The college was founded to educate young men at the grammar school , high school , and college levels . It was unsuccessful in its first five years , and by 1868 its closure was being seriously considered . On August 10 , 1868 , eight Christian Brothers , led by Brother Justin McMahon , arrived in San Francisco after a month of travel from New York City by steamship , train , and wagon to take over management of Saint Mary 's . Their first year in California was discouraging for the pioneer Brothers : difficult financial and teaching conditions , enrollment of only thirty students , a major earthquake , and a citywide outbreak of smallpox . Still , their efforts that year tripled enrollment , which grew to 240 by 1875 . The college soon became the state 's largest institution of higher learning , larger than the University of California at Berkeley , founded in 1868 , and Santa Clara University , founded in 1851 by the Jesuit Fathers
a major earthquake
1868 Hayward earthquake
Saint Mary's College High School