Renovations at St. Bernadette School in Springfield began last
summer, but as the clock ticked down to the big reveal at a 10:30 a.m. open
house Jan. 27, finishing touches were wrapping up at 5:30 a.m.
Improvements included new offices for the principal, assistant
principal, registrar, curriculum coordinator and counselor, as well as a
conference room, front reception area and a new, more secure front school
entrance.
The following day, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge arrived to
celebrate Mass, cut the ribbon and bless the fresh space.
Bishop Burbidge celebrated Mass in the adjacent church, with
Father Donald J. Rooney, pastor, and Father Richard A. Miserendino, parochial
vicar, concelebrating.
During his homily, Bishop Burbidge highlighted each word of this
year’s Catholic Schools Week theme — “Learn, serve, lead and succeed.”
After Mass, the students presented the Bishop with greeting cards
and a spiritual bouquet consisting of several paper cardinals placed on tree
branches in a vase. On each cardinal, the school’s mascot,
students had written a prayer.
Armed with a huge pair of scissors, the Bishop joined diocesan
Superintendent of Catholic Schools Jennifer Bigelow, Principal Barbara Dalmut, Father
Rooney and school staff for the official ribbon cutting.
Bishop Burbidge then blessed a pre-K classroom that was converted
from an office space, and a hallway and renovated offices in Wisdom Hall.
While visiting each of the grades in their classrooms, he gave
the students a chance to ask him questions and he did the same. They asked
about his vestments, who would win the Super Bowl and how he became a bishop.
He asked the older students what movies they had seen recently
that had a good message he might use in his homilies and what their favorite
field trip was this year.
Dalmut said it was a blessing to have the Bishop there. “We have
worked so hard to get our school up and running,” she said. “Father Rooney has
done so much work on the renovations. This makes it feel like we are on the
right track. It’s good affirmation that we are doing the right thing.”
