St. Jude Regional Catholic School in Rockville, Maryland, marked its 70th anniversary with a Mass on Sept. 26, 2026 celebrated by Washington Auxiliary Bishop Juan Esposito, the vicar general and moderator of the Curia for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. The Mass at the Shrine of St. Jude was followed by a gala in the parish hall filled with former and current faculty and staff of the school, alumni, and parishioners.
The preK-8 school was founded in 1956 and staffed by a Polish order of nuns, the Bernardine Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis. The original 256 students in three grades were first welcomed by Sister Gerald, the principal, on Sept. 17, 1956. The Bernardine sisters were a vibrant part of the school and parish until 2016 when the last two nuns living in the convent, Sister Vincent de Paul and Sister Theresa Ann, relocated to their motherhouse in Reading, Pennsylvania.
In his homily, Bishop Esposito said, “For 70 years, this parish and school dedicated to St. Jude Thaddeus have been a beacon of Christ’s light and love in our midst. The Church has long understood that one of her fundamental roles is to teach…to particularly instruct the young in the life-giving word of God, in addition to other academics. Thank you to each of you educators, administrators and support staff who make St. Jude’s school – and parish – the blessed places of learning that they are.”
Bishop Esposito also noted how the Shrine of St. Jude, his first parish that he was assigned to after his ordination to the priesthood in 2008, holds a special place in his heart.
Concelebrating the Mass were St. Jude’s pastor, Father Paweł Sass, and parochial vicar, Father Juan Pablo Noboa, assisted by Deacon Nick Scholz, and transitional Deacon Marcin Szpot. The altar servers included six students from the school and one from the parish’s faith formation program. Gift bearers for the Mass were Alexander Lopez-Bueno and his wife Catalina Chavarriaga, parishioners and school parents who were married by Bishop Esposito.
At the gala that followed the Mass, the school’s former longtime principal, Jeanne Donatelli, served as master of ceremonies, speaking briefly about her 26-year long tenure at St. Jude Regional Catholic School. Donatelli also served as the auctioneer for the fund-raising “paddle raise” segment of the gala, where monies were raised to support the tuition assistance programs for the school.
St. Jude’s current principal, Mark Crimans, along with the pastor, Father Sass, presided over the awards and recognition portion of the gala. The awards were initiated this year to recognize distinguished alumni. The Legacy of Light Award was presented to the Mayer sisters, 10 siblings who, beginning in 1963, all attended St. Jude School, and who have had 25 of their own children educated at the school, with the youngest just graduating in 2021. Speaking on behalf of her nine sisters, all present and on stage for the award, Nancy Mayer-Whittington said, “St. Jude School has been the foundation of our faith journey. From our earliest days as children in the parish to serving in countless ministries, this beloved community has nurtured us into faithful, loving Catholic adults. It has been our greatest blessing to raise our own families at St. Jude Regional Catholic School in the same faith-filled home that has shaped our lives.”
The Beacon of Light Award was presented to Paula Gwynn Grant, who started first grade at St. Jude School in 1973 as one of the first African American students in the school. In her remarks she accepted the award on behalf of her deceased parents who made her education there possible. In her powerful acceptance speech, Grant spoke about playing guitar at home and being encouraged by Sister Vincent de Paul to play the guitar during Mass, saying, “She taught me to use my voice.” Repeating the same phrase, Grant noted that Mrs. Joan Lacey, Sister Mary Mercita, and Ms. Mary Ellen Jordan all taught her to use her voice, which played a part in her decision to pursue a career in radio and TV, earning an Emmy in broadcast journalism. She later served the Catholic Church as secretary for communications for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, director of communications for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, and now as chief marketing and communications officer at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA.
The final award, the Rising Light Award, was presented to Patrick McAuliffe, a 2015 graduate of St. Jude Regional Catholic School who later graduated from Gonzaga College High School and the University of South Carolina, earning a degree in broadcast journalism. In his senior year of college, McAuliffe learned he was a match for a 26-year-old woman battling leukemia who needed a bone marrow transplant. He subsequently had a procedure at Georgetown Memorial Hospital to provide the bone marrow for the transplant. His work in busy newsrooms led to directing a 2024 television segment on Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which earned an Emmy Award.
In accepting his award, McAuliffe noted the importance of his education at St. Jude Regional Catholic School, saying, “Without St. Jude I never would have gone to Gonzaga, I never would have had the courage to move to Savannah, a city 600 miles away I’d never been to before. And I certainly never would’ve donated bone marrow if I hadn’t had role models like Mrs. Donatelli.”
(Michelle Ardillo is a freelance writer and parishioner at the Shrine of St. Jude Parish in Rockville. She is a retired middle school English teacher in the Archdiocese of Washington who is currently writing a book on the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. See more of her work at www.michelleardillo.com.)
