St. Paul Catholic School 100th Anniversary

By Anne Holliday, Communications Coordinator

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Foundations, faith

and the future.

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Not only that, there were devastating hurricanes in 1926 and 1928, and then the Great Depression hit.

But, he said, “people kept the faith” and in 1930 the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany entered the picture and have been at the school ever since.

“We’re grateful for the many blessings (they brought),” he said.

Bishop Gregory Parkes of the Dioceses of St. Petersburg said the cornerstone is not just a physical object, it’s a symbol of “something meaningful in our lives,” adding that St. Paul’s is “a cornerstone of the local community (and) a blessing for St. Petersburg.”

The bishop also addressed Sisters Joan Carberry and Kathleen Stagnaro, who work at the school, as well as the dozen other Sisters who attended the ceremony.

“Sisters, we love you and you’re such a big part of the success here,” Parkes said.

The school is so successful that the enrollment is full and there are more than two dozen children on the waiting list. 

Following the speakers, several students led the audience, which included many parents, in the “Liturgy of the Saints.”

The program started with four younger students reciting the school’s mission statement, then leading their fellow students and the audience in the Haily Mary, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Pledge of Allegiance.

After the brief ceremony, people in attendance were invited to follow the students as they walked by the cornerstone, which reads, “For God and County/1925.”