On a sunny day in the late 1930s, one of the earliest groups of St. Francis students line up in front of the school, along with the teachers and parish priests.

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The original St. Francis teachers were a hardy bunch. Here they are, around 1936, wielding an ax, not for corporal punishment, but for home heating fuel. The original convent, visible in the background, was an old residence located on the hill just a couple blocks from the school.

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This early 1930s photo captures Father Luke Sheehan, left, in a rare moment of relaxation. He and an unknown man are seen here on an outing in the mountains outside of Bend.

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Father Dominic O'Connor was an Irish hero, banished from Ireland by the British government, who came to aid Father Luke in building up the St. Francis parish in and around Bend.

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Father Luke Sheehan, the guiding force in establishing of St. Francis Church and school, and St. Charles Hospital, is shown here in the mid 1930s, walking from the Church to the hospital. Franklin Avenue can be seen in the background.

5

The legacy of Father Luke-St. Francis Church, St. Charles Hospital and St. Francis School-is illustrated in this article, published soon after his death in 1937.

6

Mike Breen was one of St. Francis School's original students in 1936. He left a life herding sheep with his father, and living in a tent on the high plains, to living in a boarding house in Bend and attending school. It wasn't always a perfect fit for either Mike or the school.

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