With its cornerstone bearing the inscription "1924 A.D.", Holy Family School stands at the corner of 9th and Adams N.W. [later known as 714 N. Adams Avenue). It was on Sept. 2, 1926, that it swung open its doors for the first time and admitted 143 children.

For more than a quarter of a century its yearly attendance has averaged more than 250 pupils. During this time it has cared for approximately 17,000 in the annual aggregate. Today's [1953] enrollment is 435.

Into various walks of life these students have carried Holy Family's credo: "We believe in the sanctity of the family - the basic unit of society."

Msgr. Arthur J. Breen, pastor of Holy Family Parish, is also superinendent of Holy Family School. Since coming here from Loras College, Dubuque, in June, 1949, he has most ably taken up the work so well begun by Msgr. Richard P. Murphy, who was pastor from 1919 to 1949. Msgr. Breen has spared little to make his school second to none. In this he is aided by his two assistants, Fr. John Reed and Fr. Roger Sullivan.

The school is staffed by the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. From this community of 2,500 members, which has its headquarters in Dubuque, Iowa, and is devoted soley to the work of education, 11 members labor for the betterment of this locality.

Sister Mary Ritella, B.V.M., is the present principal. She has just completed five years of service to Holy Family School.

Classes from kindergarten to grade 12 inclusive are taught. Thirty-eight wee tots finished kindergarten this [1953] June This year's class of 23 seniors completed the academic course which the school offered. The studies prescribed are such that will admit them to college, for past figures show that 70 per cent of those trained in recent years at Holy Family, have entered fields of higher education.

In 1930 the school was accredited by the state superintendent of public instruction and each year since it has maintained its accreditation to the state.

To reiterate the words of Msgr. Breen upon the occasion of the school's silver jubilee is to give the basic purpose and results of this monument of education. As the city celebrates its Centennial, these words are timely:

"During its 25 momentious years, Holy Family School has emphasized in its teaching and learning that formal education is a means of producing intelligent, cultured individuals of character, exemplary citizens, socially responsive and morally good, not only for attaining material ends or worldly efficiency but also for the purpose of attaining spiritual satisfaction. Consequently, it is our belief that our institution is an important moral factor within the complex, integral social life of our city."

NOTE: Holy Family Catholic School was completed on December 15, 1926 at a cost of $150,000. In 1973, Holy Family consolidated with St. Joseph's Academy in 1973 to become Central Catholic Grade School. In the year 2003, it was moved to Newman Catholic High School Campus in Mason City. Sixth through eighth grades attended classes at Holy Family until it was convered into Central Catholic Childcare/Newman Daycare in 1986.

On January 12, 2007, demolition began on Holy Family Catholic Church. Items salvaged and and preserved were the 1924 cornerstone and a decorative block bearing the school's name, which along with items salvaged from the demolition of St. Joseph Catholic School of Mason City were incorporated into a sculpture on the Newman School campus. Prior to demolition, during the summer of 2006, members of Holy Family's 1956 toured the lower floors of the school when they celebrated the 50th anniversary of their graduation. The grounds was converted into a parking lot.