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Before the first railroad was built in America, before Abraham Lincoln was admitted to the bar, Transfiguration School began teaching its first students. Founded in 1832, the school has educated generations of immigrant children in the ways of the world and the ways of Christian faith.
When Father Felix Varela, a Cuban-born priest who fled political persecution in Spain, founded Transfiguration School, the Lower East Side was made up predominantly of Irish immigrants. But the tradition of serving people of many backgrounds was established quickly. The first board of trustees included John Delmonico, a Swiss immigrant of the famous restaurant family, and Mariano Velazquez, the distinguished language scholar. The parish's first priests included a Polish, an Italian, a Portuguese and even a Turkish-born priest.
During its first 20 years, Transfiguration School had several homes in the areas around what is now City Hall. But, in 1853, the church moved into its present home on Mott Street, a church first built for an Episcopalian congregation. An adjacent building was quickly renovated to accommodate the thriving parochial school. More than 1,000 students were enrolled in the years just before the Civil War.
By the turn of the century, the great wave of immigration into America had begun to change the ethnic make-up of the neighborhood. Italians, Jews and Eastern Europeans dominated lower Manhattan. Ground was broken for a new school in 1922 by the Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Hayes, who was himself an alumnus of Transfiguration School.
The neighborhood and the school underwent another change following World War II. Chinese immigration picked up substantially and Transfiguration responded. A Chinese school was established by Father Umberto Dalmasso, a Chinese-speaking priest of the Salesian order. A short time later, the church and its now-famous school were turned over to the Catholic Foreign Mission Society, popularly known as the Maryknoll Fathers and the Maryknoll Sisters, and were entrusted with education in the school.
In 1969, the administration and teaching duties at Transfiguration School were given over to a lay staff. The doors of the school were thrown open to children of all faiths. With its new open- admission policy, the school attracted a large number of Chinese children whose parents were not Catholic but who wanted their children to receive a Catholic education.
Today, as it was 175 years ago, Transfiguration School serves a dynamic community with a challenging academic program. More than half of the 270 students are not Catholic and admittance to Transfiguration School is highly prized.
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