feature story

Love for God and students

St. Paul Catholic School On a recent Friday morning—

actually on the next-to-last Friday of the academic year and only hours before the first in-person eighth-grade graduation at St. Paul Catholic School in three decades — school Principal Sister Mary Lawrence, OP had a thoughtful idea. Now that’s not particularly surprising, because the Dominican sister has spent the full 15 years of her life as a nun thinking of others and working in the service of our Lord.

FEATURE STORY

BY JAMES DOWD

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAREN PULFER FOCHT

However, Sister Mary Lawrence’s reaction to what unfolded offers a glimpse into the personality she brings to her vocation, and reveals a sense of the spiritual joy that pervades daily life at St. Paul.

“Because it was going to be such a busy day, I decided to surprise our faculty and staff with lunch,” Sister Mary Lawrence said. “I was walking with a plate full of croissant sandwiches and all of a sudden I dropped them. At that point, I could be angry about the sandwiches all over the floor, or I could laugh and move on. I chose not to be upset about some dirty croissants.”

That perspective captures life at St. Paul. After an unprecedented year during which COVID-19 upended life as we know it and introduced new challenges for teachers and students, the faculty and staff at the 208-student school are focusing on brighter days ahead, instead of becoming sidetracked by momentary struggles.

“When this all happened, we struggled like everyone else and wondered how to address a new sense of normalcy in the age of COVID,” said Deacon Ted Schreck, who serves as director of advancement for the PK-8 school. “We decided to remain open for in-person learning, rearranged everything from our classroom setup to daily meals and had faith that God would see us through.”

And that’s exactly what occurred.

During the 2020-21 academic year, St. Paul experienced only a single isolated case of COVID-19 and the school never closed its doors. Although enrollment dropped by about 100 students at the beginning of the school year, Schreck said the school made the best of the challenging circumstances required for in-person learning.

“We get to know each of them, we pray for and with them, and that’s a beautiful educational model that I believe their parents value.”

“If we’d kept our pre-COVID numbers, we would have had to rearrange our learning environments much more dramatically than what we ended up doing,” Schreck said. “We used masks and employed social distancing very effectively; lunches were delivered directly to classrooms and we maintained the exemplary standards of education that St. Paul has been recognized for since opening nearly 75 years ago.”

Founded in 1948 under the auspices of St. Paul Catholic Church in Whitehaven, the parish school has remained in continual operation ever since. Although some in the community may have thought that St. Paul closed when the Jubilee Schools did, the school was not part of that system. From its enrollment heyday in the mid-1960s, when about 1,000 students filled its halls, St. Paul has educated generations of students and has a dedicated and enthusiastic alumni network determined to continue its mission.

“We don’t consider ourselves in competition with public schools because we have the freedom and joy and mission to foster the complete and total formation of each child,” Sister Mary said. “We get to know each of them, we pray for and with them, and that’s a beautiful educational model that I believe their parents value.”

In fact, the school ministers to a diverse population that extends well beyond the Memphis Catholic community. About half the students come from non-Catholic families and its ethnic diversity is equally reflective of the community. About 45 percent of students are African American, 30 percent are Hispanic and 25 percent are Caucasian/Irish Travelers. This rich mix of cultures and identities infuses St. Paul with a vibrant energy and builds upon its storied heritage.

And building upon that legacy is something that Sister Mary Lawrence, Schreck and an enthusiastic Board of Advisers and alumni are committed to doing. Later this year, a group will meet to formulate a three- to five-year strategic plan that includes expansion of the campus and a joyful celebration of the school’s 75th anniversary in 2023. Ambitious enrollment goals are in the plan, as expectations include more than doubling the number of St. Paul students within the next five years.

“We’re moving in a good direction and in the right direction, I believe,” Sister Mary Lawrence said. “Our love for God and for our students permeates every moment at St. Paul, and that is the most joyful experience I can imagine. It’s simply beautiful.”