Breaking New Ground in Our Community
Our History
58 Years in the Making
Established as a ministry of St. Bonaventure Parish, St. Bonaventure Catholic School first opened its doors in September, 1966 under the auspices of the Irish Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Today, St. Bonaventure Catholic School is in its 58th year with over 500 students spanning Transitional Kindergarten to Eighth Grade. In honor of the Presentation Sisters, our motto - “not words, but deeds” - remains their motto, a phrase coined by their founder, Nano Nagle.
Our Humble Beginnings
The history of St. Bonaventure Catholic School has always remained intertwined with the history of St. Bonaventure Church and Parish, highlighting our role as a ministry serving our parish.
Monsignor Michael Duffy
Our founding pastor, Father Michael Duffy - later Monsignor Duffy - hailed from Mayo, Ireland and was ordained to the priesthood in 1942, following his immigration to the United States.
Under the leadership of Monsignor Michael Duffy, whose legacy of joy and love for our parish and school as its founder remains palpable in our faith community today, a nine acre purchase by the Archdiocese on the corner of Springdale and Heil in Huntington Beach would be transformed into a budding multicultural parish and school serving Catholic families in the rapidly growing northern sector in the city.
On October 3, 1965, Father Michael Duffy celebrated the first Mass of what would soon become St. Bonaventure Catholic Parish with a congregation of five. Without an established structure for services, Masses were initially held in a poorly lit, concrete warehouse on Murdy Circle.
A Church Worth Building
The building of a church began two years later, in 1967, when Bishop Timothy Manning of the newly formed Diocese of Orange signed a contract to begin construction. The first structure established was the U-shaped complex we still use as a lower and upper school building. Our two eight-classroom wings remain connected by a covered breezeway and separated by a courtyard, dedicated today to the Blessed Virgin Mary, as was originally constructed.
While the church was under construction, one eight-classroom wing lacing partitions served as a church and sacristy space. Father Hoza of Blessed Sacrament Parish loaned five classrooms to our school and students were bused to Westminster.
Meanwhile, Fr. Duffy worked tirelessly to procure the objects that adorn our worship spaces today, including French stained glass created by the artist, Gabriel Loire, and Stations of the Cross painted by the Pyszak sisters of Los Angeles, renowned for their artistry in church environments.
The Presentation Sisters
In the fall of 1966, completing Father Duffy’s vision for a school and church community, St. Bonaventure Catholic School opened under the auspices of four Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (PBVM) with a staff of five teachers and two hundred and forty-three students in grades one through three.
By the early 1970’s, the construction of both the school and church had been completed, and on June 10, 1979, St. Bonaventure Catholic Church was formally dedicated by Bishop William Johnson.
Sister Raphael “Carmel” Lynch
Sr. Raphael Lynch (now Sr. Carmel), the school’s first principal, who ultimately served for two additional assignments, was pivotal in laying the excellent academic, spiritual, and moral groundwork from which our current philosophy for education stems. Her presence, and that of her Sisters, remains strong in our school. Their motto, coined by Nano Nagle, has been adopted as our school’s motto. We strive to bring the light of Jesus and the Gospel to all, “not words, but deeds.”
Growth & Expansion
Since the founding of St. Bonaventure Catholic School, each of our pastors - Monsignor Michael Duffy, Father Kerry Beaulieu, Father Bruce Patterson, Father Joseph Knerr and Father Vincent - have worked beyond measure alongside the Presentation Sisters to ensure the School's ministry to children remains effective and strong.
Monsignor Michael Duffy
In addition to his pivotal role devising and executing the vision of our school and parish from 1965 to the early 1990’s, Msgr. Duffy oversaw the building of the convent on Bradbury Lane, where our Presentation Sisters currently reside, in 1981. In 1990, two additional kindergarten rooms were built.
Father Kerry Beaulieu
Fr. Kerry substantially expanded our school’s existing endowment fund to support today’s incorporation of a robust co-curricular program, and earthquake retrofitted our school buildings and facilities.
Father Bruce Patterson
Under the leadership of Fr. Bruce, additional funds were added to our school’s endowment fund and a pledge campaign was established to raise funds towards the building of the Duffy Center on campus, in honor of our founding pastor, Monsignor Michael Duffy. On April 30, 2006, the Duffy Center on the southern wing of campus opened its doors.
Father Joseph “Joe” Knerr
Fr. Joseph “Joe” Knerr oversaw the execution of a major, decades-long plan to renovate the foundation of the Church building. Following two years of construction, the newly renovated church features a Chapel dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament, a new working sacristy and vestry, and a new Baptismal font, among countless other facility upgrades.
Adding to the French stained glass and other treasures gathered by Msgr. Duffy - which remain prominent fixtures in the new building - a woven tapestry imported from Belgium adorns the eastern wall of the renovated church. Today, our students are blessed to exercise their faith formation within the sanctity of our parish’s new center of worship.
In anticipation of retirement, Fr. Joe stepped down as Pastor of St. Bonaventure Church on July 1, 2023. He will continue to serve the community of St. Bonaventure as a Senior Priest, giving up pastoral administrative responsibilities while still ministering to the needs of the parish. He continues to celebrate Mass, hear Confessions, and visit the sick. He will continue to prepare couples for the Sacrament of Matrimony and celebrate their weddings and will continue to serve as a senior priest until his retirement.
Father Vincent Pham
July 2023 Fr. Vincent Pham joined St. Bonaventure Parish as pastor. Fr. Vincent has moved a lot, and he says it is always his way of serving, “Not asking to go and not asking to stay.” He likes to leave it entirely up to the Bishop, and this time, the Bishop sent him to our wonderful community. Fr. Vincent says "As I begin my ministry here, I pray that I will be received as one of your members, and I will receive you as my family members. That is how we all respond to Jesus’ message in today’s Gospel, “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.""
For the past 26 years as a parish priest, Fr. Vincent has always enjoyed celebrating the sacraments, giving short homilies, meeting parishioners, visiting the school, and helping out different ministries in the parish. One of his ministerial strengths is to promote the stewardship way of life. Welcome Fr. Vincent!
A Bright Hub of Learning
Today, St. Bonaventure Catholic School is in its 58th year with over 500 students in grades Transitional Kindergarten through eighth. Classroom support includes instructional aides at every grade level and two Diversified Learning Support teachers. These resources assist our teachers with instruction differentiation and small groups work to ensure that each child receives the personalized learning they need to succeed.
Our digital literacy team collaborates with classroom teachers to fully integrate educational technology and today’s digital literacy skills into instruction and learning. Our full-time librarian provides access to traditional books as well as electronic books and literacy resources for all students. Our Extended Day program offers before and after school care for the children of working parents, and a support staff consisting of departments from yard duty, safety, advancement, marketing, and business management assist the principal in fostering a safe and nurturing campus environment and school culture.
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