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Dominican Sisters to Staff Newest Catholic High School

Special to the HERALD
(From the Issue of 12/14/06)

The Arlington Diocese’s newest Catholic high school – to open in 2008 in Dumfries – will be staffed in part by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation, also known as the “Nashville Dominicans,” according to an announcement this week by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde. One of the sisters will serve as the school’s first principal.
“Religious men and women provide such an inspiring example to both the young and old of our diocese through their everyday work,” Bishop Loverde said. “Welcoming the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia to our new Catholic High school brings me great joy, as I anticipate the special relationship these sisters will form with the community, and most importantly, with the students who will pass through the school doors.”
“We are grateful to Bishop Loverde for the invitation to serve the students, faculty and parents of this new high school,” said Mother Ann Marie Karlovic, O.P., Prioress General of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia. “We are enthusiastic about assisting in the formation of the minds and hearts of young people in the faith and in the teachings of the Church. Preparing students for the future that will have unique social, moral, and bioethical challenges is exciting. The initial plans regarding curriculum and direction of the school reflect great vision, and we are humbled to be part of this endeavor.”
The Nashville-based Dominican congregation is currently home to over 225 women – the largest number in their 146-year history.
The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia also teach at St. Thomas Aquinas Regional School in Woodbridge. Nearly one third of diocesan schools include staffing by religious brothers and sisters. This year the diocese also welcomed five Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist and broke ground on a future monastery for cloistered Dominican sisters in Front Royal. Over 110 women religious serve in the diocese.
The high school will be built in the Harbor Station community in eastern Prince William County, along the Potomac River and north of Quantico. Funds for construction of the high school will come from bonds, fundraising efforts, and ongoing payment of pledges to the diocese’s Rooted in Faith-Forward in Hope capital campaign, which was initiated in 2002 and raised $114 million in current pledges. Construction updates can be viewed at http://www.newcatholichighschool.org.