Debt Retirement Ceremony

Alumni families joined current families and past and present Home & School Association and Advisory Council board members to celebrate the school's $4.6 million building debt retirement.

Master of Ceremonies John Rhadigan walked then more than 230 attendees through the school’s history and all the hard work to achieve this milestone.
For many newer families, they learned for the first time of the school’s benefactors, Ben & Mary Frances Doskocil, who purchased and donated the land for the school.

Speakers Mr. Doskocil, former HRCS Principal Lynn Day and current SJCS
Principal Chad Riley offered their thoughts on the theme of hard work and sacrifice.

The families that started this school did not do it just for their own children, but for each future student of South Arlington, Holy Rosary and St. Joseph Catholic, the speakers said.

Doskocil and Riley reminded attendees that the school “is on loan to us from God and it is our responsibility to leave it better than how we found it for those who come after us.”

The group also was treated to songs from the current Pre-K classes, an all-school song, and a poem read by core committee member Jeff Patterson, Grace Messina (one of the school’s first principals) and Mary Frances Doskocil.

The highlight of the evening was when every person placed a piece of wood to build the fire.