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Why a St. Mary's Education?
10 Reasons
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You want the best for your children. Every parent wants the best for their children. We do, too! We guarantee that we will do everything in our power to provide the best educational experience for your child.
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We have a strong sense of community. Each member of the St. Mary’s School family is respected and valued. A supportive partnership teaches respect, admiration, care, and concern for all.
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We have the most dedicated faculty and staff working for and with you. You will not find a more concerned, caring, and generous group of teachers and staff than the individuals you find at St. Mary’s School. They work to ensure that each child receives the best education possible and invest countless hours perfecting their lessons.
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Our Catholic identity is evident in our building and how we live. We provide our students with a quality Catholic education where we strive to live out the message of Jesus Christ. Students of all faith traditions are welcomed and respected. Faith-filled experiences assist in creating a strong Christ-centered community that seeks knowledge, loves God, and serves others.
A Message from our Principal
On behalf of our Pastor, Father Sebastian Ukoh, and all our faculty, staff, students, and families, I welcome you to St. Mary's Catholic School in Chester, Illinois!
Our school is a ministry of Mary, Help of Christians Catholic parish which seeks to be a place of holy worship, generous service, vibrant community, and authentic formation in the Catholic Faith. The ministry of our school finds its source in God's grace in our Lord Jesus Christ and entrusted to the Church to be shared with all. Our goal is to assist young disciples to be leaders in their communities through a well-rounded educational experience fostered by a faculty and staff who desire their happiness and success. Partnering with parents and families is crucial for us to accomplish this goal. For almost 160 years, St. Mary's School has existed to encourage faith and provide a solid educational foundation for its students.
We invite you to explore our school website and hope that you find it a helpful resource of information about St. Mary's. We thank you for your prayers for our school family and look forward to sharing in the adventure that God has planned for all of us! If you have any questions, please let us know!
Yours, in Christ,
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Mr. Brad Colvis, Principal
Father Sebastian Ukoh
Message from
Father Sebastian
We are now settling into the new school year-welcoming the classes and the new staff with which we have been blessed. Everyone is looking up, from the fresh kindergarteners, to the first graders, to the eight graders. It has taken some "shape up" to get here. The altar servers are not left out as we have new entrants and many more waiting for the right time to serve mass. God knows and appreciates all our efforts towards a great school year.
Our parish picnic is also coming up, which will be another avenue for the entire parish to get together, build friendships, and appreciate each other in a social setting. There will be mass at the cemetery to remember our loved ones there, followed by lunch, cornhole tournaments, a musical concert and many other fun events. It promises to be the first of many and an invitation to build a stronger community. See you there.
The picnic will then lead us to our parish mission coming up in few days, in what looks like a very packed September. So, we are all excited and continue to trust God for the moments of grace that await us in the coming days and weeks. As we gradually move into the fall season, may God's blessings and direction continue to remain and abide with us. Amen. Have a faith-filled month of September.
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Father Sebastian Ukoh CM
Pastor
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Tuesday Times
Keep current on all of the news and events at St. Mary's. Download and read a copy of our Tuesday Times Newsletter. Inside you'll find information including important dates, sports schedules, information on current and upcoming fundraising opportunities, etc. Click below to access your copy.
Employment Opportunities
St. Mary’s currently has several employment opportunities available for suitable candidates. We seek dedicated individuals for our volunteer, support, and teaching staffs. If you are interested in helping us realize our vision of providing a faith-based education devoted to academic excellence, please contact the office at (618) 826-3120 and ask for Mrs. McDonald. Check out the "Employment Opportunities" tab under "More" at the top of this page for specific listings.