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You have...
prepared peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for Caritas, played in our golf tournaments, watched our spring musicals, attended morning prayers, run in our Mardi Gras 5Ks, danced at our galas, worshiped at our weekly masses, volunteered countless hours, and the list goes on! Most of all, you have joined us in raising loving children with wise hearts.
For all of these things and so much more, we thank you! Your generosity, sacrifice, and commitment to excellence in a Catholic education serve as the foundation for St. Gabriel’s. Now in this special place virtues thrive, curiosity and wonder are nurtured, learning is fun and exciting, leaders are formed, best effort and achievement are valued, excellence is pursued, and love, kindness, and service to others are cherished.
Thank you for joining us in commemorating this milestone in our journey:
Monday, May 11: Special morning prayer & commemorative photo at 8:00AM
Thursday, May 14: 10th Anniversary Mass at 8:00AM
A Letter from the Head of School
Dear St. Gabriel’s Community:
In 1995 St. Gabriel’s did not exist…no classrooms, no gym, no fields, no track, no chapel, no commons. Had you walked this ground then, you would have seen only dirt, stones, scrub brush, and trees. The only thing that did exist in 1995 was a dream shared by only a few. Today, in 2009, as we celebrate ten years of extraordinary education at St. Gabriel’s Catholic School, let us remember and honor those before us whose vision, effort, influence and resources came together to create this unique and special place.
Father Richard McCabe, always a man of ideas and action, determined that there was a need for a Catholic elementary and middle school in southwest Austin. On August 10, 1995, Bishop John McCarthy granted permission to build this new Catholic school. And in June, 1998, friends of St. Gabriel’s, gathered on 36 acres of barren land, hoisted a St. Gabriel’s flag on a permanent flagpole, and committed to building a school that would welcome students for the first time in the following year. By August, 1999, St. Gabriel’s opened its doors to 350 students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through Eight. Today, St. Gabriel’s is home to more than 400 students and 60 faculty and staff. Ten of the students who were present when the doors first opened will graduate this year.
We must always remember that the gift we have received, the gift of St. Gabriel’s, is a most precious one. We must always remember that so many have sacrificed so much for us. And while we give thanks to those who have made this school possible, in the end, they ask only one thing of us: they ask that our students grow wise, act justly and do good. When we nurture these qualities in our students, and when our students grow wise, act justly and do good, the dream of St. Gabriel’s comes to life, flourishes and is fulfilled. All the labors amount to so very little when we see our students live spiritually grounded and fulfilled lives in service to others. Our fervent prayer is that our students, our children, will always live lives worthy of their calling.
Thank you to all who make up the St. Gabriel’s community – our Founders, benefactors, trustees, students, parents, families, faculty, staff, volunteers and friends. Each of you has played and continues to play a significant role in creating and cultivating who we are and who we will grow to become.
God bless you and keep you close always,
Steve Balak
Head of School Our History
On August 10, 1995, the Catholic Diocese of Austin granted permission to an organization of prominent lay leaders to build a new Catholic elementary and middle school in southwest Austin. Based on the agreement, a Texas non-profit corporation was formed to own and operate the school. The school’s mission, religious formation and curriculum would be accountable to the Bishop of Austin, who is the ecclesiastical authority of the Apostolic See pursuant to the Canon Law of the Catholic Church. It would operate under the vigilance of the Diocesan Office of Education and Superintendent of Catholic Schools.
The formal agreement with the Most Reverend John McCarthy, Bishop of Austin, established key elements of the school’s purpose, mission and eventual mode of operation. The school was expected to have high academic standards and admit students who could meet those standards. It was expected to operate as an independent regional school without belonging to any one constituency, parish or neighborhood. The agreement further stated that the school would admit students regardless of race, national origin or religion, and set aside funds, as the budget permitted, for financial assistance.
Founded in 1999, St. Gabriel’s Catholic School, Austin, Texas, is an independent Catholic school owned and operated by a Texas non-profit corporation. St. Gabriel’s opened its doors in 1999 to 350 students in grades pre-Kindergarten through eight and now educates over 400 students per year!
