Faith Identity
We recognize the unique worth and beauty of all human beings as creations of a loving, empowering God. Our community is populated by a variety of families with diverse religious, cultural and economic backgrounds.
St. Mary's was established...
By Father Ernest D. Sillers as a diverse community for people of all faiths and backgrounds. We invite all who attend and work at St. Mary’s, to seek clarity about their own beliefs and religions and to honor those traditions more fully and faithfully in their own lives. We also strive to respect, understand and celebrate the traditions and beliefs within our community.
We are unique...
In our study of faith as we provide our community with opportunities to develop the tools to examine and articulate their own ethics and character. Our goal is to nurture the spiritual development of our community, allowing for a varied and inclusive population. By developing spiritually, we gain compassion, a sense of meaning in life, and inspiration to serve those in need.
Founded on Episcopal Traditions...
Guide and challenge all students who attend our school to build lives of genuine meaning, purpose and service in the world they will inherit.
At St. Mary’s these values are expressed through:
- Chapel service for all of our students EEP through Grade 8. Chapels are creative and inclusive. Chapel is an integral part of the student experience nurturing character, grace, community fellowship and spiritual wellness. They are a regular part of school life for faculty and students.
- Christian Enrichment, which revolves around the IB Learner Profiles and Attitudes and how they relate to spiritual and moral issues. Class time is intended to provide a solid base of character and spiritual education and is reflective, engaging and supportive of our Christian values.
- Middle School Religion Courses, which are meaningful, academically substantive and age appropriate. Classes foster dialogue and discussion about individual faith traditions and purpose.
- Everyday interaction among students, parents, faculty and staff. Our school values are honored and cultivated for the spiritual health of all.
In Chapel, we:
- Sing together
- Learn from the Bible
- Share our ideas
- Pray for the world, those in need and each other
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Our school Chaplain (Pastor Mark) plays a crucial role in helping the school maintain a healthy balance between being faithful to our Christian Values and being a welcoming and diverse community. The Chaplain can articulate and symbolically represent what it means to be founded on Episcopal Traditions, which by its very nature welcomes and advocates on behalf of those of differing religious traditions or those who come from no religious tradition at all.
The Cross throughout various locations within our campus and the stained glass seal at the front of our Gymnasium pays homage to our founder, our values and is representative of unconditional love. These items will not be going away or diminished.
Our seal is a formal representation of our school and will be included on school diplomas and our formal Chapel Uniforms.
Our Episcopal Christian heritage grounds us and reminds us of Father Sillers’ words when describing St. Mary’s School:
My original vision was to create an institution from the cradle to the grave. An environment in which we would make a difference in the lives of children, ultimately creating a better moral climate within our society.
My motto is that it is better to build children than to repair adults. Building children requires the development of three components- the body, mind and morals, teaching children that the body is sacred because it is the temple of the human spirit.
- Father Sillers