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Sr. Mary Jordan heading west

Catholic Herald Staff Report

Sr. Mary Jordan welcomes students to Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School in Dumfries in this 2010 file photo.

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Sr. Mary Jordan Hoover, founding principal of Saint John Paul the Great High School in Dumfries, will be leaving the school in July to become the principal of a new high school in Phoenix, Ariz.

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Dominican Sister Mary Jordan Hoover, founding principal of
Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School in Dumfries,
will be leaving the Arlington Diocese in July to establish a
new Catholic high school in the Diocese of Phoenix.

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted announced March 22 that the
Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia will establish a community
in Phoenix and will lead the newly established St. John Paul
II Catholic High School. It will serve the community in the
far West Valley beginning in Fall 2018.

Dominican Sisters Mary Brigid Burnham, currently the
Religious Department Chair at Mount de Sales Academy in
Baltimore, Md., and Mary Gertrude Blankenhagen, currently
serving as principal of Overbrook School in Nashville, Tenn.,
will establish the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia’s
presence in Phoenix.

“Sister Mary Jordan is a trailblazer,” said Arlington Bishop
Paul S. Loverde. “She has served the Diocese of Arlington as
founding principal of Saint John Paul the Great High School
since 2007, and has done so with profound faith, exemplary
leadership, and humility. I join the students and parents of
Saint John Paul the Great in echoing our gratitude for her
service to our diocesan church.”

The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia are committed to
remaining in the diocese and serving Saint John Paul the
Great. Mother General Ann Marie Karlovic will propose a new
principal to Bishop Loverde, who will then make the official
appointment in the near future.

“Sister Mary Jordan has been outstanding in forming a strong
Catholic high school,” said Sister Bernadette McManigal,
Arlington’s superintendent of schools. “Saint John Paul the
Great School is flourishing because of her leadership. The
Diocese of Phoenix will greatly benefit from her experience
as she spearheads the opening of another Catholic high
school.”

“I am grateful to God, Bishop Loverde, and my superiors for
the opportunity to have served as the first principal of our
great high school,” said Sister Mary Jordan. “Being part of
the establishment of Saint John Paul the Great has been the
high point for me as an educator. I’m proud of this place,
its Catholic culture, our exceptional faculty, our friendly
students, and our dedicated families. I wish to thank the
John Paul community: parents, students, faculty, staff, and
many, many friends. Together we have worked hard and built
something great for God. I love Saint John Paul the Great and
I love the people who are part of it.”

Bishop Olmstead said he is grateful to God for the Dominican
Sisters of St. Cecilia and their commitment to establishing a
new presence in Phoenix. “Their community has been committed
to Catholic education and evangelizing children and their
parents since their founding more than 155 years ago,” he
said. “We are blessed to have their contributions to the
mission of the Church at St. John Paul II Catholic High
School and the surrounding communities.”

The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, commonly referred to as
the “Nashville Dominicans” due to their historical roots in
the city dating back to 1860, are acclaimed for their
expertise in Catholic education and for their academic and
spiritual leadership.

In 1860, four Dominican Sisters from Ohio established a
school in the Diocese of Nashville. In 1913, the Congregation
of Saint Cecilia was affiliated formally with the Dominicans.
Since then, the Nashville Dominicans have continued to
expand, establishing schools and ministries throughout the
United States, as well as in Australia, Scotland and the
Netherlands. They presently serve in 43 schools, teaching
more than 15,000 students.

In the Arlington Diocese, the Dominican sisters staff St.
Thomas Aquinas Regional School in Woodbridge in addition to
Saint John Paul the Great High School.

“Our community is excited about being part of the life of the
church in the Diocese of Phoenix,” said Sister Mary Jordan,
who also serves as superior of Aquinas Convent in Woodbridge.
“We look forward to meeting the people, especially the
families who will one day be part of St. John Paul II
Catholic High School.”

The Phoenix community will meet Sister Mary Jordan at an
April 5 event in celebration of the new high school. A short
program will include a blessing of the campus grounds by
Bishop Olmsted and an unveiling of a sign marking the site of
the new school, which is adjacent to St. Thomas Aquinas
Church.

“We are delighted and blessed to be welcoming the Dominican
Sisters of St. Cecilia,” MaryBeth Mueller, superintendent of
Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Phoenix, said. “Students
and families who are contemplating St. John Paul II Catholic
High School can look forward to an environment that enriches
the hearts and minds of our future leaders.”

Sister Mary Jordan was named principal of Saint John Paul the
Great High School in May 2007, more than a year before the
new school opened. Bishop Loverde blessed the school in
August 2008.

At that time, Sister Mary Jordan called John Paul the Great
“a 21st century Catholic school” modeled after a pope who
encouraged youths to “be not afraid to follow Christ.”

The school differs from other diocesan schools because of its
foundation in the Dominican tradition, she said. “We believe
Catholic education changes people, it makes a difference in
their life. That’s why we’re happy to be here today and to be
part of this inaugural year.”

Prior to arriving in Arlington, Sister Mary Jordan served as
principal of St. Henry School in Nashville for three years.
Before entering the convent, she taught global studies, world
geography, sociology and psychology at Northeastern High
School in Manchester, Pa., from 1990-91.

She has a master’s degree in secondary education and social
studies from Millersville University in Pennsylvania; a
master’s degree in educational administration and leadership
from Northwestern University of Louisiana; an master’s in
theology from Franciscan University in Steubenville in 2012;
and catechetical certification from the Diocese of Nashville.

Raised in Harrisburg, Pa., she said her eyes were first
opened to her religious vocation when she spent a “semester
at sea” traveling to many developing countries, including
India, China and Japan.

This experience was life-changing, she said, because it
enabled her to think outside of her own neighborhood and
outside the U.S. “During that time I started listening to
God,” she said. “During that time my desire to serve the
church as a sister increased.”

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