St. Stephen Catholic School Celebrates Anniversary

It was a teaching moment for Bishop Robert Lynch of the Diocese of St. Petersburg as he addressed students at St. Stephen Catholic School Wednesday.

The day before the 10th anniversary celebration for St. Stephen Catholic School, Lynch received a phone call from his younger brother who told him he'd just been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Lynch said the thought of losing his younger brother was devastating. But it was his brother who provided comfort to him, saying he's grateful for all the blessings and gifts God has given him during his lifetime.

It's this kind of positive outlook, Lynch told the students, that they need to maintain no matter what obstacles life puts in their paths.

"God is always with you and loves you, no matter what," he said, noting that it was optimism and faith that led to the founding of St. Stephen Catholic School 10 years ago.

"He was here on that first day and He has been here ever since," said Lynch, who was on hand for the dedication of the school 10 years ago.

Also on hand for the school's anniversary celebration was Msgr. Patrick Irwin, former pastor of St. Stephen Catholic Church and a guiding force behind the construction of the school at 10424 St. Stephen Circle, Riverview.

Irwin said he was impressed with how far the school's come since those early days sitting on the building committee and soliciting support for the area's newest Catholic school for grades pre-kindergarten through eighth.

"It looks great," he commented. "Even the trees we planted around the school have grown. I'm very proud."

Mary Liddy, St. Stephen Catholic School's first principal, also returned for the occasion, meeting with a group of Tampa Catholic High School freshmen who attended kindergarten at the school her first year as principal.

The students now towered over the petite former principal.

"I'm delighted to be here," said Liddy. "I'm enjoying retirement but I still miss the students."

During the Mass, students in each grade presented items to be placed in a time capsule for the school including a heart representing their love for the school, gum, logo socks and cell phones representing their sacrifices for the school, a rope representing their ties of friendship, silly bands representing their ability to be flexible as they change and grow, and a book representing their love of reading.

Current principal, Therese Jackson, reviewed the school's history and then spoke about the school's future.

"For the next 10 years, our focus as always will be on the Catholic identity of our school as we continue to strive for academic excellence," she said. "This is what our courageous founders did over 10 years ago; they looked into the future and saw a school that stands out in this community for its contributions to the church and society."