Bishop helps Chatham’s St. Patrick School mark its sesquicentennial year

CHATHAM  St. Patrick School here kicked off its yearlong celebration to mark the 150th anniversary of its opening in 1872 at a school-community Mass Sept. 19.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was main celebrant of the anniversary Mass as he led the school and parish in celebrating a century and a half of faith and learning. A reception followed in the Father Ed Hinds Parish Center.

Reflecting on the Gospel of the Mass that marked the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Bishop said in his homily, “We are all disciples, we are all students as we stay close to Jesus and learn the lessons he is teaching us. We thank God and pray for all those who are involved in Catholic education and today we give thanks and celebrate 150 years here at St. Patrick’s School.”

St. Patrick School is a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, a distinction it received in 2003, a Diocesan Star School, and a nationally recognized STEM school. This school year marks the sixth straight year that the school has increased its enrollment.

At the beginning of the Mass, Christine Ross, principal, shared some of the school’s historic moments. “It is estimated that well-over 3,000 students have graduated from St. Patrick School since its inception with many more having the proud distinction of saying they have been part of the St. Patrick School family. Throughout it all, the core values of faith, service, and academic excellence have been steadfast.”

Following the Mass, the Bishop blessed chairpersons of the school’s anniversary celebration. He also blessed the new main entrance of the school on Chatham Street.

Father Bob Mitchell, pastor of St. Patrick Parish, wrote in the parish’s bulletin about the school’s anniversary, “This is a special year at St. Patrick School as it celebrates its 150th anniversary. It is phenomenal to witness the way our school has withstood the test of time in educating children for 150 years. As this school year advances, my prayer is that God bestows much optimism upon all in the parish through the lives of our students who communicate much idealism into the life of adults. They also engender tenderness, cheerfulness, and enthusiasm through a positive attitude that unfolds the beauty of God’s creation.”

While many schools in New Jersey remained closed for in-person instruction, for the 2020–2021 school year, St. Patrick School was open for in-person instruction living up to its mission statement. “By focusing on our mission and ensuring our faculty and staff carry it out — never wavering to be a welcoming and supportive extension of home and parish and no matter the challenge, focusing on nurturing the academic potential and faith formation of each child,” Ross said.

On March 18, 2022, the school will celebrate with a gala and auction at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit. Co-chairing the event will be St. Patrick alumnae Alison Pignatello and Karen Wittmer, who has had four children graduate from St. Patrick’s and continues to serve as one of the school nurses. Honorary chairpersons for the gala include long-time St. Patrick School and St. Patrick Parish supporters, Anne and Mark Armstrong, and Tammy and Bill O’Shaughnessy. Father Mitchell and Ross serve as honorary chairpersons.

“I have such warm memories of growing up at St. Patrick School. It is home,” said Pignatello. “Now two of my daughters are able to experience the same wonderful religious academic education the school has to offer. My oldest daughter graduated from St. Patrick School two years ago. We feel so blessed to be part of this special school community.”

As part of the festivities, St. Patrick School is creating a commemorative cookbook and accepting recipes for it. The 150th cookbook committee will select the recipes to be included in the book with plans for it to be available for the holidays. The deadline to submit all recipes is Oct. 31. Those interested should visit the school’s website.

The faith-filled tradition of St. Patrick’s started in the 1800s, when Chatham experienced an influx of Irish-Catholic immigrants. They worked in the local brickyard and walked more than two miles to St. Vincent Martyr in Madison to attend Sunday Mass — demonstrating the needed for their own church and school, which opened in a small, wood-framed building in 1872. In 1931, faculty and students moved into a new building, which houses the current St. Patrick School. In 1948, the Sisters of Christian Charity replaced the Sisters of Charity, followed by decades of expansion to keep up with increased enrollment, including the moving of the upper grades to the church basement, St. Patrick’s history states.

“Children from pre-k3 to grade 8 are receiving a wonderful education at St. Patrick School and we are grateful to the entire Chatham area community for supporting our efforts,” Ross said. “Our school continues to grow by leaps and bounds and continues to get stronger by the teaching and passing on of our Catholic faith and traditions. Never forget to honor your past and build your future,” she told The Beacon. [ Information:

https://st-pats-school.org/150-anniversary ]