Bishop Robert Deeley, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, was at All Saints Catholic Schools in Bangor Monday as part of his Catholic Schools Week tour.
All Saints was formed in 2000 when the schools at St. Mary Catholic Church on Ohio Street and St. John Catholic Church on State Street merged after decades of operating separately. This year, 187 students are enrolled at both campuses, about the same number as in fall 2019, according to Principal Matthew Houghton.
The school recently received accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges for the first time. Houghton said that should help with recruitment.
All Saints is the northernmost of the diocese’s 10 Catholic schools and this was Deeley’s first visit there since 2020.
Deeley said before visiting classrooms that he gets as much out of the visits as the students, teachers and staff do.
“I leave with the joy that children take from their education and the fullness of that education in these schools,” the bishop said. “They can be as enthusiastic about the saints as they are about math.”
