In 1891, Br. Zephiriny of Lyons, France was asked to found the first Marist school in New York City. Enrollment was modest, with roughly 10 students in each of three classes. The inaugural curriculum was taught exclusively in French, and all roles within St. Ann’s were performed by Marist Brothers. St. Ann’s flourished as an all boys grammar school and high school, with stellar academics and early clubs such as the Philomathic Society, Drama, Music, the Blue & White Yearbook, and the St. Ann’s Monthly, which was replaced by The Stanner newspaper in 1944. St. Ann’s adopted a formal Sodality group dedicated to Mary in 1935, with sodality officers running clothing drives, organizing events, and promoting good works throughout the school, similar to our modern day Campus Ministry. As a sort of mascot, students at St. Ann’s were called “Stanners” (St. Anners). 

In the mid-1950s, the Marist Brothers sought to repair St. Ann’s aging campus. When repair estimates proved too high, Cardinal Spellman advised the Brothers to move St. Ann’s and so Br. Linus Williams, Provincial, announced that St. Ann’s would move to Queens.

Archbishop Thomas E. Molloy stepped in and gave the Brothers permission to use land he had purchased decades earlier, with the condition that it be operated as a Catholic High School in the Brooklyn Diocese. The Brothers accepted the offer and began to phase out their grammar school in preparation for the move. After the Archbishop’s passing, the Brothers were granted permission by his successor, Bishop Brian J. McEntegart, to name the new school after him. In September 1957, St. Ann’s reopened in Briarwood as Archbishop Molloy High School.

Upon its opening, Molloy featured a nearly identical faculty to that which served at St. Ann’s, and many students also made the transition. Many traditions were born in the decades before the new millennium, including SMILE (1965), International Day (1980), the Stanner Golf Classic (1987), the Fun Run (1988), and the Walkathon (1995). Dramatic theater and the sciences also received a boost after the opening of the Ralph DeChiaro Center in 1987.

After 107 years of educating only boys, the Marist Brothers announced that Molloy become co-ed beginning in September 2000. The young women at Molloy have become leaders in academics, athletics, after school clubs, and service projects. Their presence has helped Molloy to continue to thrive as a top tier learning institution. Furthermore, our young alumnae have already begun to impact our world, pursuing prominent careers in law, finance, healthcare, science and medical research, engineering, public service, military, entertainment, and much more.