I am very honored to be able to use my column this weekend to recognize our outgoing school principal, Mr. Stephen Hoffman. Steve is stepping down from his role at Christ the King after 19 years as principal. He and Cathy will be moving to Indianapolis to be closer to family and to enjoy the next stage in their lives. This weekend we’re honoring him with a reception after the 5pm Mass on Saturday, held in the new gym.
Anyone who’s been around a school knows that being the school principal is a stressful job, especially for a school that’s as large and active as Christ the King, so 19 years is a long time! While Steve isn’t one who likes to attract attention to his accomplishments, he deserves a lot of credit, not only for the academic success of our school, but also for helping our school to be a place where, in the words of Blessed Basil Moreau, “the mind will not be cultivated at the expense of the heart. While we prepare useful citizens for society, we shall likewise do our utmost to prepare citizens for heaven.” He believes strongly in the mission of Catholic education, and he’s given countless hours supporting the Christian formation of our students, often in hidden ways that no one knows about. Our graduates are all the better because of this constant dedication.
Steve is leaving our school in good hands, as our Assistant Principal, Mrs. Lindsay Jeffress, will assume the role of Principal next year. As I (and Pastors before me) say all the time, the school is the largest ministry of our parish, and this ministry of Christian education is essential if we want our kids to grow into adults who love Christ and practice their faith. Many thanks to Steve, and all of our faculty and staff, who live out their vocation to Catholic education in our school each day.
P.S. Although Mr. Hoffman has been getting most of the attention, we have a couple of other members of our school community who are retiring after long tenures serving our students, and I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize them, too. Please join me in thanking Mary Baldinelli (Middle School Math Teacher) and Joanie Rymsza (Coordinator of our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Program) for their dedication to our school over these many years. Please keep Steve, Mary and Joanie in your prayers during this time of transition.