St. Marguerite Parish breaks ground for new education building

IC photo by Marie Mischel

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Saint Marguerite teacher’s aide Katie Lawless directs students in “Your Grace is Enough,” which they sang at the Sept. 1 ground breaking.

TOOELE – With gold shovels, schoolchildren singing and a Knights of Columbus honor guard, in the presence of Bishop John C. Wester, pastor Father Sam Dinsdale and former pastor Father Matthew Wixted, as well as members of the city council, Saint Marguerite Parish broke ground for the long-awaited Monsignor John Sullivan Education Center.

“This is a great day of rejoicing,” said the Most Rev. John C. Wester, bishop of Salt Lake City. Before blessing the ground, he explained to the children that “This is our way of asking God to be with us during this wonderful project, to keep the workers safe, and to thank God for all those who contributed to the project, the supporters – those who have given financially, those who have given of their time and those who have given of their talent.”

Mayor Patrick Dunlavy said he and the council members felt it was important to be at the ceremony because it was a continuation of their efforts to build a positive community. Although the council typically meets on Wednesdays at the same time as the ground breaking, “we actually changed the time so we could be here,” he said.

The 7,100-square-foot education center is designed to blend with the existing buildings on the campus. It will have six classrooms and office space. When it’s complete, St. Marguerite School’s lower grades will move into the new building; the upper grades will remain in classrooms in the basement of the parish social center, said Father Sam Dinsdale, pastor. The building is expected to be complete by the beginning of the 2011 school year.

The center is needed to provide classrooms for the parish’s religious education program as well as the school, which originally started as a preschool but has added grades through the years; this year, a seventh grade was started at St. Marguerite and next year an eighth grade will be implemented if enrollment allows, Fr. Dinsdale said.

It was the long-range plan of a number of pastors at St. Marguerite to provide a comprehensive Catholic education for children, both those who attend Catholic school and those who complete a CCD program, Fr. Dinsdale said. “Especially, the late Msgr. John Sullivan did his best to ensure the kids learned the faith and were formed in the faith well.”

The school is a symbol of our call to bring up children in holiness, Bishop Wester said. “It is my prayer that this school will be a reminder to all of us of our sacred obligation to teach our children as Jesus did and does, that we are all called to give that example of love that will inspire our children to grow in age and wisdom and grace.”