The Juniorate
St. Francis Prep, Butler Street Brooklyn
Before the construction of St. Anthony’s, boys of high school age who wished to become Brothers attended St. Francis Prep, then located on Butler Street in Brooklyn. Established in 1923, this was the first Juniorate in the Brooklyn Diocese, which then embraced all four counties of Long Island.
At first, Brother Vincent Mulcahey, who was in charge of the eight boys comprising the group, taught them all of their subjects. Later, the group attended all classes except religion with the Prep boys. The religion class was taught by the Brother in charge of the Juniorate boys, eventually this was Brother Leo. Their after-school activities were also separate.
School Colors
The basketball team even had distinctive uniforms, contributed free of charge by A. G. Spalding Company, which had apparently discovered that vertical blue and white stripes would not sell. Brother Edmund Holmes, who moderated the team, was happy to accept the uniforms, which may, eventually, have dictated the school colors, for the team that wore them comprised the first group of students at St. Anthony’s. Even after the school became a day school with black and gold as its colors, the Juniorate boys wore blue and white sweaters. And when the gymnasium was built in 1963, the front of the building was adorned with vertical stripes in both sets of colors.
Construction of the Boarding School
The day school, however, was far in the future when, on September 20, 1931, the Superior General and his Consultors determined to risk the order’s resources in the construction of a boarding school which would provide a more satisfactory environment for the Juniorate. Despite the depression, they examined both of their Long Island properties (Smithtown and Centerport) and hired Philip McGovern as architect.
In a formal ceremony attended by Brother Fidelis, Master of Novices, and his assistant, Brother Brendan, the ground was broken on Thursday, August 31, 1933. Father Bartholomew Timlin, O.F.M., of Washington, D.C., who was conducting the annual retreat at Centerport, blessed the ground and the project. On the following day, the John H. Eisele Company commenced construction whose cost was not to exceed $50,000.
Until 1936, the Freshmen continued to attend St. Francis Prep. Only thirteen boys – three Sophomores, five Juniors, and five Seniors – took up residence on September 14, 1934. On September 17, the Feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis, the first classes began. It must be remembered that the school was always small, probably never having more than 50 or 60 pupils at one time.
The original staff of four Brothers – Brother Celestine, Principal; Brother Anthony, also on the Novitiate staff; Brother Martin; and Brother Pascal, one of the first graduates of the day Juniorate – each taught several subjects some of which they had to learn as they taught. The school consisted of a single structure, the present Administration building, where the boys ate and slept and attended classes. The Mills house continued to be the Novitiate.