1st Sunday of Lent
~ As we begin the season of Lent, allow me to share some school news with our parish community:
Many of us were surprised and sad at the recent announcement of the closing of South City Catholic Academy, the Archdiocesan grade school on the campus of St. Lucy Parish and St. Joan of Arc Church. South City Catholic Academy (SCCA) has a special mission to help students with academic needs through the use of a learning center. With the announcement of the closure of SCCA, there was a need to find a home for these students. After weeks of working with the Archdiocese of St. Louis and the Office of Catholic Education & Formation, I am happy and proud that St. Margaret of Scotland has been suggested as the new site for these students.
As a result, St. Margaret of Scotland School will be expanding the services that we provide in our Learning Lab, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year. The Archdiocese of St. Louis has agreed to provide funding for two special education teachers at St. Margaret of Scotland, who will help serve the needs of not just these students but all students in our school. SMOS will integrate both special education resource teachers into the parish school staff, ensuring even more individualized, small-group instruction and personal care to the students. It will also allow us to free up other resources in the Learning Lab to meet the many diverse needs of the students of St. Margaret of Scotland, including increasing the scope of our accelerated programming.
St. Margaret of Scotland has a proud history of inclusivity, equity, and diversity. This is a natural extension of our mission to provide a quality, urban education based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and Catholic Social Teaching. We look forward to welcoming these students from SCCA into our student body next year and are enthusiastic about the possibilities this enhanced Learning Lab experience will bring to all. Let us pray for all those affected by the closing of SCCA, that God will ease their pain and help them to find new communities of faith and learning.
Many have heard the news that our School Principal Patrick Holley will be leaving St. Margaret of Scotland School at the end of this school year. I am grateful for the outstanding work, ministry, and leadership that Patrick has shared here at SMOS. Now I am actively about the work of finding our new school principal. I have been working with the Office of Catholic Education and Formation on the process and vetting candidates. I have selected a Search Committee – Sean Agniel, Sarah Chilenski, Vontriece MacDowell, Sarah Redmond, and Mary Grace Villmer – who will assist me by reviewing candidates, conducting interviews, and offering their recommendations. I have already received several resumes and have met with some candidates. I am certain that we will find an excellent candidate to be our next principal, so for now, please pray that God will send us the right person and that we will recognize and hire that person! We will be having a Novena of Prayer for the selection of a new principal within the coming weeks, so be on the lookout for the invitation to that prayer.
At this time of year, our school families are registering for the next school year, and our faculty and staff are making their plans and signing contracts for next school year. Let us lift our school community in prayer, that God will bless us and inspire us as we help our children grow in faith as Missionary Disciples of Jesus Christ!
