Arts & Entertainment
Celebrating 100 Years of Service
The St. Margaret School will begin its eight-month centennial celebration with a noon Mass on Sunday.
Since 1911 the Saint Margaret School has been delivering Catholic education to the Bel Air community. "A Century of Scholarship and Service" reads the school's Web site.
To celebrate its approaching 100th anniversary, the school is kicking off eight months of centennial events this Sunday at the church's weekly noon mass.
The Rev. Mike Schleupner will preside over a service that Jane Dean, chairwoman of the school's centennial committee, expects to attract enough people to fill the church's 1,000-seat capacity.
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"I think everybody will be able to find a seat that wants one," said Dean, who was the school's principal for 29 years until this year.
Her successor, Madeline Hobik, came to the Saint Margaret School after 13 years as principal at St. Rose of Lima in Brooklyn, MD. She said she is thrilled to be a part of the celebration in her first year, especially since her students are excited about the milestone.
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"They know that it is a big birthday celebration," Hobik said. "It is a historical and monumental event. It is evident that this community truly wants Catholic education to flourish."
Geared toward alumni, Sunday's Mass is open to all parishioners and visitors. Dean said that the Mass will place an emphasis on the anniversary, but will not vary from a standard service.
As part of the celebration, many of the school's 800 current students from both locations in Bel Air will serve as greeters, read scripture and present the offertory collection.
Sunday's ceremony will serve as a catalyst for other events throughout the school year culminating in a May 2011 Mass that Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien will preside over.
Other events include an alumni family picnic at Shamrock Park on Sept. 25, the second day of the school's annual three-day festival. On April 9, 2011, the school will hold a one-time wine tasting event for all members of the community.
Additionally, the school is aiming to sell 500 dedication bricks, which cost between $100 and $200, to fund the creation of two peace gardens–one for each of the school's campuses. Dan Sekowski, whose two children attend St. Margaret, will be landscaping the gardens.
Archbishop O'Brien will dedicate the peace gardens during the May Mass.
For Sunday's noon service, Dean recommends that those who wish to attend arrive by 11:45 a.m. to get a seat.
