How fortunate I am to have undertaken my position at Holy Angels Academy as we began celebrating our 150th anniversary.  It has truly been an honor to share in all of the celebrations of our rich heritage and to play a part in positioning our institution for its next 150 years of educating young women in Western New York.

Much has been accomplished during this pivotal year.  Working with the Board of Trustees, staff members and faculty, we have written a Strategic Plan which includes a thorough examination of our academic curriculum and facilities and detailed plans for continued improvements. 

 
We have launched this beautiful and functional new website which I invite you to fully explore.
 We kicked off our 150th anniversary on a near perfect day in September with a 5K Run with the Angels that attracted more than 350 runners and walkers.  The following day a Mass was celebrated by Bishop Kmiec  at which we honored the past, present and future of the Academy.  
This year I have grown to fully appreciate the calling to service exemplified by St. Marguerite d’Youville who established the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart in Montreal in 1737.  These same Grey Nuns eventually opened Holy Angels as a private girls’ school in 1861 and gave us the strong foundation on which to build our future.  To this day, Holy Angels continues the mandate of educating young women academically, morally and spiritually while instilling the value of generously giving of themselves to others. 

 
I’ve learned that helping young women discover who they are and what they might become is one of our special strengths.   Inspiring every girl to continue on to higher education and meaningful lives and careers is our mandate, and it is what we do best.

If you haven’t yet visited our beautiful campus in picturesque North Buffalo--please do so soon.   If you’ve not been back through our red doors in some time, make a point to attend a reunion or special event to get reacquainted.  Our doors are always open and we’d love to see you! 

 

In Peace and Charity

 

Joan D. Thomas

President and Principal