The Mary Francis Bachmann Campus
Located within the former Dominican Monastery at 1834 Lititz Pike just outside of Lancaster City, the Mary Francis Bachmann School Campus combines the deep spiritual roots of the Monastery and its grounds with the functionality of a contemporary school.
The main Monastery Building has been fully renovated to meet the needs of the students, families and teachers enrolled at the Mary Francis Bachmann School while honoring and embracing the wonderful spiritual traditions held by the Dominican Sisters who inhabited the space and walked the grounds starting in 1952. In addition to individual classrooms for each grade, the main Monastery building now features a library, a music room, a language lab, two science labs, an agricultural arts classroom, music practice and tutoring rooms and a handwork studio.
The students and families will also enjoy home-cooked meals (both breakfast and lunch) from our cafeteria which features a full restaurant kitchen in which meals and snacks will be prepared each day.
The original barn on the property is being reimagined and will be replaced with a brand new timber-frame barn that will include the school gymnasium and woodworking workshop.
As a part of CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health’s desire for the Mary Francis Bachmann School to maintain the building and grounds’ deep spiritual tradition, the Monastery’s Chapel has remained intact and looks much as it did while the Sisters inhabited the Monastery. The Chapel will serve as the auditorium for our students and families hosting school assemblies, special speakers of interests and artists-in-residence who will work with our students and offer performances and discussions with our school and surrounding community.
Archway Connects Music Room and Chapel
When the Monastery was in operation, the Dominican Sisters operated as a cloistered religious order and had limited contact with the outside community. Within the Chapel, the Sisters had a separate area to the right of the alter in which they would gather to...
Classrooms Taking Shape
Construction within the Monastery is making steady progress with the classroom spaces taking shape and beginning to resemble what our students and families will enjoy for many years. The elementary classrooms feature vaulted ceilings. The middle school and high...
Overgrowth Removal
In partnership with Tomlinson Bomberger, CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health cleared many of the overgrown bushes and trees from the front of the Mary Francis Bachmann School property. The work completed by the team at Tomlinson Bomberger removed non-native plants from...
Asbestos Removal
Working with EHC Associates, CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health completed the removal of asbestos from the building. We wanted to complete this as quickly as possible and in advance of starting the renovation and construction on the site. Asbestos at the time the...
School Name & Site Plans
Hundreds gathered at the former Dominican Monastery in Manheim Township to learn the name of the school to be operated by CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health on the site and to get their first glimpse at the school’s renovation plans that will transform the Monastery...