Both St. Ann and St. James were home to rich and vibrant Catholic school communities for many generations. Although they are sadly both closed now, we are extremely proud of our former students and know that many of them carry lasting memories and friendships to this day. We are pleased to offer our alumni this resource on the history of St. Ann Catholic School, Lansing and St. James the Greater School, Sauk Village.
St. Ann Parish was established in Lansing, Illinois in 1913, and by the 1940s had grown to include so many families that the dream of opening a school started taking hold. In September of 1949, with great anticipation and hope for the future, the parish family of Saint Ann broke ground for a new church and school building. After ten months of construction, new church, rectory, and school buildings were dedicated on July 5, 1950. That fall, St. Ann School opened for its first academic year with 296 students, and the tuition was $35.00 for the year. The school was staffed by nine members of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Mary Immaculate, including the first Principal, Sister Mary Salome Gilmore. In 1957, it had become necessary to add five new classrooms and enlarge the church. The School reached its peak enrollment of 890 students in 1962. By the 1990s, a new dream had spread through the St. Ann community: a modern new church building on a separate site that would allow the school to expand within the original footprint. In 1997, the new St. Ann Church building was dedicated and the school population was able to spread out into four additional classrooms, a teacher’s lounge, multi-purpose space, and new office areas.
In November 2020, during the school’s 70th year and amidst the ravages and uncertainty of COVID-19, the Archdiocese informed the school and parish community that we needed to raise $150k or face closure. Despite a valiant fundraising effort, the news came in January 2021 that St. Ann School would close permanently at the end of that school year. The last class graduated on May 28, and a big Final Farewell Celebration took place on June 5, which included self-guided tours of the school building, Mass, and a parking lot party. Many acquaintances were renewed, stories shared, and tears shed as we said goodbye to this beloved institution.
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