“A Historic Day for St. Monica Academy” – Bishop Joseph Brennan Blesses New Montrose Campus

On Tuesday April 5, 2016, Bishop Joseph V. Brennan of the San Fernando Pastoral Region of the LA Archdiocese blessed St. Monica Academy’s new campus in Montrose and consecrated it to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

After celebrating Mass for the students, parents, faculty, staff, board, and donors of St. Monica Academy, Bishop Brennan and ten St. Monica Academy altar servers processed to the front door of the school building. In front of the entire student body and a large crowd of parents, donors, and friends of SMA, Bishop Brennan consecrated the new campus to the Sacred Heart of Jesus praying, “Your Heart is the Divine School where we learn to live the virtues of love, humility, meekness, sacrifice, and peace. It is for this reason that we consecrate this Catholic School to your Heart, so that in this school and guided by your Wisdom, true sons and daughters of God may be formed.” The bishop then blessed each classroom, the high school buildings, athletic field, and playground.

SMA’s Board President Martin Boles thanked everyone who assisted in St. Monica Academy’s transition to the Montrose campus. In particular, Mr. Boles thanked the Dan Murphy Foundation for their long-time support of St. Monica Academy. Dan Murphy Foundation Executive Director Debra Kay Duncan and Board of Directors Member Richard Grant and his wife Maria Grant were present at the Mass and Consecration. Mr. Boles also thanked Site Committee Chair Len Golbranson and Site Project Manager and SMA parent Jill Short for their tireless work planning the move and renovations.

After giving his episcopal blessing, Bishop Brennan, renown for his beautiful tenor voice, concluded the event by leading the school in singing “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow.”

“As Bishop Brennan, flanked by ten young acolytes, blessed every classroom with holy water,” says Headmaster Marguerite Grimm, “I felt the grace of God descend upon the school. He must have smiled as this grand building was re-consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and dedicated anew to the transmission of the Faith to Catholic children. A historic day for St. Monica Academy.”

Due to a steady growth in enrollment, St. Monica’s moved to the campus of Holy Redeemer Parish in Montrose in the summer of 2015. The newly renovated school site features a spacious elementary school building, new classrooms for the high school, a refurbished locker arcade, new landscaping, a computer lab, science lab, and expansive outdoor space.

St. Monica Academy, an independent, Catholic, coeducational school for grades 1-12, is at the forefront of a renaissance in classical education, a time-honored method of teaching that inspires students to excel academically and morally. Founded by parents in 2001, the school provides 242 students in grades 1-12 with an academically rigorous education using a classical curriculum.

Marguerite A. Grimm, Headmaster of St. Monica Academy since 2006, is a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, CA and has a teaching credential from Cal State LA and a specialty in Spanish History and Documents of Vatican II from Universidad de Maria Cristina in El Escorial, Spain.

Check out St. Monica Academy at www.stmonicaacademy.com.