Latin School of Indianapolis

Last updated April 17, 2019

Msgr. Joseph D. Brokhage (1964) Brokhage.jpg — Msgr. Joseph D. Brokhage (1964)

The Latin School of Indianapolis served from 1955 to 1978 as a pre-seminary boys' high school for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis is a division of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. When it was originally erected as the Diocese of Vincennes on May 6, 1834, it encompassed all of Indiana as well as the eastern third of Illinois. It was renamed the Diocese of Indianapolis on March 28, 1898. Bishop Francis Silas Chatard, who had been living in Indianapolis since 1878 when he was appointed Bishop of Vincennes, became the first Bishop of Indianapolis. It was elevated from a diocese to a metropolitan archdiocese on October 21, 1944.

Cathedral High School is a private, Catholic high school in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States serving approximately 1,200 students in grades 9 to 12. The school was founded in 1918 by Bishop Chartrand within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis and was run independently by the Brothers of Holy Cross until the late 1970s when it became an independent Catholic high school.

In its third academic year, the Latin School moved into dedicated facilities, consisting of four classrooms attached to the Holy Rosary Church at 520 Stevens Street. The name was changed to Bishop Bruté Latin School after Simon Bruté, the first Bishop of the Diocese of Vincennes, which at the time included all of Indiana.^{[ citation needed ]}

Simon Bruté French bishop and missionary to the United States

Simon William Gabriel Bruté de Rémur was a French missionary in the United States and the first bishop of the Diocese of Vincennes, Indiana. President John Quincy Adams called Bruté "the most learned man of his day in America."

The Diocese of Vincennes, the first Roman Catholic diocese in Indiana, was erected 6 May 1834 by Pope Gregory XVI. Its initial ecclesiastical jurisdiction encompassed Indiana as well as the eastern third of Illinois. In 1843 the Diocese of Chicago was erected from the Illinois portion of the diocese, and in 1857 Diocese of Fort Wayne was erected from the northern half of Indiana. The seat of the episcopal see was transferred from Vincennes, Indiana, to Indianapolis, and on 28 March 1898 it became the Diocese of Indianapolis. Pope Pius XII elevated the Indianapolis diocese to an archdiocese in 1944, and erected two new Indiana dioceses: the Diocese of Evansville and the Diocese of Lafayette. The Diocese of Gary, Indiana, was erected in 1956. The Evansville Diocese absorbed the city of Vincennes upon its creation.

Father Joseph D. Brokhage (S.T.D., ordained 1939, Monsignor 1964) served as both rector of the school and pastor of Holy Rosary parish. Under his leadership, the school grew steadily and added a large wing of classrooms, a recreation room and a gymnasium/auditorium along Stevens Street. An ambitious program was launched in 1963 to build a group of dormitories for out-of-town students. This plan was only partially carried out. The first dormitory, Dugan Hall, was built with funds provided by the Latin School Foundation, a foundation started by the District Council of Catholic Men. Dugan Hall was named for Msgr. Henry Dugan, who had been a member of the advisory board when the school was founded.^[2]

Students at Mass in Holy Rosary Church (1965). After that academic year, students wore the schoolday standard to church services: collared shirt, dresspants and tie. LSI-Mass.jpg — Students at Mass in Holy Rosary Church (1965). After that academic year, students wore the schoolday standard to church services: collared shirt, dresspants and tie.

Academics

The concept of the Latin School originated with Brokhage, who modeled the school academically after the Boston Latin School, the oldest public school in America. The Indianapolis Latin School differed from the Boston school, because it prepared high school boys to enter seminary, principally the St. Meinrad Seminary and Benedictine Archabbey in southern Indiana.

The Boston Latin School is a first build public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest school in America and the first public school in the United States. The Public Latin School was a bastion for educating the sons of the Boston "Brahmin" elite, resulting in the school claiming many prominent New Englanders as alumni. Its curriculum follows that of the 18th century Latin school movement, which holds the classics to be the basis of an educated mind. Four years of Latin are mandatory for all pupils who enter the school in the 7th grade, three years for those who enter in the 9th. In 2007, the school was named one of the top 20 high schools in the United States by U.S. News & World Report magazine. It was named a 2011 "Blue Ribbon School of Excellence", the Department of Education's highest award. As of 2018, it is listed under the "gold medal" list, ranking 48 out of the top 100 high schools in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.

Saint Meinrad Archabbey is a Roman Catholic monastery in Spencer County, Indiana, USA, was founded by monks from Einsiedeln Abbey in Switzerland on March 21, 1854, and is home to approximately 85 monks. The abbey is named for St. Meinrad, a monk who died in 861. It is one of only two archabbeys in the United States and one of 11 in the world. The abbey is located approximately 15 minutes from Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, Indiana. Immaculate Conception is for Benedictine women.

The school attained a high degree of academic rigor and boasted a classical-style curriculum along with Church related subjects. For a period, Latin was a required course for all four years at Latin School. Greek was required during senior year until 1966. The majority of the instructors were priests from the Archdiocese, who taught in their areas of specialization.

Closing

In 1978, the Archdiocese closed the school, because enrollment had decreased from 154 students in 1971 to 80 students in 1972. Sharply rising costs were another factor.

Legacy

About 500 young men were graduated from Latin School since its founding. 86 were ordained as priests by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.^[3] The former Latin School facility now houses Lumen Christi Catholic School, which was established in 2003.

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References

↑ The Indianapolis Star . March 25, 1961. Missing or empty |title= (help)
↑ "Latin School Has New Dormitory". The Indianapolis News . October 16, 1963.
↑ "Archdiocese to Close Latin School for Lack of Support". The Indianapolis Star . March 10, 1978.

Coordinates: 39°45′30″N86°08′54″W / 39.7582°N 86.1484°W / 39.7582; -86.1484

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[1] The Indianapolis Star . March 25, 1961. Missing or empty |title= (help)

[2] "Latin School Has New Dormitory". The Indianapolis News . October 16, 1963.

[3] "Archdiocese to Close Latin School for Lack of Support". The Indianapolis Star . March 10, 1978.