Mr. Glogowski's Page

Dear Parents,

This will be our last official newsletter for the current school year. It will also be my last as principal of your school. The past ten years have gone by fast…too fast. As I look back to where we were and where we are, I am happy to be able to say that we are stable, growing and will be around for a long time.

My journey to St. Agnes began March 13, 1997 when I was interviewed by Fr. John and the Principal Search Committee. You may remember that that was the week of the big March snow storm. I woke up on Monday morning to about 10 inches. Believing (foolishly) that it was over, I took off for St. Mary, Star of the Sea. I ended up in a parking lot calling off school.

The storm made it a hectic week. By the time Thursday came I was exhausted. When I arrived for the interview, Ruth Shepherd escorted me to the “old convent.” I enjoyed the interview but was disappointed in my performance. When I got home Dorothy asked me how it went. All I could say was that I felt I did not present myself as well as I could have. In fact, I was shocked (and delighted) at being invited back for a second interview. When Fr. John called me to offer me the position, I was elated.

To steal a page from Fr. O’Mara’s homily at his 50th anniversary mass, in many ways coming here to St. Agnes was like being recycled. I was born here in Chicago Heights and lived on 13th and Wentworth until the age of 4. Even after moving to Harvey, my family spent many Sunday afternoon in the heights visiting my Aunt who lived on McEldowney Place. In my late 20’s I also spent many Sunday evenings at St. Agnes attending the 6:30 PM mass.

After being hired Dorothy and I decided we would spend at least one Sunday a month worshiping here at St. Agnes. After a few weeks we began to realize that this, more than anywhere else, was where we wanted to worship. The liturgies were excellent and the parishioners welcoming.

These past ten years have seen many changes. The convent became a new Jr. High, a new pre-school space was renovated and enrollment rose and continues to remains high. Now, as I leave, we will soon see a giant hole being dug to provide the parish with a new elevator.

What happened here, and will continue to happen is due to the willingness of the parish to consider Catholic Education a priority for her children. This is evidenced in the high number of parents who attended here and the generosity of our parishioners. Success never happens in a void. It happens because all involved pull together. There is no secret to our success as a parish and a school. We have parishioners who strongly believe in us and support us both financially and spiritually; parents who sacrifice to send their children to us and work with us to insure that their children receive the best possible education and teachers who choose to work for a salary nowhere near their public school counterparts. Most important we have a Pastor who firmly believes that the education of her young people is a obligation of the Church. As a result he works hard to insure the continuation of our mission.

As I leave I want to say thank you to all parishioners and parents of St. Agnes. You accepted me, worked with me and made this a wonderful, memorable ten years. God has been very good to me. By guiding me here He made my life better. St. Agnes helped transform me. I am a better person for having been part of your lives.

Even though I will no longer be directly connected to our school, I will remain an active member of the St. Agnes Faith Community. I am looking forward to starting the next phase of my life.

Sincerely,
Ed Glogowski

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from Mr. Glogowski please click here.