Bishop Dedicates St. William of York School

By Michael F. Flach
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 8/29/02)

STAFFORD — Thousands of Catholic school students, teachers and administrators started another academic year Aug. 26, each with their own mixture of anxiety and trepidation.

The first day of school held special significance for Principal Claire Dougherty and her staff at St. William of York School in Stafford as they welcomed Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde, who blessed the newly renovated school and was celebrant and homilist at the opening Mass.

Father Michael R. Duesterhaus, pastor, Dr. Timothy McNiff, diocesan superintendent of schools, and Sister Claire V. Sabini, F.M.I.J., director of religious education, joined the bishop in the ribbon cutting ceremony.

"How good it is to be together on this first day of a new school year," Bishop Loverde said. "We will ask God to bless the new school addition so that it will bring many blessings in the future.

"Each of you is very blessed to be attending a Catholic school," the bishop told the students. "Your parents want you to receive the best education possible."
Bishop Loverde said Catholic schools help students discover their "real life" plan. "You will learn to pray, to talk to God and listen to Him," he said. "This Catholic school will help you become a disciple of Jesus Christ and help you discover His plan for your life."

Ninety percent of the existing structure was "rehabilitated," said Father Duesterhaus, who presented the bishop with a hand-carved wooden crosier as a memento of his visit to Stafford.

An additional 24,000 square feet was added to the school in the form of a gymnasium, school offices, religious education offices, nine classrooms, a science lab and new parking lots.

"The additional space will help the parish co-locate the school and CCD," said Father Duesterhaus. The parish CCD program serves 600 children in grades one through six.

"This plan proceeds me by a few years," said Father Duesterhaus, who thanked his predecessor, Msgr. R. Roy Cosby, for initiating the construction effort.

More than 200 students are enrolled at the school for the current academic year from pre-school through eighth grade. The school opened in 1992 and now has the room to accommodate 480, students, said Dougherty.

The school renovation "is the culmination of our goal to have Catholic education in Stafford County," she said.

A number of other diocesan schools underwent extensive renovations this summer and had to scramble last weekend to meet the Aug. 26 opening day deadline. Corpus Christi School in Falls Church, which installed air conditioning and a new sprinkler system, in addition to construction of a new gymnasium and elevator, delayed the opening of school until Aug. 29.

The bishop will visit Queen of Apostles School in Alexandria on Sept. 28 to bless the new gym and youth center.

Groundbreaking for the new gym and parish center at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Arlington was rescheduled for Sept. 7 due to the death of Father Gerry Creedon’s mother in Ireland.

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