Archives

Society of Saint Edmund Archives
LOCAL ADMINISTRATION
CARDINAL MINDSZENTY HIGH SCHOOL
1950-1964

Physical Description
1 ft.      (2 boxes)
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically. Folder List
History
In 1950, Bishop John O’Hara, CSC of Buffalo, invited the Society of Saint Edmund to open a Diocesan High School in Dunkirk, New York.  Cardinal Mindszenty High School (CMHS) was named in honor of Hungarian leader Jozsef Mindszenty [1892-1975], who opposed Nazi rule during WWII and was named Cardinal Archbishop of Esztergom and primate of Hungary in 1946.  In 1948, he was arrested for treason for his oppostion to the communist regime. 
The school opened in the Fall of 1950 with Fr. Francis Moriarty, SSE as Superior.  The SSE community decided to withdrew from the High School at the end of the 1963/4 school year, in preparation for the opening of the new SSE Missions in Venezuela and the planned Junior Seminary in Allentown, PA.  In 1964, the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Buffalo took over the school and it became coeducational.  CMHS finally closed its doors in 1979, although an active alumni association keeps the memory alive (see http://mindszentymonarchmemories.yearbookhigh.com ). 
The Edmundites maintained a canonical house at Dunkirk, and its members served as principals, teachers and staff of CMHS until 1964.  The house (and the original school) was located in the Gross Mansion at 715 Central Avenue. 
Scope/Contents
The files of CMHS are arranged alphabetically.  The bulk of the collection is made up of student publications, including nine years of the student newspaper and twelve years of the yearbook.    Memorabilia, miscellaneous and newspaper clippings are the other items related to the school itself.  The remainder of the files, including the Customs, Financial Reports and Status Domus, are related to the CMHS House.  The Customs are interesting, as they lay out the activities and practices of this particular house, which sometimes differ from the Society as a whole.
Photographs are filed in the SSE Photograph Collection under Cardinal Mindszenty High School.
Related Terms
Cardinal Mindszenty High School
Dunkirk (New York)—Education, Secondary

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Folder List
 Box  1
1          Correspondence           SG Purtill          1952-1958
2          Correspondence           SG Purtill          1958-1964
3          Customs of CMHS House                    n.d.
4          Financial Reports                                  1953-1963
5          Memorabilia    
6          Miscellaneous  
7          Newspaper clippings   
8          Status Domus                                       1952/53-1958/59
9          Student Newspaper      The Herald       1950-March 1954
10        Student Newspaper      The Herald       Nov. 1954-March 1959
            Yearbooks                   The Herald       1952 (2)
Yearbooks                   The Herald       1954 (3)
Yearbooks                   The Herald       1955 (2)
Yearbooks                   The Herald       1956 (3)
Yearbooks                   The Herald       1957 (2)
Yearbooks                   The Herald       1958 (2)
Yearbooks                   The Herald       1959 (2)
Box 2
Yearbooks                   The Cardinal     1960 (2)
Yearbooks                   The Cardinal     1961 (1)
Yearbooks                   The Cardinal     1962 (1)
Yearbooks                   The Cardinal     1963 (1)
Yearbooks                   The Cardinal     1964 (1)
Prepared By  Elizabeth B. Scott  December 13, 2003

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Maintained by Elizabeth Scott, last update - Thursday April 13, 2006