History

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church was assigned to Father Graffeo in October 1914, who was named a Monsignor by the Holy Father in 1927 and celebrated his 50th anniversary as a priest on October 30, 1952. He died on April 21, 1959, having served as pastor at Immaculate Conception Church for 42 years. 

Monsignor Graffeo's greatest dream was to provide a parochial school for the children of the parish. He had expressed his dream to his friend and parishioner, James L. Collins.  Mr. Collins was born in West Virginia on August 3, 1883 and had come as a young man to Corsicana.  A bachelor, he prospered as an independent oil man. His dream was to do something for the young people of Corsicana and his parish. On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the patron feast of the parish, December 8, 1953, Mr. Collins died, leaving the funds to build and operate a school.

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Mr. Collins left an estate of $13 million dollars to be divided among: The Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas; St. Joseph's Orphanage in Dallas; Immaculate Conception Church to build and operate a school, and Corsicana Independent School District to create college scholarships for graduates of Corsicana High School.

With the Collins gift, plans were made to start a building campaign to build the school, a new church, a convent and rectory. The Collins funds and a lease on the existing church property with Safeway had assured $340,000 but $60,000 still was needed to construct a new church.

Campaign leaders for the new school were Dr. A.L. Grizzaffi as campaign chairman, W.C. Stroube, Paul Mitchell, W.T. Dennehy, V.W. Zellman, Jerry Patril, Mrs. Louis Kormos, and Father Robert E. Rehkemper.

A 22 acre site on Highway 22, on the west side of the city, was purchased for the new parish and school.

Ground breaking for the new Church of the Immaculate Conception, James L. Collins Catholic School, the convent and the rectory, occurred on Sunday, January 30, 1955.

Besides the church dignitaries present were: W.C. Stroube, Bill Collins, brother of James L. Collins and Robert L. Wheelock, Sr., trustees under the will of Mr. Collins. Mrs. J.F. Stein, president of Our Lady's Altar Society, and E.B. Harrison, president of the Men's Club. Architects selected for the project were Caudill, Rawlett, Scott and Associates of Bryan and general contractors were Busboom and Rauh of Dallas.

It was during these years of building and developing that Monsignor Graffeo became ill and parish responsibilities were taken care of by Father Rehkemper and later Father Paul Higginbotham.

The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of Houston accepted the call to staff the school. Announcement of their acceptance was made to the parish fittingly on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 1954, the first anniversary of Mr. Collins death.

James L. Collins Catholic School was the first and only institution staffed by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of Houston in the Diocese of Dallas.

When the school opened in 1955, only four grades (first through fourth) were taught with an additional grade added each year until the eighth grade was added. Kindergarten was added in 1975; extended care in 1987, and pre-kindergarten in 1989.

The first enrollment was 47 with 17 pupils in the first grade; 21 in the second and third, and nine in the fourth grade. Classes met temporarily in the old church and did not move into the new building until January 1956.

Sister Mary DeLourdes was the first principal with three other Sisters on the faculty.

Need for increased facilities necessitated an addition to the school in 1959 when three classrooms, a library, storage, office space, athletic equipment and restrooms were added in a $101,000 building program. At the same time a full time coach and science teacher were added to the faculty.

James L. Collins School received its state accreditation in May 1961. The Mothers' Club was organized in October 1955, "To bring about intelligent cooperation of parents and teachers in providing the spiritual, physical, mental and social training of the child. Mrs. A.L. Grizzaffi was the first Mothers' Club president. In the late 60's the Mothers' club became the Parent Teacher Club and recently renamed to Parent Teacher Committee and it still remains an active and supportive organization for the school. 

Msgr. Graffeo and James L Collins would be proud of the evolution of their dream come true and their legacy lives on.  A quote from a tribute to James L. Collins in church archives states, “Truly...To live in the hearts of those we leave behind, is not to die."