Frederick James McGinn was instrumental in bringing Catholic Education to the Richmond Hill/ Oak Ridge’s area. Historically, the first Catholic Chapel in the region was erected at Windham, now called Oak Ridges, in 1797. This settlement failed and most of the homesteads were abandoned. The Catholic families that lived in Oak Ridges had to go elsewhere for Mass, namely St. Mary Immaculate Church in Richmond Hill or De LaSalle College on Yonge St and Bloomington Road. For many more years, Catholic families continued to travel outside the Oak Ridges area to attend Mass in Aurora and Richmond Hill.
In 1954, Father McGinn, pastor of St. Mary Immaculate Church in Richmond Hill, requested a survey to determine the number of Catholic families in Oak Ridges. As a result of his tireless efforts, a three-room schoolhouse named Our Lady of the Annunciation opened in September of that year.
As a result of Fr. McGinn’s vision, Richmond Hill/ Oak Ridges are presently served by four Catholic Schools: Our Lady of Annunciation, Our Lady of Hope, St. Marguerite d’Youville and Fr. Frederick McGinn.
Please take a few moments to view the following video put together by J. Han and H. Paik which traces the history of our school’s namesake, Fr. Frederick McGinn.