February 6th

​Dear Friends,

At this weekend’s 11am Mass we conclude our celebration of Catholic Schools Week. Our parish is blessed to sponsor two schools which serve a total of over 400 students: Saint Gabriel School and Bridgeport Catholic Academy, each with its own personality and proud traditions.  During the past couple of years, we have endeavored to explore areas where our schools can work together and collaborate. Mr. Dan Flaherty serves as principal of both schools and works closely with the Assistant Principal at each: Mrs. Julie Jurisic at St. Gabriel and Mrs. Katie Thompson at BCA. 

Bridgeport Catholic Academy was founded in 1985, picking up where Nativity of Our Lord school (which began when the parish began) left off. Originally six parishes came together to combine forces into this regional school model with sites on five parish campuses. When enrollment diminished, the other sites closed- with operations consolidating at the Nativity campus. Until 2019 BCA was a semi-independent Catholic school overseen by the Archdiocesan Office of Catholic Schools and with area pastors serving on the School Board. Renew My Church returned governance and oversight to the local parish, and formal collaboration with Saint Gabriel school was initiated. One real benefit of this is that a much stronger parish-school connection can be forged. We continue to draw from the larger community, and work to help families from other parishes maintain their connection with their own parish church, even while attending at our parish’s school. Built in 1963, it is a modern school building (by city Catholic school standards) and boasts a beautiful gymnasium and a chapel. The classrooms, like those at Saint Gabriel, are outfitted with up-to-date technology. The  Pre-K through 8 program at both our schools supports interaction and mentoring across grade levels.

 

One goal of Catholic schools is to prepare students so that they can attend the high school of their choice, and I am told that is the case with our schools. The overwhelming majority of our graduates attend an excellent local Catholic High School (over 90% of our students are Catholic). I am proud of our dedicated and talented teachers and staff and can say from first-hand experience that the environment in our schoolhouses exudes positivity and warmth. Our Catholic  Schools deserved this week of celebration!



May your week reflect the encounter with Christ

We experienced at Mass today!