Our History

" September 2006 marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of Saint Therese School.  The new Carmelite community of 1924 recognized as their prime need the presence of a school. In the California Catholic Church of the 1920's, a school was judged such an integral component of any parish unit as to be inseparable from it. "No School, No Parish Church" became an axiom. Father Malachy, the first pastor, was authorized by the community in February 1926 to prepare plans for a church-school combination.

The plans and the building moved ahead with dispatch to be completed within six months, at a cost of $69,000. The groundbreaking ceremony was performed on June 1, 1926 by the newly appointed Vicar Provincial, Father Bernard Gorman. The combination construction was under one roof.

The school was on the ground floor and on the upper floor was the church. In the first week of September of 1926, the new building was ready for school to begin. The enrollment was 53 children, half of whom were drawn from the neighboring parishes of San Gabriel and El Monte.

In the early 1960's the increased student enrollment necessitated another extension of the school.  In 1963, the present school building was completed.  A kindergarten was added in 1988.  The school office, school library and kindergarten are now in the newest parish building that was compleed in 2001.

Saint Therese School was originally operated by the Dominican Sister of Mission San Jose.  In 1930, the Sisters of Providence took over and served the school until 1994 when the administration was handed over to a lay principal and staff. 

This page is condensed from the Saint Therese Parish Website www.sts-alh.org andA History of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.