School History
Established 1927
In 1927, St. John Chrysostom School opened its doors in a combination church and school building on the corner of Locust and Manchester in downtown Inglewood. As a result of rapid parish expansion, the school relocated to its present site on Florence in 1955. Adjacent to St. Mary’s Academy in Inglewood, it shares facilities with St. John Chrysostom Parish. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet have guided St. John’s since its inception, from first principal, Sister Mary Dolores Murphy, Principal Sr. Antoinette Czuleger, followedd by Jae Kim and presently Erika Jimenez.
From that initial enrollment of 120, enrollment steadily increased to a high of 776 in 1962. Though numbers remained stable, in 1969 class sizes were deliberately scaled down to 40 students per class. The first kindergarten opened in 1982 and 2009 welcomed a Developmental Kindergarten for four year olds. The plant includes 10 classrooms as well as offices, a faculty lounge, a media center, a primary computer lab, a library, a health room, a science lab and the parish auditorium/kitchen/meeting room complex.
St. John’s provides a faith-based curriculum that educates the whole child, academically, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. We mold informed, globally aware citizens and compassionate, dedicated Christian leaders for the future. Graduates go on to scholastic achievement and leadership positions in their high schools and beyond, and often return to their alma mater to share their success stories with current students. St. John Chrysostom Class of 2010 created a new school motto, “Dream, Believe, Achieve.” St. John students are living the dream.
About the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondelet
In the mid 1600s, six ordinary women joined together in community under the patronage of St. Joseph in LePuy, France. They worked to support themselves by making lace, a common trade in that region of France.
The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet traces its origin to and follows the spirit of the foundation made by Jean Pierre Medaille, S.J. The members of the community dedicate themselves to the “practice of all the spiritual and corporal works of mercy of which woman is capable and which will most benefit the dear neighbor.”
Mother St. John Fontbonne, a heroic woman who narrowly escaped the guillotine, refounded the Sisters of St. Joseph at Lyon, France in 1807.
In 1836, eight women were chosen to make the first foundation in the United States. They arrived in Carondelet, Missouri, a small town outside St. Louis. This foundation was destined to become the cradle of the American congregation.
Today, the sister’s ministries include teaching, parish work, health care, retreat work and spiritual direction; they also conduct outreach centers.
The Congregation grew throughout the United States. Province houses were established in St. Louis, MO, Albany, NY, St. Paul, MN and Los Angeles, CA with vice-provinces in Hawaii, Japan, and Peru.