August 5, 2024
Feast of St. Mary Major


Dear St. Mary Catholic School Community,

Welcome to the 100th School Year at St. Mary Catholic School! One hundred years ago in October 1924, St. Mary School was founded in Orange. Many Sisters of the Dominican Order have gone before us, and as the medieval thinkers, like St. Dominic, saw it, we too stand on the shoulders of giants in education. Because of the work that has gone before us, and the dedicated support of our current families and community, St. Mary School has formed generations of students, supporting families to educate their children in the Catholic Christian faith. We have much for which to be thankful.

We have been working diligently and creatively to build up St. Mary School. With strong humanities in English, Social Studies, Art, Music, and Religion, our students witness and experience the beauty of creation and the heights to which a well-formed Catholic Christian imagination can soar. Likewise, students are developing exploratory minds, building and making structures and projects, especially soon to be in our new STEM lab, to be completed this year.  All of this is possible through grant funds, donations, and generous new and seasoned faculty, staff, collaborators, and volunteers, for which, and whom, we are grateful. Because of the movement of the Holy Spirit that we are witnessing, we echo time and time again our Scripture verse for this year from the great prophet Isaiah, “…shout for joy and be glad forever in what I am creating…” (Is. 65:18). Our Creator has created and continues to create our foundation and our new beginnings.

With the first year completed, and moving into my second year as principal at St. Mary Catholic School, I rely on Our Lord, and Our Lady, especially on feast days like today, to inspire us to be faithful to the mission of Catholic Christian education. We look forward to great things to come at St. Mary Catholic School as we build up our Excellence in Education!

Gratefully in Christ,
Sister Mary Benedicta Maier, RSM, MS, Med
Principal