Three generations later, school has the same feel

The opening day of St. John the Baptist School in Costa Mesa in 1959 was a blustery affair.

“On the first day of school, we had the Santa Ana winds,” said Irish-born Sister Annunciata, who began teaching at the school when it opened. She described the winds as a “whirlwind” that left everything brown.

Since then, the school has developed into a thriving, faith-centered community that is now serving its third generation of students.

The school celebrated its Golden Jubilee this week with Masses and other special events.

A highlight on Friday evening was the unveiling and blessing of six new stained-glass church windows, depicting Saints of Culture and Saints of Education, presented to the parish by an anonymous donor.

More than two dozen past and present Sisters of Mercy who have worked with the school, including Sister Annunciata and two other Sisters who traveled from Ireland, attended the celebration.

“It just seems like you never left,” Sister Annunciata said. “It all feels and looks the same.”

The Sisters represented a total of 223 years of “love, devotion, care, spirituality, guidance, patience and mercy beyond measure,” the church’s Rev. Norbert Wood said.

The church and school were built to accommodate overflow from St. Joachim’s parish, and were known as St. Joachim’s Annex until the spring of 1960.

“It was a privilege to be here first,” Sister Annunciata said. “People were very good to us. We were starting and they were starting. We were all in the same boat.”

The first pastor at St. John the Baptist, Father Anthony McGowan, recalled sleeping in a broom closet at the new site until he had a permanent place to live on nearby Post Road.

“It was sparse,” he said of the area. Baker Street was lined with bean and tomato fields, and the Holly Sugar factory sat nearby.

Under his leadership, the church started the Share Our Selves program, built a parish hall and kept expanding the school.

“This is a wonderful place to work. The thing that keeps me here is that I realize how much it has not changed,” kindergarten teacher Margaret Murillo said.

Her daughters and grandchildren have all gone to St. John’s.

Teresa Lee, one of Murillo’s daughters, moved back to the area when her children were old enough to attend St. John’s — as did alumnae Nicole Chamberlain, who met her future husband in first grade.

Teacher Anita Newland returned to teach at the school after graduation.

“Not much has changed here since then,” she said. “My Catholic faith has always been the center of my life. Coming back here as a teacher brings it all full circle.”