The first day of school is usually an exciting time for students as they begin another academic year.
Students at St. Francis of Assisi School in Springfield, Delaware County were especially excited because on their first day of school they celebrated the reopening of the primary school building that was destroyed by fire on Oct. 7, 2024.
During the celebration on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at the school, Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez led a prayer of dedication service and blessed the building. A ribbon cutting ceremony was then held to officially open the school building.
Archbishop Pérez praised the parish community and their commitment to rebuild the school.
“So many people have worked to make this day happen,” the Archbishop said. “It speaks about the resiliency of the human spirit and the resiliency of the human heart. It speaks about the resiliency of the Church, the resiliency of St. Francis. It speaks about your resiliency.”
The school, founded in 1929, serves students in Pre-K to eighth grade.
(PHOTOS: St. Francis of Assisi Dedicates Rebuilt School Building After 2024 Fire)
Students in Pre-K through third grade were taught at the school building at St. Kevin Parish during the two-year rebuilding process. The older students were able to continue going to school at St. Francis.
When the fire happened, Father Matthew Tralies, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Springfield, assured everyone that the school would be rebuilt.
“I made the promise to the community that we’re going to be back together again,” he said. “To be able to see that come to fruition is just an incredible blessing. It was a lot of hard work from a lot of great people who made this possible.”
Father Tralies emphasized the important role the school has played in the Springfield community for almost 100 years.
“We pride ourselves on the legacy that people can walk by and see St. Francis and say, ‘I went there, and my parents went there, and now my grandchildren go there,’” he said. “It was painful to have these children separated, but at the same time it was an incredible blessing for St. Kevin’s to offer us their space.”
Soon after the fire, Father John Moloney, pastor of nearby St. Kevin Parish, texted Father Tralies and asked him what he needed.
Father Moloney then offered the former St. Kevin school building as a temporary location for the displaced students.
“It was incredibly kind of him,” Father Tralies said. “Within two weeks the building was totally usable after 12 years of non-use as a school. They were just such good hosts, and we were blessed by that.”
Another blessing was how parishioners pitched in to help raise money for the rebuilding project.
“The parish community came together in terms of donations that just came out of the blue,” Father Tralies explained. “Even the school children were doing fundraisers, and local businesses did fundraisers. We had so much support from the parish community and the local community.”
One lesson Father Tralies learned following the fire was the importance of allowing people to help.
“People came out of the woodwork to use their gifts and talents in service to the Church,” he said.
The cost for the reconstruction project was $7 million, according to the pastor. Aside from the stone structure of the building, everything else had be rebuilt, he explained.
St. Francis of Assisi School will host an open house on Sunday, Sept. 13 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for anyone who wants to tour the new space.
Kristen Augustine, mother of fourth-grade student Avery and second grader Emma, was grateful the students were able to attend school together again.
“It means so much because we’re all back together in one building,” Augustine said. “It was so hard having them split, but we made the best of it. We’re a strong community and parish, so we made it work.”
Her daughters were eagerly awaiting the reopening of the school building.
“They’re so excited to be together with their friends,” she added.
Christina Monkman recalled the moment she realized her daughter Brooklyn’s book was lying on the ground amidst the debris.
“We came back the day after (the fire), and we looked at a book sitting on the ground, and we’re like, ‘Huh, that book looks familiar, and it was my daughter’s book,” Monkman said. “To see all the debris and to have a book sitting there that had her name on it, it was emotional.”
This school year is an especially meaningful one for her son Brayden, an eighth grader, and her daughter, a second grader, who will be back in the same building.
“They’ve spent the last year and a half in two separate buildings,” Monkman said. “For them to be together and get to see each other during the day makes a big difference.”
Seeing the building dedicated was a proud moment for Nicole Hamilton, principal of St. Francis of Assisi School, and also a sentimental one because her four children attend the school.
“I feel like I can breathe now,” Hamilton said. “It felt like an impossible goal, but we made it work. All our subcontractors, the contractors, our architect, everyone knew we had to be back by this September.”
The fire and rebuilding process taught Hamilton important lessons about her faith and perseverance during a difficult time.
“I learned that it was very stressful, but you figure it out and you do it,” she said. “God would never throw something at me that he didn’t think I could handle, and he was right. We did it.”
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