Meet Our Interim Principal, Mr.
Chris Sutton
Facing the New School Year with Gratitude, Enthusiasm and Confidence
W
hen the IHM Sisters were summoned back to Philadelphia, they left big shoes to fill at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School. One position in particular — that of Principal — requires an extensive application and interview process, overseen by a search committee and accompanied by prayerful discernment. Finding just the right match isn’t easy, and the COVID-19 pandemic only made the search more difficult. For this reason, an in-house Interim Principal was chosen — Mr. Chris Sutton. “We have so many good people here and a wonderful Assistant Principal already in place,” Mr. Sutton says. “I was asked to take the reins for a bit and keep the ship straight this year. I am both humbled and excited.” This is not the first time the Lord surprised Mr. Sutton with a quick directional shift. Back in the 1990s, after graduating from Penn State with a finance and economics degree, he accepted a position as a stockbroker and financial consultant. The work left him unfulfilled. It was then that he received the call to the teaching profession. “The Lord put it on my heart and I truly believe that He wanted me to be a teacher,” Mr. Sutton says. “It was just the right fit.”
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Mr. Chris Sutton is serving as Interim Principal at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School.
While in graduate school at N.C. State, Mr. Sutton accepted his first position at Our Lady of Lourdes School as a part-time algebra teacher and recess monitor. Since then, his titles included social studies teacher, religion teacher, football coach, math teacher, and Assistant Principal. The educational institutions at which he has worked include N.C. State, St. Raphael’s, St. Francis, and Cardinal Gibbons, among others
Mr. Sutton’s academic and administrative depth, coupled with his most recent position as middle school math teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes, ensures a smooth transition into his role as Interim Principal. He looks forward to the challenge, recalling his favorite quote from St. John Paul II, “Let us remember the past with gratitude, live the present with enthusiasm, and look forward to the future with confidence.” “We should aim to remember the past with gratitude as a country, a parish, and a school,” Mr. Sutton says. “All the ups and downs have made us into who we are and we are grateful. Scripture tells us to give thanks in all things. When we live the present with enthusiasm, we know it is time to make a joyful noise! We don’t have to go to school, we get to go to school. And finally, I look forward to the future with confidence because God has a plan for our school, just like he promised in Jeremiah 29:11 — a plan for us to prosper.” Thank you Mr. Sutton for your love for Catholic education, your willing heart to respond to God’s call to leadership, and your faith in the future of Our Lady of Lourdes School. It is with gratitude, enthusiasm, and confidence that we commence the 2021-22 school year!
We should aim to remember the past with gratitude as a country, a parish and a school. All the ups and downs have made us into who we are and we are grateful. Scripture tells us to give thanks in all things. When we live the present with enthusiasm, we know it is time to make a joyful noise! We don’t have to go to school, we get to go to school.
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Mr. Chris Sutton 03
