In 1997, Epiphany Catholic School opened its doors to kindergarten through third-grade students on the campus of Precious Blood Church in Culpeper. Over the years, the regional school enrolled more students, added grade levels up to eighth grade and found a permanent home nearby. During Catholic Schools Week, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge celebrated Mass at the school to mark its 25th anniversary.
During his homily, Bishop Burbidge asked the students what makes Epiphany great. One said it has great students, another said great teachers and a third said Epiphany has great faith. “You made my day,” said Bishop Burbidge.
In the Gospel, Jesus instructed the apostles to go out to proclaim the Good News with little more than the clothes on their backs. Bishop Burbidge urged the students to heed Christ’s message. “Sometimes when we go through a day, we take a lot of extra stuff with us that we don’t need: fear, worry, anxiety,” said Bishop Burbidge. “We don’t need any of those things because God promised that he would be with us always.” After Mass, Bishop Burbidge, accompanied by Joseph Vorbach, superintendent of schools, and Austin Poole, principal, visited several classrooms to talk with students.
The regional school has around 180 students and serves families from four counties and four parishes: Precious Blood, St. Isidore the Farmer Church in Orange, Our Lady of the Blue Ridge Church in Madison and St. Peter Church in Washington, Va. Before there was an elementary school, there was a thriving preschool. Bobbie Terry was a preschool teacher and later the preschool director before becoming founding principal of Epiphany.
“(In the early days) there was a sense of camaraderie and love of our little facility and making do with what we had,” said Terry. “We had beautiful classrooms, the teachers did an amazing job of transforming that facility. When students would graduate from Epiphany, they would say, ‘I never thought of it as a basement, that was our home and we loved it.’ ”
As the school grew, the diocese purchased 22 acres for a future school site, and architectural plans were drawn. However, around the 2007 economic downturn, enrollment fell, and some classes had to be combined. Building plans were put on hold. A few years later, nearby Saint Luke’s Lutheran School closed, and Epiphany bought the building. “It had everything that we had ever wanted, plus the 20-some acres,” said Terry. “God works in strange ways. Be open because the plan is there, we just have to follow.” Epiphany moved into the school in 2014.
Recently Father Kevin Walsh, pastor of Precious Blood, was looking for ways to increase the school’s enrollment Knowing transportation was a challenge for many families, the parish purchased two 14-seat buses for the school in the fall of 2019, said Mary Leslie, the school business manager. The buses drop students off at their homes and the cost is heavily subsidized. This year, the school has four buses and 54 riders, many of
whom would find it difficult to attend the school without it, said Leslie.
Though Terry retired years ago, she still helps out at Epiphany. She’s seen it grow in many ways, including welcoming a more diverse population. “It’s been a wonderful school,” she said.
