CROWN HEIGHTS — The nor’easter that pummeled the East Coast on Sept. 26 could not deter Catholic school alumnae from celebrating the 100th anniversary of their beloved alma mater, Bishop McDonnell Memorial High School.
The original school at 260 Eastern Parkway served as the main diocesan scholarship high school for girls from 1926 through 1973. It was named for Bishop Charles McDonnell (1854-1921), the Diocese of Brooklyn’s second bishop.
Today the regal building — the venue for the Sept. 26 centennial and all-class reunion — houses the St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf. But Bishop McDonnell’s moniker remains boldly inscribed above the entrance.
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Bishop Robert Brennan celebrated Mass in the school’s auditorium.
The fierce winds and torrential rains may have cut the celebration’s attendance from the expected 300 women to about 125. Still, the enthusiasm was undiminished for the school affectionately called “Bishops.”
Sister Maryann Lopiccolo, class of 1966, explained the nickname became “plural” because the student body was so large — sometimes as many as 1,600 girls — that several other Catholic schools served as “annexes” for 9th and 10th graders.
“When girls came from one of the annexes,” she recalled, “we would say, ‘Oh, are you an annex girl?’ The poor things! They wore this label until we got to know them.”
Sister Maryann said the school’s atmosphere was welcoming and friendly.
“Everyone you talk to who graduated from Bishops just loved it,” she said. “And even now, among the girls, there are still good connections.”
Sister Maryann is the episcopal delegate for religious, overseeing care and services for all communities of religious women serving in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
She said sisters from “teaching” orders formed the faculty at Bishops, including the Sisters of St. Joseph (Brentwood), the Sisters of St. Dominic (Amityville), the Sisters of Mercy (Brooklyn), the Sisters of Charity, and the Daughters of Wisdom.
Meanwhile, the Nursing Sisters of the Sick Poor ran the school’s clinic, and the Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity (Trinitarian Sisters) were the vocational guidance counselors.
Sister Maryann said the principal was always a priest, and Father Franklin Fitzpatrick had the job during her time there.
“There was a holy atmosphere, too,” Sister Maryann said. “It wasn’t ‘holier than thou’ — just a sense that this was a special place with all different sisters and the interaction with them.
“We learned to respect differences and to appreciate them. And we felt respected.”
Some sisters were elderly, she said, but others were much younger. The sisters also inspired many students to seek religious vocations, she said.
“I think the variety was rich for us,” Sister Maryann said. “A lot of vocations came from Bishops to all those teaching communities and others.”
Many graduates went on to careers in business and leadership.
Mary Collins Macchiarola, Class of 1958, and the guest speaker, described how the school guided her and generations of young women into amazing futures.
“By the time our school closed, over 25,000 young women had earned diplomas,” she said. “Bishops’ girls were scattered around the world, distinguishing themselves as leaders in many professions and fields of endeavor.”
Macchiarola taught kindergarten in both the public and Catholic school systems for decades. She remains active on the Board of Trustees at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School and the Bishops Alumnae Committee.
“The sisters shaped my heart and mind and equipped me with a skill set that allowed me to find my place in the world and to compete confidently and successfully,” Macchiarola said. “Nor shall I ever forget the many friends I met here at Bishops, and the long, life-lasting bonds that endured. I was indeed very blessed.”
Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, a diocesan high school for boys in Fort Greene, was named for Bishop John Loughlin (1817-1891), the first bishop of Brooklyn.
It became coed in 1974 when it absorbed students from the recently closed Bishops.
Likewise, “Loughlin” accepted students from St. Augustine High School in Park Slope when it closed in 1969.
Andrew Leary, Loughlin’s vice president of institutional advancement, said the school contains the alumni offices for itself, St. Augustine, and Bishops.
“So, Loughlin is the repository of those archives, memories, and memorabilia,” Leary said. “And Loughlin has a Bishop McDonnell Scholarship Fund, funded by the alumnae of Bishops to help the girls at Loughlin.
“They make it work for us. I mean, their school closed more than 50 years ago, and yet they’re so supportive. It varies by year, but it is at least several hundred thousand dollars.”
Bishop Brennan praised the alumnae for their contributions to Catholic education. He likened their work to that of St. Frances Cabrini and Blessed Fulton Sheen, who left their own marks on Brooklyn.
“There are saints walking among us right here and now today,” he said, “who have gone from Brooklyn and Queens and are out making their difference in the world beyond. It takes that extra eye to recognize that holiness.”
