History of St. John Vianney School St. John Vianney Parish, the second Catholic church in
Kailua, was opened and dedicated in February, 1962. It was established to serve the newly
developed area of Enchanted Lake and other growing Kailua communities. St. John Vianney
School opened its doors in 1965 to students in grades one through eight. The mission was
extended to include kindergarten in 1980. In the fall of 2003, an Early Learning Center was
opened to serve the needs of families with prekindergarten children. In October 2013 we opened
an additional preschool class for three-year-olds. We now have an ELC3 and an ELC4 class.
Financially, St. John Vianney Parish was off to an unusual start. Mr. Joseph Pao pledged to
substantially donate the church, and the Kailua Heights Joint Venture Company and the
Kaelepulu Investment Company donated and developed four choice acres in the heart of
Enchanted Lake. These now comprise the St. John Vianney Parish campus. Ordinarily, a new
parish would not attempt the addition of a school for many years, but with a low initial debt and
promising community support, the people of St. John Vianney Parish studied the feasibility of an
early start for the school. The late Bishop James Sweeney favored a new Kailua parish school if
a community of sisters could be obtained. Fortunately, Mother Agna, late Superior of the
Franciscan Sisters of Charity of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, was visiting their two island convents:
one at Kekaha, Kauai, and the other at Cathedral School in Honolulu. She saw the need to open a
school in the Kailua area, thereby increasing the number of her sisters in Hawaii and promoting
the faith with a new island foundation. It was a gala occasion when St. John Vianney School was
dedicated by Bishop Sweeney on September 5, 1965, in the presence of hundreds of
parishioners, priests, religious and friends. Our founding pastor, Father John B. Read, and other
charter parish members proudly launched a $150,000.00 Fund Drive for the new school. Sister
Mary Ann served for four years as our first principal of St. John Vianney School. Succeeding
principals have been Sister Tonia, Sister Carletta, Sister Mary, Sister Greta, Sister Nancy, Mr.
Gerard Joseph, Mrs. Jane Ann Quinn, Miss Carmen Himenes, Miss Jean Flynn, Mr. Michael
Chu, Mrs. Jane Ann Quinn and Mr. Michael Busekrus. Mrs. Caryn DeMello is our current
principal.
