About Us

Mission

Our Lady of Lourdes School, an educational ministry of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish within the Diocese of San Bernardino, shares in the mission of the Roman Catholic Church to spread the Gospel message and live the tradition of prayer, study, and service in a Christ-centered environment. Serving children from across the Inland Empire in Junior Kindergarten through eighth grade, the inclusive, faith-based curriculum inspires life-long learning, motivation to achieve, acceptance of socialand moral responsibilities, and exceptional leadership. Graduates confidently take their place in society knowing that they are prepared to analytically work through any challenge with compassion and fairness because of their excellent academic and spiritual foundation.

Vision

Our Lady of Lourdes School will set the trend for a diverse Catholic education that will be at the forefront of cutting-edge technological evolution, giving all learners the power to excel and own their futures.

Principal’s Message

Welcome to Our Lady of Lourdes Parish School! Choosing Our Lady of Lourdes as a partner in the education of your children indicates your desire and commitment to the values of a Catholic education. With Christ at the Heart, we honor the three Cs- Communication, Community, and Commitment. Together we nurture spiritual growth and encourage academic excellence in each child. We strengthen our inner wisdom that brings us closer to God, and allow that gift of Wisdom to be a trusted friend on our journey with one another throughout the year. I am proud to be a member of a staff that is spiritual, dedicated, knowledgeable, highly qualified, creative, and caring

Our work as a team reflects a commitment to creating a Christ-centered environment, nurturing faith, promoting academic excellence, and empowering our students to be morally responsible citizens. We invite you to browse our site and become a part of a dynamic school community. Many Blessings to you and your loved ones.

School History

Our Lady of Lourdes School was established in 1959 to provide Catholic Education for the children of the newly formed Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. The pastor, Fr. Joseph Mackey, with the approval of Bishop Charles Francis Buddy of San Diego, made the request to the Presentation Congregation in Ireland for sisters to staff the school.

The request was circulated to all the Presentation Sisters in the province. In keeping with the charism of their foundress, Nano Nagle, and her expressed wish to be of service in any part of the world, sisters who were interested discerned and volunteered. Four sisters were selected for the task, and the school, though the building was not quite completed, opened on September 14, 1959, with an enrollment of 270 students in grades one through six. More sisters continued to come to the school and by 1963 there were seven sisters serving grades one through eight, all classes at maximum capacity.

Over the years sisters were transferred to different ministries, making way for a qualified and dedicated faculty of lay people who continue to give generously of themselves in spreading the Catholic faith to the students and to their immediate and extended families.

The Presentation Sisters have since retired from the school. Sr. Fidelma Lyne retired in 2010 after 50 years as the principal. Our Lady of Lourdes School continually strives for excellence, and its instructional program has strong Catholic orientation. Dedicated professional administration and faculty, interested parents, and eager students have been the key factors in the successful history of Our Lady of Lourdes School.

Today, the completely lay staff proudly carries on the charism in the school of prayer, study, and service in the tradition of Nano Nagle and the Presentation Congregation.

School Facts

Address: 5303 Orchard Street Montclair, CA 91763 County: San Bernardino

Superintendent: Mrs. Patrica Vesely

Diocese: San Bernardino

Parish: Our Lady of Lourdes

Parish Administrator: Rev. Clarence Gesbert Saluda M.S.

Former Religious Community: Union of the Presentation Sisters

Year the school was established: 1959

Type of School: Parochial

Principal: Mrs. Beverly Diaz de Leon

Appointed: 2010

Organizational Structure: Self-contained classrooms Jr. K-5th Departmentalized 6th-8th

Enrollment 2018: 205

WCEA/WASC Accreditation Status: Accredited through June 2018

Our Lady of Lourdes

On Thursday, February 11, 1858, a poor, sickly, unlettered peasant girl of Lourdes, France went with her sister and another girl to fetch sticks. Bernadette Soubirous, age 14, who knew little of her catechism but was devoted to the will of God, experienced her first apparition of a lovely Lady at the Grotto of Massabielle. Upon seeing the Lady, who had a rosary draped over her right arm, Bernadette began praying the Rosary. Bernadette did not know who the Lady was at this time. This is Bernadette’s description of the Lady at that first apparition:

While I was saying the Rosary, I was watching as hard as I could. She was wearing a white dress reaching down to her feet, of which only the toes appeared. The dress was gathered very high at the neck by a hem from which hung a white cord. A white veil covered her head and came down over her shoulders and arms almost to the bottom of her dress. On each foot I saw a yellow rose. The sash of the dress was blue, and hung down below her knees. The chain of the rosary was yellow; the beads white, big and widely spaced.

Thereafter commenced a series of apparitions of the Lady to Bernadette at the Grotto. Word soon spread about the apparitions and more and more people accompanied Bernadette to the Grotto, but only Bernadette could see the Lady. At these apparitions the Lady told Bernadette to “Pray to God for sinners!” Bernadette, as instructed by the Lady, also kissed the ground several times to do penance for sinners. At one of the apparitions Bernadette, following instructions of the Lady, scratched at the muddy earth and began to drink and wash from an unknown stream. Only later was the stream discovered to have miraculous healing powers.

The village Curé had asked Bernadette to inquire of the Lady who she was. On March 25, the feast of the Annunciation, also known as Lady Day, the Lady told Bernadette her name. She said, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” Only a few years ago the Holy Father, Pius IX, had declared ex cathedra as dogma of the Faith that the Blessed Virgin Mary had been conceived without the stain of original sin. This declaration of the Blessed Mother to Bernadette has deeply and profoundly moved many souls over the years, including St. Maximilian Kolbe. He was especially affected by the fact that Our Lady did not say that she was immaculately conceived but declared: ” I AM THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.” This is her name and suggests the profound mystery of the work of the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary’s soul.

Miracles still flow from the miraculous waters of Lourdes — but many more of the miracles occur during the blessing of the sick with the Most Holy Eucharist in the monstrance. This phenomenon underscores a profound truth of the spiritual life: Mary leads her children to her Divine Son, especially to His Eucharistic Heart.

The message of Our Lady of Lourdes is about the healing Mercy of God. But Lourdes is also about the need for prayer and penance. St. Bernadette testified to this call of Our Lady of Lourdes by living the rest of her life in humble prayer and suffering in a convent in France.

Millions of pilgrims venture every year to Lourdes. Some are miraculously healed. But many more are not healed of their affliction but receive the great and precious grace of lovingly embracing and carrying the cross Our Lord has given them. Our Lady of Lourdes, ora pro nobis .

John O’Connell is the Editor of The Catholic Faith magazine.

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Diocese of San Bernardino

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