St. Rose of Lima Church and the dinner dance that followed at the Radisson Hotel. The atmosphere was rich in a sense of pride in the past, joy in the present and hope for the future.

A Memorable Celebration
The gothic interior of the church was filled to capacity as more than 500 alumni, students, family and members of the community attended the Mass with Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., principal celebrant and homilist.

Concelebrating were Father James Conover, permanent administrator of St. Rose; Father Stephen M. Piga and Father Roman Modino, parochial vicars, and Dominican Father Francisco Saenz, adjunct.

Father Daniel A. Swift, pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel, who was previously assigned to St. Rose of Lima Parish, also concelebrated.

As the choir rehearsed for the liturgy, Kathleen and Kieran Roe spoke of their connection to the school. The Roes were typical of many who spoke of the institution as key to the success of their children in adulthood, as professionals and as Catholics.

“It was very important to us to send our children to Catholic school and we are very glad we did,” said Kathleen Roe. “They are still good at holding to the Church and they got excellent educations. They went on to Catholic high school.”

Her husband said they wanted to attend the Mass to celebrate the school. “This is a big deal,” he said. “This is our parish and the teachers were very good. It’s a way to recognize them.”

During the Mass, the focus was on the present students, who sang with the children’s choir before the Mass began and served as ushers, readers and gift bearers.

And in closing remarks, Bishop O’Connell recognized the importance of these Catholic school students in continuing life of the Church.

The message of their presence, he said, is important. “Without Catholic schools and education, we are not going to have the faith,” he said.

In his remarks, Father Conover, who grew up in the parish and went to religious education classes there, spoke of his first meeting with a religious sister at the age of six.

“My mother brought me to Sister Charles Marie and the sister asked her to go straight to the drug store to get a prescription filled for her,” he recalled.

Father Conover returned the favor given so long ago by his mother by offering a prescription of his own to everyone in the church: “I learned well from the sisters that for Catholic schools to survive and be healthy, we depend on all of you. Your prescription is filled with prayer, filled with support, filled with full seats to fill the ones that are empty.

“By filling the prescription,” he said, “you will make a difference if you seek out Catholic Education.”

How Times Have Changed
At the dinner dance that followed the Mass, alumna Margie Foy Marcuson, who taught third grade in St. Rose from 1965-1969, was one of 350 in attendance who took pride in pointing out sepia toned photographs of the class of 1906.

“My dad was in that class,” she said proudly. “Growing up, the school and the church were very important to us so it was very important for me to come,” said Marcuson, who had traveled from her Mississippi home to attend.

“When I went to the church this afternoon and saw the Knights of Columbus lining up, all the memories came flooding back. My dad was a fourth degree knight.”

Like Marcuson, Robert Crawford, who attended St. Rose from 1937- 1945, described the event as a reunion.

“I’m thrilled to be here. A number of generations of my family went to the school. My wife and I sent all five kids to St. Rose and they got a great education,” he said.

As school histories note, St. Rose of Lima School is the oldest Catholic school in Monmouth County. It opened in 1875 in a one-story building purchased at a cost of $355, an amount that amazes people today, said Franciscan Sister Patricia Doyle, principal since 1993.

At that time, 60 students were taught by one lay teacher before the Franciscan sisters came to stay in 1878, she said. She noted that these days, the faculty consists of 28 lay teachers and one religious sister, who teach 404 students.

In the Mass program, she wrote that the school “continues its mission in Catholic education as a vibrant community, fostering and nurturing the gift of faith in each member and maintaining the highest level of academic excellence for each student.”

A tour of the school for The Monitor one recent morning served to confirm her remarks.

Led by well-versed members of that student body, all eighth graders and student ambassadors, they fleshed out the history of the school and spoke of the fine education they were getting there.

They spoke of how the school expanded over the years to meet growing enrollment and even changed location from time to time. The students spoke about how the existing school, with its 13 classrooms and separate wing for gymnasium, auditorium and library has been consistently upgraded to meet the latest educational needs.

The students, Emily Blaser, Victoria Wagner, Michael Manning and Zachery Tretler, took pride in explaining that every classroom is equipped with Smart Boards and that the science and computer laboratories are state of the art, and that their gymnasium and playing fields are considered among the best in the area.

“There’s been a real effort to keep the school in the forefront in so many ways,” Sister Patricia said.