The Village of Elm Grove, St. Mary's Parish, Parish School and the School Sisters of Notre Dame have shared a long history with one another - over 150 years! The original site of both St. Mary's Church and School was part of the Convent of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, established by Sister Caroline Friess in 1855, about 15 years after homesteaders first settled the area. She had obtained the land from an early Elm Grove settler who sold her 20 acres for her school and convent, and then later donated an additional 280 acres after four of his daughters entered the convent! The school was founded in 1859. In the 1950's 80 acres of the SSND's property were sold to the Village which is the present site of the Village Hall and Park. During these 150 years of shared history, St. Mary's has served as an integral part of Elm Grove and the surrounding communities of Brookfield and Wauwatosa. It has educated 3 and even 4 generations of these close communities - many of whom still call this area and St. Mary's Parish their own. That history of stability and faithfulness continues to make St. Mary's a dynamic educational, social and religious force in the community it has helped nurture for so long.