These boys were all suited up for football practice at the old St. Rose School in Girard in the 1940s. Note their protective helmets and shoulder pads!
Catholics in Girard were served as a mission from Warren and Youngstown for close to 30 years before becoming a parish in 1892. In 1913, St. Rose pastor Father Edward Kirby sought permission from Bishop John Farrelly of Cleveland to build a school. The two-story brick building was dedicated in 1914. In the 1950s, Monsignor Norman Kelley led a $450,000 fundraising campaign (approximately $5.5 million in 2025) to turn the school into a large, state-of-the-art facility. Monsignor Kelley’s pastorate was described as “paying particular attention to Catholic Action and the training of the youth of the parish.” The boys pictured here look as though they are giving their all to their training!
