The Vision of Henry Waldhaus Historic Photographs
St. Rita was built on 237 acres of fertile land and the dream of a young priest. The dream began
when Father Henry J. Waldhaus was challenged by Archbishop Henry Moeller to provide for the deaf in
the Diocese of Cincinnati. With the help of the Knights of del'Epee and the Saints Mary and Joseph
Society, Father Waldhaus was able to raise the funds necessary to purchase land which would become
St. Rita School in 1915. Beginning with only eleven students and a staff of three Sisters of Charity,
Father Waldhaus embarked on a mission which would produce the first accredited high school for the deaf
in Ohio.
As construction workers were breaking ground for new buildings, Father Waldhaus and the Sisters of Charity
were breaking ground in their education of deaf children. They offered an atmosphere of learning and
growing which was unique to deaf students in the Cincinnati area. The available technical equipment of
the day enabled teachers to communicate with students who existed in a silent world. Religious and social
training exposed the children to ways of life essential to functioning in the real world. Academic and
vocational training helped the children become productive members of society. The homelike atmosphere
offered camaraderie and a chance to grow and share with other deaf children.
Those first graduates of St. Rita took their dreams with them into the world, bolstered by the care and
attention they received from Father Waldhaus and his staff.
Father Klenke Carries on the Tradition |
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