St. Joseph's was originally built to serve Catholics in the British Army.
Established in 1886, the congregation was founded "to serve Omaha's German-speaking Catholics."
Nearly all the pupils are Chinese, and the archdiocese says it shows that the system does not just serve Catholics.
It mainly served the parishioners of St. Mary's Church as well as other German Catholics living in the area.
The Vatican said the bishops were to serve Catholics already in those regions.
It is a dual problem of offering education to the poor now inhabiting old inner city neighborhoods and of also serving recently affluent Catholics.
"Most priests spend most of their time serving Catholics," he said.
Personal parishes are created to better serve Catholics of a particular rite, language, nationality, or other commonality which make them a distinct community.
The school has a large feeder area, serving Catholics from almost all of the former City of Toronto's east end.
These served Georgian Catholics living in the then capital of the Ottoman Empire.