Pope John Paul II High: 40 years on saint’s path

By Christine Bordelon
Clarion Herald

Forty years have passed since Archbishop Philip Hannan opened a Catholic high school in Slidell and named it after the pope whom he admired – Pope John Paul II. 


Being the first high school in the world with his name, the pope never failed to ask Archbishop Hannan how his school was doing when they met, said Archbishop Gregory Aymond, who celebrated the school’s 40th anniversary Mass Sept. 9 and gave the homily.

“Your namesake, Pope John Paul II, is a modern-day saint,” Archbishop Aymond said, mentioning that most schools are named after long-ago saints. “This modern-day saint, when you look at his life carefully, gives you a message by the words he spoke when he was pope and also by example. 

“John Paul II often said, ‘Do not be afraid!’ He had a great love for young people … and was very knowledgeable that the young church and older church had fears. We are never alone, we have to trust … to place our lives in God’s hands and to believe that God would take care of us. .... Whatever is heavy on your heart today, whatever you are struggling with, whatever is complex, ‘Do not be afraid. You’re not alone. Trust in the Lord.’”


Archbishop Aymond told the students, teachers and alumni gathered (and those watching via live streaming)  that Pope John Paul was a person of mercy (who forgave the man who shot him and assured him of God’s forgiveness); the author of “Theology of the Body,” to teach the young church the sacredness of their bodies and those of others and the sacredness of marriage; and an example of how to live and die through his witness of serving the church despite contracting Parkinson’s disease.

He said St. John Paul II reminds the young church to “be who you are” and not cave to peer pressure; to use God’s gifts to live faith by giving to others and to be disciples who teach others as the Lord Jesus did.

“This school, named after John Paul II, makes his life and spirit alive today,” Archbishop Aymond said. 

He thanked the teachers who, with their gifts over 40 years, have helped students gain knowledge and form their hearts so when God calls them by name they are open and use their gifts to make a difference in the world.


Archbishop Aymond emphasized that God never remains socially distant, even during the pandemic.

“Jesus is never distant from you and me,” he said. “Let us make sure we don’t distance ourselves from him as we learn to love.”

Strong legacy
Since its founding in 1980, more than 2,500 students have graduated and call themselves Jaguar alumni. Many have sent their children to the school because of its academic excellence, faith development and leadership charisms.

“It’s a small community where everybody knows everybody by name, and the students are given the opportunity to grow,” said 1994 graduate Grant Black, who has a son Bruce who graduated in 2018, a sophomore Andrew, and a third son – named after St. John Paul for whom his family has a devotion – who will attend in the future. “There’s a lot of leadership and success that comes out of this school. The character of the school and its charisms have remained. I think we have held true to that.”

Catherine Cortello, who taught French, algebra, civics and English at Pope John Paul from 1981-2014, sent her children Eric (’94) and Lise Bremond (’92) there.

“The faculty was always wonderful to be with,” Cortello said. “I enjoyed my time here and still feel at home.”

“There was a family atmosphere,” said Bremond, who returned to teach for four years and has been assistant principal for 11 years. “It was a rigorous environment, but I also had a lot of fun and wanted to give that experience to my students.”

“I enjoyed everything about it,” said Eric Cortello, who is now a parent of sophomore Alex. “It’s a smaller school, so you get to be involved in everything.”

Tony Dennis, a member of the first graduating class in 1981, has three daughters who also graduated from PJPII. He mentioned strong friendships among classmates and fondly remembered the commitment of founding principal Glenn Gennaro, who started the alumni association.

“It was Gennaro’s example that showed students the right path in life,” he said. “His actions showed us how we should lead our lives.”

Capital campaign
After Mass, a “40 Years of Jaguar Pride” video highlighted the school’s past and future, which includes the beginning stages of a $25 million capital campaign that can be done in phases, said Doug Triche, school president/principal. The campaign would improve its physical plant with additional classrooms, a second gym with new locker and weight rooms and add a larger chapel to seat 135 at a time.

The academic offerings also would see an enhanced Catholic STEM program by partnering with the nearby STEM community of NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, where students can gain employment and engineering knowledge while in high school.

He said the master plan would “address the needs to update our science and math labs, create Catholic STEM programs that will include theology, the humanities and the arts.” The last capital campaign to improve the classrooms wasn’t as ambitious, Triche said. 

“St. Tammany is still a growing area, and we want to be able to serve the growth of the community and continue the legacy of Pope John Paul II in terms of being a ‘light on the hill’ to evangelize to the community (in east St. Tammany) and be that excellence of Catholic education.”

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