Dedication ceremony for new school planned

COEUR d’ALENE – Monday will be the biggest day for Holy Family Catholic School since the groundbreaking of their new state-of-the-art building last October.

Bishop Michael P. Driscoll, of the Boise diocese, will give the blessing and dedication during a 10 a.m. ceremony at the new school on the corner of Kathleen Avenue and Atlas Road.

Complete with a middle school-size gymnasium, a greenhouse, a library, a computer lab/media center and a dedicated chapel for small groups and meditation purposes, the 34,000-square-foot building is expected to accommodate the growth of Holy Family. Since the opening in 1996, Holy Family has seen a 400 percent enrollment increase. Operating out of St. Thomas Center, grade levels expanded from kindergarten through third grade to pre-K through eighth grade in the last eight years.

The majority of funds for the $3.7-million-dollar school were raised by local parishioners, parents, staff, community members and foundations. With a loan from Knights of Columbus, arranged through the Diocese of Boise, the construction of the new school began.

Serving St. George’s in Post Falls, and St. Thomas and St. Pius X in Coeur d’Alene, Holy Family has a unique funding approach, having one year’s operating budget in hand in advance of each school year.

The community is encouraged to attend the ceremony. Holy Family Catholic School is the first Catholic school constructed in Coeur d’Alene in the last 40 years.

“There have been so many people involved with this dream – all demonstrating such great passion for Catholic school education. We hope everyone will join in on this very special day,” said Principal Karen Durgin in a recent press release.