The Great Depression made fund raising difficult, although the Sentinel kept its readers aware of the need and the Knights of Columbus staged fund-raising affairs, including big bazaars with names like "Ahbooyah," presumably to give it a Mid-Eastern flavor, and "Ca-Ce-Hi" for Catholic Central High.
A bequest finally made it possible for Archbishop Howard to build the first unit of his high school, and it was dedicated on May 9, 1939, upstaging the observance of the centennial of the first Mass celebrated in Oregon. It opened with about 125 freshmen and sophomores, with Father Francis Schaefers as principal and with no debt.
Vigorous fund-raising and wide-spread support among lower and middle class Catholics made this possible. In spite of the fact that construction continued, it operated on a pay-as-you-go basis, meeting its expenses with its tuition, which was $50 a year. Overhead was low because many of the diocesan priests who taught there did not take salaries, instead supporting themselves as chaplains or "in residence" at parishes. The sisters who taught there were recruited from a number of different congregations, something unusual at the time, and were paid $50 a month. The only paid employee was a janitor who lived on the premises; the secretary-bookkeeper was a volunteer.
A dress code was enforced, punctuality was required, and what is most unbelievable, absolute silence prevailed in the lunchroom until after grace was said.
There was one problem. The school was built on the grounds of what had been St. Mary's Cemetery. Most of the bodies had been moved to Mount Calvary Cemetery, but a number of unmarked graves remained. As construction continued on the school, periodically an enterprising student would rush into the principal's office shouting, "Look what I found, Father!" and waving a bone or skull, embarrassing to officials struggling to placate relatives of those whose graves had not been found.
Archbishop Howard supplied teachers for the school from his meager supply of priests, and insisted that they continue their education. He wanted them to have training beyond what a teaching credential in Oregon required, so they spent their summers at The University of Notre Dame, University of Oregon for education courses, Catholic University, Dominican College of San Rafael, and the University of Chicago. Since there was never enough money for their maintenance, he would arrange for them to help out at nearby parishes in return for room and board.
Central Catholic High School was Archbishop Howard's favorite project for the rest of his long life. He encouraged its students to visit him, kept in touch with what was happening there, and attended as many of its events as he could.
- Lillian Pereyr
This photo and article ran in the Jan. 26, 1996 Catholic Sentinel and are reprinted here with their permission.
