Tyler’s first Catholic congregation began meeting around 1878, comprised mostly of Irish American immigrants who came to Tyler to work for the railroad. In 1893, a group of Lebanese immigrants joined the parish. And by 1939 more than 150 families formed a veritable melting pot that also included Greek, Polish, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Bohemian believers. In 1940, Bishop Joseph P. Lynch sanctioned forming a Catholic school. It took five years for the school to open since it was the end of World War II when materials, labor, and funds were in short supply.
Father Vincent Wolf led a series of parish-sponsored fundraisers; among the most inspiring were the teenage “Troubadours” who sponsored a war-bond drive, beginning an enduring commitment to Christian service by the youth of St. Gregory School. Six nuns from the Schools Sisters of Notre Dame opened and staffed St. Gregory Catholic School in 1946, with Father Wolf serving as superintendent.
Father Wolf’s vision was to “provide Catholic schooling that develops the whole child.” St. Gregory builds on this foundation by fostering an understanding of faith, community, service, and worship. Importance is placed upon recognizing the rich diversity of the God-given talents that each student brings to the school community.
