By Emily Chaffins - Freelance Writer
MIAMI SHORES | Father Jude Oseloka Ezeanokwasa remembers a principal whose students would gladly go to the principal’s office to see her.
Aiming to inspire the Archdiocese of Miami’s seven newest principals/presidents at their July 2 commissioning ceremony at St. Martha Parish in Miami Shores, Father Ezeanokwasa recalled one educator’s dramatic transition from public school to Catholic school — and the profound impact she had on her students.
The Archdiocese of Miami is one of the largest Catholic school systems in the southeastern United States, serving more than 37,000 students through 65 schools and three stand-alone preschools in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties. More than 3,000 Catholic educators and staff members serve students from infancy through 12th grade, combining academic excellence with faith formation.
Father Ezeanokwasa recalled the educator sharing how "stunned" she had been to discover the hostility toward faith in a secular school earlier in her career. While working as a math teacher at a public school, she had made the mistake of telling a disruptive student, “God bless you.”
“The boy sprang up: ‘You don’t say "God bless you" here. It’s a public school. You don’t talk about God here. I will tell my dad to report you,’” recounted Father Ezeanokwasa.
In contrast, when she began working in the Catholic school system, she found a sanctuary.
“She came to a Catholic school so she could comfortably say, ‘God bless you,’” he said, noting that she was later promoted to principal.
Interested in a Catholic education for your child? Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Miami provide academic excellence rooted in faith for students from infancy through 12th grade. Find a school near you and learn more about admissions at the Archdiocese of Miami School Finder.
Father Ezeanokwasa said he remembers alumni asking about their former principal — a testament to the positive impact she had made. Addressing the new Archdiocese of Miami principals/presidents, who will begin their roles in the 2026-2027 school year, he encouraged them to similarly be peacemakers in accordance with the year’s theme, "Let Peace Begin."
“It’s important to underscore that the peace that the Catholic Church serves is not the peace that the world gives,” he said. “The Catholic Church serves and ministers through the peace of Christ… who is the source of peace. The peace you are called to bring to our schools is the peace rooted in Christ.”
As tangible reminders of this undertaking, Dr. Jim Rigg — archdiocesan secretary of education and superintendent of schools — presented each of the new principals with a Serenity Prayer plaque during the ceremony:
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Father Jude blessed the principals, sending them forth to their new roles as school leaders.
“That is the mission the Church is joyfully entrusting to you: to bring peace to society through the formation of its children.”
Want to learn more about the incoming principals? Watch for a feature on their backgrounds in the August 2026 editions of the Florida Catholic and La Voz Católica.
