And so it is with Immaculata Catholic School in Durham, opened in September 1909, and celebrating its centennial this year.
Durham wasn't much of a city in 1909, although it did have the earmarks of future growth -- a college and growing industries of tobacco and textiles.
But still it was a stretch for Father William Francis O'Brien to suggest opening a school in Durham.
"It certainly was not the practical thing to do," O'Brien wrote in his 1943 memoir. "Why, the children would not be here. The priest does not have a home. It would be folly to bring the Sisters here .... There is no place for them to stay."
Despite O'Brien's trepidations, the school began with nine children in 1909. But it grew steadily, perhaps by the hard work of the priests, nuns and teachers, perhaps with some divine intervention as well. The next year there were 23 children, and by the early 1960s, there were 170. This year, Immaculata Catholic School has 385 students.
It was known as St. William's School in the early 1940s. The name may have been inspired by Bishop William O'Brien (a different person), the auxiliary bishop of Chicago. He persuaded the Catholic Extension Society to give $25,000 to buy and renovate a home for the school at 406 W. Chapel Hill St.
In 1951, the school moved to 721 Burch Ave., where it is today in an expanded version.
Immaculata has always been proud of its diversity. Admissions director Glenda Moser pointed out a 1957 yearbook to Herald-Sun reporter Matthew Milliken that showed black students attending the school two years before Durham Public Schools integrated.
Immaculata's goals for students are summed up in the four tenets of its mission statement: To respect God, self and others; to be a person of integrity; to live a life of service; and to produce quality work.
Built on that solid foundation, it's no wonder Immaculata has stood the test of time.
