Under the leadership of Brother John McMahon, O.S.F., and Brother Vincent Hayes, O.S.F., a group of six Brothers, sent from the monastery in Roundstone, County Galway, soon arrived and opened St. Francis Monastery on Butler Street and  St. Francis Academy (now the site of St. Francis College), the first Catholic school in Brooklyn. The monastery served as the base of operations for the Brothers as they spread out over the City of Brooklyn in their ministry of education.
Under the guidance of Brother John McMahon, O.S.F., and Brother Vincent Hayes, O.S.F., a group of six Brothers from Roundstone, County Galway, arrived in Brooklyn to establish St. Francis Monastery on Butler Street and St. Francis Academy (now St. Francis College). The monastery became their base for spreading education throughout the city.