On the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Bishop John Dolan took part in a special celebration for the 80th Anniversary of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (OLMC) Catholic School in Tempe, Ariz., on Thursday. The morning began with an all-school Mass, followed by a Eucharist Procession with the students and a tour of the school campus. Bishop Dolan was joined for Mass by Fr. Robert Aliunzi and Fr. Paul Lokunume, the pastor and parochial vicar at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parish.
Founded in 1945, the school began with 80 students in the basement of the Newman Center near the Arizona State University campus. It quickly outgrew the space, so in 1956 when long time pastor Fr. Daniel McCready was gifted 10 acres of land on Rural Road in Tempe, he built the school where it stands today. They have expanded over the years, adding classrooms and facilities to accommodate the increasing enrollment. Led by principal Dr. Kelly Shewbridge, the school now has more than 530 students in grades kindergarten through 8th. OLMC has developed a robust student support system to be able to serve the needs of students with a wide range of academic abilities.
