St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in Buffalo, NY launched its 150th anniversary celebration in September with a liturgy celebrated by the Bishop of Buffalo, the Most Reverend Edward U. Kmiec. The festivities continue all year with events including the Sesquicentennial Gala and Auction in February and the Signum Fidei Induction Ceremony in April.
Six Christian Brothers opened St. Joe’s in 1861. It grew quickly, but hit tough times and closed from 1891 to 1893. The school re-opened in a temporary location on Buffalo’s West Side in 1893 and four years later moved to 1238 Main Street.
In the 1920s, St. Joe’s luck improved. The school eliminated its debt, increased enrollment, and purchased land in 1924 that would be the home of a new building. However, the school did not move until 1950 as it needed time to recover from the Great Depression and World War II.
In more recent decades, the school prospered. St. Joe’s leased nearby space for classrooms in the early ‘70s because of increased enrollment. It has also built additions, renovated, and upgraded facilities. Most recently, St. Joe’s modernized its campus by building an all-weather athletic field complex and state-of-the-art science center.