Ten years ago, a pope became a saint, a fact noted by John Paul the Great senior William Odell as he contemplated the canonization banner hanging in the school gym.
Odell reached out to Dominican Sister Ann Dominic, assistant principal of student life and discipline, to suggest a dress down day in celebration of the 10-year anniversary.
“St. John Paul has always been a model for me,” Odell said. “I didn’t want to let the 10-year anniversary go by. It is such an important date not just for the school but for the students, who, like me, make John Paul the Great our role model.”
The April 27, 2014, canonization prompted the Dumfries high school to change its name.
In the words of Dominican Sister Mary Jordan Hoover, who was principal at the time, “Once a saint, always a saint! We’re never going to change the name of the school again. We will be St. John Paul the Great Catholic High School forever.”
On that day, Bishop Paul S. Loverde said, “As the church is blessed with our newest saint, may the school be blessed with a renewed intensity of prayer, and continued vigilance in teaching our young people to meet the challenges of our contemporary world.”
Some faculty and staff were in Rome for the canonization and they recall the joy and reverence of the day. Christina Valentine, executive administrative assistant, carries that “amazing and unforgettable experience” with her to this day.
Bill O’Connor, fine arts department chair, said he had the honor of carrying the intentions of the school faculty and staff to place in the slot for intentions at the tomb of St. John Paul the Great.
Back in Virginia, the celebration continued for days focusing on the things Pope John Paul loved — Mass and Eucharist, music, art, food, sports, theater. Central was a special Mass of thanksgiving celebrated the day after the canonization. According to Father Bjorn Lundberg, school chaplain at the time, the Mass was “a day full of grace and a very special blessing.”
A mini World Youth Day included games, a picnic, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, a Eucharistic procession, an art exhibit, concert and a theatrical performance of “The Jeweler’s Shop,” a play written by a young Karol Wojtyla during the Nazi occupation of Poland.
The school planned a fine arts week, featuring athe performance of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Bishop Emeritus Paul S. Loverde attended the April 28 matinee. He said the performance “truly lifted his spirits” and re-affirmed his faith in Catholic education.
The school uniforms changed, as the old “pope” attire began to phased out. There was a run on the school spirit store to purchase the last of the pope gear in remembrance of where they came from and where they were going. Soon, students sported a special logo, noting their new name and that the school and their patron now were “great and saint.”
Today, St. John Paul the Great High School is thriving with an average enrollment of 700 new students annually and growing. Continuing to be led by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, the school offers 23 AP and 10 dual enrollment classes. Its mission is dedicated to educating the students through the four pillars of the Dominican way: prayer, study, community, and service.
Established as the only school in the country with a unique four-year bioethics’ curriculum, St. John Paul the Great remains the only high school in the U.S. to offer this distinctive program for four years. Its purpose is to provide students with the critical thinking skills they need to navigate the modern world and promote the truth to those they encounter.
In the words of Dominican Sister Mary Veronica Keller, head of school, the anniversary was an opportunity “to look back on the greatness of our patron, celebrating his unique ability to reach many diverse people, and to look forward as well — to continuing our John Paul tradition of ‘being messengers of hope for the world.’ ”
Florenzo is advancement specialist at St. John Paul the Great Catholic High School.
