By Joe Lee
JACKSON – Succeeding a legend like Shae Goodman-Robinson would be a daunting task to some, but for Christopher Payne, the incoming principal of Sister Thea Bowman School, it’s a comfortable fit as well as an opportunity to continue paying forward the many life lessons he learned from his mentor.

A graduate of Mississippi State University, Payne has spent the last seven years teaching social studies and technology to Sister Thea Bowman students in grades 3-6. A native of Jackson, he graduated from Jim Hill High school and knows the city and its challenges well.

“In my first year, I noticed a student whose behavior was changing. He was more aggressive around others and a bit standoffish,” Payne said. “I’ve seen boys do that and felt I needed to have a heart-to-heart with him. He started talking about what was going on at home, his relationship with his parents, and he broke down and cried.”

“I started sharing some of my experiences from the past, and he hugged me and said he hadn’t had anyone to talk to. That was the moment I said, ‘Oh, my gosh, this is the impact I can have on these students’ lives.’”

In the short term, Payne says that while Sister Thea Bowman School already has a safe, loving, Christ-like environment, he wants to bring it “times ten” and immediately increase enrollment.

“I want to help guide the school to be one of the premier Catholic schools in Jackson,” Payne said. “Sister Thea Bowman is up for canonization, and we look forward to our school being known as ‘Saint’ Thea Bowman Catholic School. Having at present a prominent African American student body, I’d like to see kids of all races at our school. That’s what Sister Thea wanted: harmony among all groups.”

(Sister Thea Bowman School is now enrolling grades PreK-3 through sixth grade. Interested persons may contact the school at (601) 352-5441. Financial contributions to Sister Thea Bowman School as well as donations of your time and talents are greatly appreciated. Visit theabowmanschool.com to learn more.)

By Joe Lee
JACKSON – Something especially meaningful dawned on Shae Goodman-Robinson as she drove to Sister Thea Bowman School one morning near the end of her thirteenth and final year as principal.

“I told my parents that I started at Sister Thea Bowman in kindergarten when it was Christ the King School, and here I am retiring there as principal,” Robinson said. “What a beautiful full circle of how God puts you in places to pay it forward.”

In the midst of an emotional few days of saying goodbye to students, parents and her employees, Robinson reflected on the many pay-it-forward moments she’s had in more than four decades of being an educator.

“I’ll miss the children and the face-to-face contact with them,” she said. “It put a smile on my face, whatever may have been on my mind at the time. Kids will tell you what they see, in their honesty and love for you. ‘I love your hair, Ms. Robinson. I love your dress, Ms. Robinson. I love your shoes, Ms. Robinson.’ I will genuinely miss that. It’s kept me going all this time.”

Sister Thea Bowman, whom Robinson met two years before her death in 1990, had a profound impact on the way approached her calling.

“Her legacy was, ‘I try,’ and one of my favorite Sister Thea sayings was, ‘I know God is using me in ways beyond my comprehension,’” Robinson said. “As principal, I tried to make sure the students understood the importance of education, and that they took responsibility each day. I tried to make sure they understood that everything comes full circle regarding academic education and spiritual growth.”

A kindergartener in the early 1960s, Robinson recalls her parents earning approximately $200/month but insisting on paying a tuition bill of $32/month to send all three of their children to Christ the King School.
“They believed in the importance of the education we were getting at Christ the King,” she said. “All of that propelled me to want to come back to the school and help pay it forward.”

Another full circle moment is the friendship and work relationship Robinson has had with her successor, Jackson native Christopher Payne, who has taught at Sister Thea Bowman school for seven years and will serve as principal beginning this fall.

“I worked with his grandmother at Bailey Alternative School back in the 1980s, and I told Chris that I remember when his parents got married and when he was born,” Robinson said. “He attended my children’s birthday parties – I remember him as a toddler and growing up. My daughter went to Mississippi State, and so did he.”

“When I heard Chris was in education I talked to him, and when he said he wanted to teach, I offered him an open position I had. Once he got here, I saw leadership skills. He was not a teacher that raised his voice. He was always mild-mannered, and the kids loved him.”

“Shae was the main reason I ended up at Sister Thea Bowman School,” Payne said. “I wasn’t even sure teaching was my calling, but she saw something in me. She said to me, ‘You aren’t just here to work for the students; you’re here for the parents, your co-workers, the church and the community. She has instilled in me the bigger picture, that what happens outside the classroom matters most.”

Robinson will certainly miss her cherished interactions with the many students she mentored at Sister Thea Bowman School, but she has no doubt the right person was selected to succeed her.

“There was never hesitation when I asked Chris for help. He was always ready to help, and he volunteered to do things he saw that needed to be done without me having to ask,” Robinson said. “He has the personality, intelligence and another level of ideas that can take Sister Thea Bowman School to another level.”

(Joe Lee is the Editor-in-Chief of Dogwood Press, a small but traditional publishing house. He is a regular contributor to Mississippi Catholic and a parishioner of St. Francis Madison.)

Click here for accompanying story on incoming principal – Christopher Payne

BAY ST. LOUIS – Father Malcolm Mark O’Leary, SVD, age 92, died on May 25, 2022. He was born April 21, 1930 to the late John O’Leary and Clementine Conway O’Leary in Sulphur Springs, Mississippi. He was one of twelve children and attended Sacred Heart School in Camden, Mississippi; as well as, Holy Ghost School in Jackson.

Father O’Leary began his formal educational preparation for the priesthood in September of 1947 at St. Augustine Seminary in Bay St. Louis. Upon the completion of his priesthood preparation, Father O’Leary entered novitiate training in Techny, Illinois on Sept. 8, 1951 and took his first vows in 1953. On May 4, 1961, under the authority of Archbishop Vagnazzi, Father O’Leary was ordained into the priesthood at St. Augustine Seminary in Bay St. Louis.

In the Diocese of Jackson, Father O’Leary served at Sacred Heart Greenville from 1962-1964; St. Francis Yazoo City as associate pastor from 1967-1969 and pastor from 1969-1972; Holy Ghost Jackson from 1972-1980; Immaculate Conception Clarksdale from 1980-1984; and St. Mary Vicksburg from 2008-2018.
He retired from active ministry in 2019 and was a resident at the Woodland Village Nursing Home in Diamondhead.

Father O’Leary was preceded in death by his parents, John O’Leary and Clementine Conway, six brothers, John Frank O’Leary, Patrick Henry O’Leary, Lawrence “Smitty” O’Leary, James Kermit O’Leary, Eldridge “Tommy” O’Leary and Alfred Wendell O’Leary; three sisters, Selena O’Leary, Annie Mae O’Leary and Mary O’Leary.

He is survived by two brothers, James T. O’Leary of Alabama and Bernard O’Leary of California; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. His departure will be felt by many, but family and friends are comforted in knowing that he has now joined the faithfully departed.

His Funeral Mass was held June 1 in the chapel of St. Augustine Seminary in Bay St. Louis.

By Joanna Puddister King
JACKSON – Since 2020, Rachel Patterson began praying on how she could grow in service towards her Catholic faith. Late last year, Patterson followed the path she had been praying for and was offered a role in the chancery with the Office of Catholic Education as an administrative assistant.

Patterson previously served as a grant writer and executive assistant at The Little Light House, Central Mississippi, a developmental center that works with special needs children.

“Although I was in a position that I loved, serving children with special needs, I felt called to apply,” said Patterson. “The position presented similar duties … with the added bonus of serving Catholic students within my diocese.”

Working with Karla Luke, executive director of Catholic education for the diocese, was a huge draw for Patterson.

“She has such vision for the Office of Catholic Education and what the future looks like. Her background in Catholic education and strong faith helps guide all of the amazing opportunities she plans to implement … over the next few years,” said Patterson.

Luke says that Patterson is a “bright spot” in the office. “[She’s] always enthusiastic, full of her Catholic faith which is evident in her interactions with all people she encounters.”

“We are extremely lucky and blessed to have her as a part of our team.”

Patterson is married to Rooks Patterson and the couple have a one-year-old daughter, Tristen, and are expecting their second daughter in September. Patterson and her family are members of St. Richard Jackson.