St. Patrick 135th Anniversary Fact Sheet

• Abraham Lincoln was President and the Civil War was in progress when St. Patrick opened in 1861 at the intersection of Des Plaines and Adams
• St. Patrick was spared damage from the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and served as a n aid outpost for fire victims
• St. Patrick moved to its current 5900 W. Belmont location in the mid-1950's to make way for the Northwest Expressway (now the Kennedy) and to serve a more residential community on the Northwest Side
• St. Patrick currently has over 12,00 living alums
• St. Patrick is Chicago's oldest all-male Catholic high school and is run by the Christian Brothers
• Current enrollement is 942 boys

• The student body and faculty began their day with a liturgy at Old St. Patrick's Church after a 24-bus caravan transported them from the high school to the church
• The mass was celebrated by Auxilliary Bishop Thad Jakubowski and alumni priests from St. Patrick
• The entire student body, faculty, staff, and friends walked from Old St. Pat's to Grant Park via Jackson Blvd.
• St. Patrick set the record for the world's largest continuous Hackey Sack circle with about 1,000 people
• The old record of 862 was set in 1986 by Colorado State University
• An aerial photograph and signed affadavits from participants will be submitted to the World Footbag Association in Golden, Colo. who will then submit the record to the Guinness Book
• The day was made possible by the Mayor's Office of Special Events, the Chicago Police Department, Coca-Cola, Quest Services, Helicopter Transport Services, Lincoln Park Federal Savings, The Chicago Transit Authority, and the following bus companies: Continental Air Transport, Colonial Coach Lines, American Sightseeing, C.S.I. and Keeshin Charter Service.