DAYTONA BEACH  | High-fiving students as they welcomed him, Bishop John Noonan celebrated Mass Jan. 15, 2025, for the Basilica School of St. Paul’s 100th anniversary. The school is the oldest in the Diocese of Orlando.

Erika Wikstrom, superintendent of Catholic schools, called the celebration “a testimony to the impact of Catholic education.”

Father Ken Gill, basilica and school pastor, shared the school’s history. Opening with 35 students in grades one through eight, the school operated out of the old St. Elmo Hotel. St. Paul Catholic School, as it was known prior to the church’s elevation to basilica, was the only Catholic school on the east coast between St. Augustine and West Palm Beach.

The school came to fruition by the grit and determination of Msgr. William Mullally, who served as pastor of St. Paul. Appointed in 1923 by Bishop Patrick Barry of the Diocese of St. Augustine, the bishop commissioned Msgr. Mullally to purchase property in Daytona Beach to build a school and a church.

Two months and four days after his arrival, Msgr. Mullary purchased the property on North Ridgewood Avenue and Cypress Street for $40,000. On it was a house that served as the rectory, and the hotel was to be converted into the school. He later purchased a cottage across the street to serve as a convent for the Dominican Sisters from Blauvelt, New York, who came to teach.

Class began in the old hotel in January 1925. That September, five freshmen students created the foundation for a high school, adding one grade per year. Msgr. Mullally then built a new high school in 1947. St. Paul High School thrived for more than 30 years until Father Lopez Catholic High School opened in 1958. Students came from as far north as Bunnell and as far south as New Smyrna. In 1953, the current school was erected to replace the old hotel.

Today the Basilica School of St. Paul boasts 200 students from kindergarten (added in 1952) to grade eight. It still maintains its mission to be the loving presence to those who suffer through (their) active faith.

“We have gone through a myriad of changes. We have opened our doors, not only to our St. Paul parish, but to the entire Daytona Beach community,” said Susan Pickles, principal. “Our children reflect the diversity of our community at large, and we are very proud of that. We are also proud that many of our students go on to attend Father Lopez High School, as well as other academically challenging programs in the public schools.”

In an email to Florida Catholic, she described what makes the school’s distinct characteristics.

“We are a family,” she said. “This is more than a job for our teachers and staff, this is a vocation. We are diverse, which makes our school truly Christ-like. Our children are given the gift of academic rigor, service, and faith formation. We truly teach the whole child. I pray that our students truly become everything that God intends for them. We want them to be the hearts and hands of Jesus Christ. We want them to always remember they are beloved children of God.”

A shining example of that is Erin Roszak, a religion teacher at the school for 21 years and a Father Lopez graduate.

“It has brought me immense joy every day to know I can teach and share my faith with my students. I can live out my faith, discipline students through faith, and I can open doors for them to have a deeper relationship with Christ. It fills my soul with joy,” she said.

As a teacher, Roszak said serving the Lord in this way has helped her rediscover over and over how Jesus is the “epicenter” of who she is. She credited that understanding to her Catholic school education.

“My faith has guided me in all my choices,” Roszak said. “Becoming a teacher has made me be more intentional in the way I interact with people as I try to be a good role model.”

Ron Pagano, who attended the Basilica School of St. Paul and had served as its principal, was present for the celebration. He attended the school from second to eighth grade and, two weeks after his retirement, applied to be principal. He relished returning to his “Catholic family.” 

“I walked the hallways, and it brought me back — the color, the architectural structure, and, of course, the beautiful church.”

Pagano also remembered his first days at the school.

“I recall just staring up at St. Paul (in the church). As a second grader, it made a big impression on you,” he said.

At the end of the Mass, Bishop Noonan unveiled a blessing for the school from Pope Francis – a gift for the centennial celebration.

“The message of St. Paul was to share Jesus with everybody and to love everybody,” he told the students. “Jesus came to teach us like he taught St. Paul. He helped the sick people and told them the Good News. When we want to know Jesus and love Him, we need to pray to Him. Today, we’re celebrating in prayer the good things He’s given us – like St. Paul’s school. What I want you to remember about St. Paul School is you come to school every day to help one another, to pray together, and to learn more about Jesus so you can bring Jesus to other people.”

Click here to watch a video of Fr. Ken Gill reading Pope Francis’s blessing, a gift bestowed by Bishop Noonan on Basilica of St. Paul School for its 100th anniversary.

By Glenda Meekins of the Florida Catholic staff, January 16, 2025