Ascension Catholic Academy Welcomes St. Pascal Regional Catholic School
St. Paul’s East Side school becomes fourth Academy school
The leadership of Ascension Catholic Academy (ACA) announced May 19 its decision to welcome St. Pascal Regional Catholic School in St. Paul into the Academy beginning this summer. ACA is a consortium of Catholic schools, including Ascension and St. John Paul II in Minneapolis and St. Peter Claver in St. Paul.
“This decision is based on careful consideration and prayerful reflection,” said Patricia Stromen, president of ACA. “This expansion is consistent with ACA’s mission of recognizing the importance of access to a rigorous, faith-based education as well as the need to strengthen our collective spirit of hope here in the Twin Cities. This expansion also represents a sense of stewardship to share our blessings and help build long-term viability, vitality, and sustainability of urban Catholic grade schools.”
St. Pascal Regional offers a faith-based education for Preschool–8th grade. It has been educating students in the Catholic tradition for 73 years. In 2019, the school was expanded to become St. Pascal Regional Catholic School, serving families from St. Pascal and other parishes on the East Side of St. Paul.
“We are truly blessed to be joining the Academy,” said Jerry Karel, president and chairman of the board at St. Pascal Regional Catholic School. “We have witnessed the success of the three other Academy schools over the last six years, and we are confident the Academy’s model works. We also know from our discussions that St. Pascal Regional will keep its own identity and continue to make unique contributions to St. Paul’s East Side.”
The decision for St. Pascal Regional Catholic School to join ACA was made in consultation with the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
“St. Pascal Regional Catholic School has been offering an excellent Catholic education to families of the Greater East Side of Saint Paul,” said Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda. “I am confident that it will become even stronger next year as it becomes part of Ascension Catholic Academy. I am grateful to those who have generously stepped forward at this critical moment
to facilitate this new collaboration so that St. Pascal could continue the vital mission of partnering with parents in the Catholic education of their children. Saint Pascal and the other three schools of the Ascension Catholic Academy consortium are all part of the Drexel Mission Schools Initiative of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, which has opened an opportunity for a renewed focus on those Catholic schools serving the highest concentration of families in need. I remain grateful to those involved with the Drexel Mission Schools Initiative for their work to build a bridge between the exceptional work of Ascension Catholic Academy and Saint Pascal Regional Catholic School in aligning resources to help ensure the success of our young scholars for years to come.”
ACA is supported primarily by donors from the Twin Cities community and beyond. The vast majority – approximately 95% – of ACA’s income comes from individual donors, sister parishes, and foundations.
“Scholars truly thrive at Ascension Catholic Academy,” said Amy Goldman, CEO and Chair of GHR Foundation. “By joining ACA, St. Pascal now has access to greater school resources to continue its stellar academic record and, in partnership, achieve financial sustainability. GHR is thrilled St. Pascal will be joining the ACA network and is deeply committed to their shared vision for scholars of East Side St. Paul to have access to a quality Catholic school for many years to come.”