St. Rose of Lima Parish was established on January 15, 1922, with Reverend William Power as its first Pastor. During his administration, the first church and rectory were built on Randolph Street, near Atlantic Boulevard, in the City of Bell. Later, the church was moved to Maywood, and was erected on the comer of 60th Street and Atlantic Boulevard. On November 22, 1922, Reverend Power was succeeded as pastor by Reverend John Morgan who was later succeeded by Reverend Thomas Stack. Then in November of 1926, Reverend John Dignam was appointed as the new pastor.
Reverend Dignam saw the need for a parochial school, and with the assistance of the-parishioners, he was able to build a two-story concrete building that opened its doors on September 28, 1930 as St. Rose of Lima Catholic School. The school was run by the Sisters of Notre Dame. At that time, the total enrollment was 185 students. Later, to accommodate more students, two classrooms were added in 1936 and then two more in 1941 which allowed for a growth in student population to 379. Over the subsequent years, the student population grew constantly, and was at its peak in 1953 with a total of 420 students.
The Sisters of Notre Dame served St. Rose of Lima Catholic School with great enthusiasm and dedication for 72 years (1930–2002), working hard toward the continuous improvement and progress of the school. However, the shortage of vocations made it impossible for the Sisters to continue staffing St. Rose of Lima Catholic School. Therefore, in 2000, Sr. Shirley Marie, the last sister-teacher left and then in 2002, Sr. Mary Frances Wahl, the last sister-principal, was succeeded by the school’s first lay principal. At the same time, Msgr. George Duran was succeeded by Rev. David Velazquez as pastor. Currently, Fr. Dario Miranda is the Pastor of St. Rose of Lima School and Parish.
September 28, 2010 marked the 80th anniversary since St. Rose of Lima Catholic School opened its doors as a learning center for all. Today, at St. Rose of Lima Catholic School, we have, and continue to build, a solid tradition of faith formation in a Catholic environment, coupled with excellence in instruction and a positive atmosphere of hope for the future of our students. The Knights of St. Rose of Lima Catholic School experience physical, cultural, intellectual, social, spiritual, and moral growth in an atmosphere conducive to effective Catholic education. Indeed, with its high academic standards and school-wide structures and procedures, St. Rose of Lima Catholic School continues to live out its philosophy, live up to its Schoolwide Learning Expectations, and accomplish its mission.