By TAMI QUIGLEY Staff writer
It was a red-letter day at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, Bethlehem Oct. 18, as the school community gathered for the blessing of the new school addition.
Bishop Alfred Schlert was main celebrant of a morning Mass and presided at the ensuing blessing.
The addition consists of a new front entrance, two new offices and a new vestibule.
“The new entrance really enhances the security of the school,” said Danielle Frio, principal. “There’s a new vestibule and then another set of doors where people are buzzed in,” said Frio, adding it’s also more spacious.
“Safety and additional office space were the goal.”
Construction began in May and was finished in August, in time for the opening of the new school year.
Funding for the project was provided by the Legacy Campaign, which also made possible new ceiling tiles and lighting fixtures in the classroom.
Frio said Monsignor Edward Sacks, pastor, initiated the Legacy Campaign, which collects donations from parishioners and families, with the money split between the parish and school.
Blessing the addition, Bishop Schlert prayed those in the school “must have as their final purpose a knowledge of truth and the one true God.”
The Bishop prayed those entrusted to the education of children have human wisdom and the truth of the Gospel.
“May students find in teachers the image of Christ, enriched with human and divine learning,” he said.
“We dedicate this portion and the entire building to the education of students,” Bishop Schlert said, concluding the ceremony by leading everyone in praying The Hail Mary, “the special prayer to our Holy Mother in this month of Mary.”
After blessing the new front entrance, Bishop Schlert visited all the classrooms.
Deacon George Kelly and Deacon Ralph Sullivan of Our Lady of Perpetual Help assisted at the blessing and Mass.
Monsignor Sacks and Monsignor David Morrison, in residence at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, concelebrated the liturgy.
During the Mass, kindergartener Ryan Iannetta and eighth-grader Ava Fihlman presented Bishop Schlert with two gifts: a photo of Monsignor Sacks, Frio and two students from each grade posing at the new entrance of the school mounted on canvas; and a “Cougar Crawl” T-shirt designed by eighth-grader Samantha Wendland.
The Cougar Crawl, the school’s annual walk-a-thon to raise money for the school, took place that afternoon. Each year an eighth grade student designs a T-shirt for the event.
This year’s Cougar Crawl raised $39,000. The funds will be used to complete a card access security system throughout the building, as well as updating technology and enhancing academic programs for the students.
Parents, grandparents and parishioners attended the Mass and dedication, and the Cougar Crawl was attended by many Our Lady school families.
“Our Lady of Perpetual Help School is dedicated to providing students with a Catholic education that not only focuses on academic excellence but strives to guide our students to know, love and serve God,” said Frio.
“The atmosphere in our school is not only conducive to learning but also to the development of character and personal responsibility. We aim to develop the whole student, spiritually, intellectually, socially and physically, so the students can reach their fullest potential. Our Lady is a close-knit, caring community that welcomes and values all families.”
