City Hall celebration marks St. Vincent de Paul School centennial

By Christina Gray

It was a scorching-hot September morning by San Francisco standards. But that didn’t seem to faze the hundreds of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) schoolchildren who piled out of buses in front of San Francisco City Hall on Sept. 27. Dressed in full uniform including navy blue cardigans and bursting with school pride, they rushed out to celebrate their school’s 100th anniversary.

The feast day of St. Vincent de Paul is Sept. 27.

“On behalf of the Board of Supervisors, I am proud to announce a proclamation officially declaring Sept. 27, 2024, as St. Vincent de Paul School Day in the City and County of San Francisco,” said Supervisor Catherine Stefani, a parishioner and former school parent who proposed the proclamation to the Board, which passed it unanimously.

“I’ve witnessed first-hand, the incredible impact this institution has had on its students, families and the broader community,” she said.

Students of the K-8 school founded by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul shouted, “SVdP, 100 years strong! SVdP, 100 years strong!,” after seating themselves on the storied steps outside the rotunda. Principal Marguerite Pini, SVdP pastor Father Arturo Albano, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, and teachers and parents looked proudly on.

 The 30-minute civic event began with short messages from two eighth-grade student representatives, Gemma Gibson and Tyler Clauss, and an alumna and current parent, Diedre Merrill Corcoran, ’87. It concluded with the formal presentation of the proclamation by San Francisco Mayor London Breed.

“SVdP is a school that has a longstanding tradition of serving our San Francisco community,” said young Clauss. “Today on the feast of St. Vincent de Paul, we recognize our call to serve others and continue that sense of service all our lives.”

Alumna Deirdre Merrill Corcoran, Class of ’87 and now a school parent herself, began by remembering the vision and sacrifices of the Daughters of Charity, the order of Catholic sisters who founded the school.

“We rely on their strength and guidance today in a special way on this feast day of St. Vincent de Paul in marking this momentous occasion,” she said. “Thank you to all the dedicated educators and administrators, both past and present, who have worked tirelessly to build on the strong foundation of Catholic education started by these courageous Daughters of Charity.”  

Corcoran said the school has been a “beacon of civic pride,” with countless students graduating to go on to become civic leaders in the Bay Area and beyond.   

The school was also presented with a Congressional Certificate of Recognition from Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, according to Supervisor Stefani.

Mayor Breed said the school represents an important part of the fabric of what makes San Francisco so special and resilient.

“This school has survived earthquakes, it has survived fires, it has survived politics and so many other challenges, and here it is, stronger than ever,” she said.

Breed ordered the “The People’s Palace,” as City Hall is sometimes called, to be lit up that night in the school’s gold and blue colors.

“Make sure you come back tonight because City Hall will be lit up in your honor, and it won’t be as hot when the sun goes down.”

The Daughters of Charity were established in 1633 by St. Vincent de Paul, a humble French priest, and a widow, St. Louise de Marillac. The religious order was dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton founded the American province of the order, which taught children, cared for orphans and nursed the sick.

In 1852, as San Francisco’s population exploded during the Gold Rush, Archbishop Joseph S. Alemany appealed to the order to help care for the orphans of a cholera epidemic that swept the city. Seven sisters traveled west to build an orphanage and schools. St. Vincent de Paul located on Green Street between the city’s Pacific Heights and Marina neighborhoods was opened in 1924.

According to Brenda Barkley, the school’s development director, the school began envisioning its needs for the next 100 years in 2015. St. Vincent de Paul School’s Centennial Capital Campaign launched this spring is dedicated to raising $10 million to fund an elevated sport court/outdoor learning space on the school’s tight urban footprint, as well as seismic retrofits.

To learn more about St. Vincent de Paul School, visit svdpsf.com.

Christina Gray is the lead writer for Catholic San Francisco magazine.

Photo: Francisco Valdez, Archdiocese of San Francisco