St. Agnes School, Providence Academy named to honor roll

Two Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have been deemed “2014 Schools of Excellence” by the Cardinal Newman Society.

St. Agnes School in St. Paul and Providence Academy in Plymouth have been recognized again by the organization for excellence in academics and Catholic identity.

The Honor Roll was created by the Acton Institute in 2004, with the Cardinal Newman Society assuming it in 2012. All Catholic high schools in the U.S. are eligible to apply for the biannual award; honorees this year include 71 schools located in 26 states. Another Minnesota school, Chesterton Academy in Edina, was recognized.

Part of the Cardinal Newman Society’s mission is “helping Catholic families and promoting faithful Catholic education.”

The Catholic Spirit announces retirement of longtime employee

John Wolszon, longtime production supervisor at The Catholic Spirit, will retire in early October, bringing to a close nearly 40 years of service to the newspaper and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

When he began his employment, the newspaper was called the Catholic Bulletin and was printed solely in black and white. Color was added in the mid-1990s, along with a name change to The Catholic Spirit. In 2012, the newspaper and its staff became part of the archdiocese.

One of Wolszon’s many achievements was winning the B. Charles Tierney Award in 2001, which is given to an archdiocesan employee to recognize outstanding service.

“I truly love my job,” Wolszon said at the time. “It’s the people I work with that makes this job work for me.”

One of the first tasks for Wolszon, who lives in Stillwater, as he begins his retirement will be working on his annual Christmas light display. It’s legendary in his community, with people driving for miles to see it.