Bishop Robert McElroy of San Francisco (center) and Father Daniel McCotter, CSP, (center left) join in the ribbon cutting ceremony of St. Mary’s School and Chinese Catholic Center in San Francisco’s Chinatown neighorhood May 2.

Students and teachers took immediate ownership of the new St. Mary’s School and Chinese Catholic Center in San Francisco after the ribbon cutting ceremony and blessing of the new building in the city’s Chinatown neighborhood.

The St. Mary’s Drum and Bell Corps heralded the moment, letting all of San Francisco know the good news as they marched up California Street: The new St. Mary’s School and Chinese Catholic Center was open ready to serve.

Bishop Robert McElroy of San Francisco joined the May 2 festivities that included a blessing of the new building and ribbon cutting ceremony. Parishioners, students, teachers, parents, graduates, government officials and friends of Old St. Mary’s were also on hand to witness the opening of the six-story building.

“We have kept the promise of building a new St. Mary’s School and Chinese center,” said Father Daniel McCotter, CSP, pastor of Old St. Mary’s Cathedral,Holy Family Chinese Mission and director of St. Mary’s School and Chinese Catholic Center. “It is a great relief after 15 years of talking about this to have something that is concrete. It was an emotional and exciting day.”

After the ceremonies, prayer and song, the approximately 200 students of St. Mary’s took direct ownership of their new school building by heading to the nine classrooms that are large enough to host the hundreds adult students who learn Cantonese and Mandarin at the Chinese Language School in the evenings and weekends.

The new campus includes 49,500 square feet of space that will include a library and resource center, a gymnasium, commercial kitchen, and chapel – all located at the intersection of Jackson and Kearny streets in the heart of Chinatown.

St. Mary’s Principal Nancy Fiebelkorn said students will receive an enhanced, well-rounded education and additional extracurricular activities incorporating the latest in technology once the building is completely finished.

“The building is completely set with Wi-Fi,” Ms. Fiebelkorn said. “Computers are used now, but now that we have this capability we will be using the Internet more. After we settle in, the faculty will sit down to discuss how to incorporate the proper use of the Internet and computer usage in to the curriculum. That is highest in priority, on the top of our minds. Once the gymnasium is finished, we will be able to offer more sports, and hopefully start our own Lion Dance Troupe and other offerings to better incorporate the Chinese culture.”

Father McCotter also hopes one of the local universities will offer MBA classes at the center, given its proximity to the city’s Financial District.

The new facilities will also include expanded room for Teahouse, a social outreach program that offers English language classes, naturalization and acculturation for Chinese immigrants and counseling for domestic abuse and gambling addiction. There is also a variety of bilingual and bicultural spiritual support programs offered at the center.

The work, however is not finished. The $28 million project has been funded by grants, bequests and loans from the Archdiocese of San Francisco and donations. Approximately $4 million remains to be raised. On the construction end, the library, gymnasium, chapel, science laboratory and office space remains to be completed.

Father McCotter hopes fundraising will pick up now that people can come to the building and see the physical work that remains and want to financially support the new campus.

“This is a new opportunity to renew evangelization in the heart of Chinatown,” said Father McCotter, “not just for the students but for adults as well through our social and religious programs.”