About

Chinese Catholic Academy Scrapbook, 1939, 1942-1946, page 56

Father John Cowhig, Sister Noemi Crews, and Cardinal Thomas Tien Ken-sin with students

The St. Bridget’s Catholic Chinese Center was founded in Los Angeles Chinatown in 1940 by Father John Cowhig as a mission for the Chinese community and a refuge for displaced Chinese Catholics in the Los Angeles area. Many newly immigrant non-Catholic Chinese and their American-born Chinese children arrived at the church for shelter, became converts, and joined the Church. In addition to founding the Catholic Chinese Academy, the Catholic Chinese Center provided educational and social services as part of its mission, and continues to do so into the 21st century.

The Catholic Chinese Academy started as a summer language school for local Chinese children in Los Angeles as part of the St. Bridget’s Catholic Chinese Center's missionary services. As more volunteers from other Catholic schools, such as Sister Noemi Crews from the Immaculate Heart High School, joined the Catholic Chinese Center, it expanded to offer singing, dancing, and dramatics classes. In 1944, at the suggestion of Sister Crews, Father Cowhig converted the summer school to a primary school and named it the Catholic Chinese Academy as recommended by Dr. Stanley Chan. At its height, the Catholic Chinese Academy offered kindergarten to sixth grade and summer classes. Mr. Mulcahy and Archbishop John Joseph Cantwell supported and funded the Academy. After Archbishop Cantell passed away in 1947, he was replaced by Archbishop James Francis McIntyre. Archbishop McIntyre ordered the school to close in 1951, except for the nursery and kindergarten, and sent grade school students to the Queen of Angels Grammar School.

This collection contains two scrapbooks from the mid 1940s. A third scrapbook is available to access physically at CHSSC.