the history of olf
Our School's Founding
Our Lady of Fatima School was born from the inspiration of Rev. Cornelius M. Casey, who led St. Joseph’s Catholic Church from 1943 to 1948. While serving our parish, Father Casey had a dream about enriching the community with a school. He acted by leading a fundraising campaign and developing plans for the campus. But in 1948, just as plans were being drawn, the Diocese transferred Father Casey to Fresno's Sacred Heart Church. Responsibility for building the school fell to his successor, Monsignor Thomas J. Morahan, who worked diligently with St. Joseph’s parishioners to open OLF’s doors in 1950.
These devoted parishioners included founding members of the Our Lady of Fatima Society, a group formed in 1946 with dual missions of honoring Our Lady through prayer and raising funds to build and support our school. Since the Society's beginning, it has donated more than $1 million to OLF and endures as one of our school's essential supporters.
Also part of our past are the nuns who served our school during its first 50 years. OLF was blessed with the helping hands of sisters from two orders: the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange and the Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters of the Immaculate Conception.
Rev. Cornelius M. Casey
1904 - 1965