Mark Longe is new head of Utah Catholic Schools

Friday, May. 08, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY — Mark Longe has accepted the Utah Catholic Schools superintendent position in the Diocese of Salt Lake City.

The appointment will take effect Aug. 1.

Longe is currently the principal at Saint Vincent de Paul School in Salt Lake City, where he began his career in administration 19 years ago as vice principal; a position he held for three years. 

“Mark has been in the diocese for more than 20 years; he taught at Blessed Sacrament School before going to St. Vincent,” said Holy Cross Sister Catherine Kamphaus, the current Utah Catholic Schools superintendent. “We have been considering people for the [superintendent] position for a couple of years; I’ve asked some of the principals if they would be interested. This was, however, a national search and after looking at all of the candidates, we chose Mark because he has been in the diocese.” 

Longe is young, energetic, his children went through the Utah Catholic School system and he has a lot of fresh new ideas for the Catholic schools, “which he has shared with me,” said Sr. Catherine, who has held the superintendent position for 17 years. “It is time for somebody to come in fresh, and I am looking forward to being in a supportive role with him. We will be working together.” 

Longe is respected by his peers, he knows the diocese and he has worked on the stewardship committee, and that is how Bishop John C. Wester became familiar with him, said Sr. Catherine. “He is committed to ministry in the diocese, he has leadership skills, he works well with the boards and he is on the National Association of Boards, Commissions, and Councils of Catholic Education.” 

Longe began his teaching career at a Catholic school in California, where he taught for four years. “We came to Utah to visit some friends whose children attended Blessed Sacrament School; they said they needed teachers. We loved Utah, and moved here 22 years ago,” said Longe, who taught at Blessed Sacrament for three years before becoming the vice principal at St. Vincent de Paul School.

Longe received an undergraduate degree from California State University Fullerton, and received elementary and secondary credentials; he was a student teacher on the high school level. 

“I got into Catholic education because my wife’s aunt was a secretary at Saint Ann’s Catholic school in Santa Ana, Calif., and [the principal] said they needed a middle school teacher. I’ve been in Catholic education ever since,” he said.

A convert from the Lutheran Church 26 years ago, Longe never thought he would become a Catholic or a teacher, he said. 

“But by helping out at St. Ann’s School, I found out I loved teaching and the next thing I knew I was in administration,” he said. “As a vice principal, I went to the University of San Francisco to get a master’s degree in educational leadership through the Institute for Catholic Educational Leadership, which was nice because the transition into the principal position was easy for me. Now, I never really thought I would be a superintendent.”

As the superintendent, Longe will miss the students at St. Vincent de Paul School, he said. 

“I want to continue the work that Sr. Catherine and Sister Genevra Rolf, [associate superintendent] have started in strengthening our system and making our schools more accessible for those who would like to attend,” he said. “I’m looking forward to visiting all the different schools and supporting them, and assisting the pastors by making sure we have strong teachers; I want to continue to work on a leadership program for the administration.”

Gary Green, the St. Vincent de Paul School assistant principal, has been named to fill the principal’s position once Longe takes his new post.

“We are trying to do more succession planning in the diocese by getting people ready ahead of time to move into the administration positions, as well as searching outside of Utah so that we choose the right person for these positions,” said Sr. Catherine.