Maryann Donohue Lynch, immediate past Director of Campus Ministry at La Salle Academy is the new principal at Saint Raphael Academy in Pawtucket.

Maryann will be blessed as the new principal during the Saint Raphael’s Opening of School Liturgy at Holy Family Church on Walcott Street in Pawtucket on Thursday, September 23.  Guests are asked to arrive by 12:50 p.m.  A reception will follow the Liturgy. Please RSVP to rpratt@saintrays.org  by September 22.

Maryann came to La Salle from St. Mary Academy Bay View in September of 1995 as the Director of Campus Ministry and a teacher in the Religion Department where she served one year as the Chair of the Department.  She taught religion for six years and then turned her efforts to Christian Service for seniors all while directing Campus Ministry.

She is a graduate of both the Buttimer Institute and the Lasallian Leadership Institute and in January of 2010 she attended SIEL in Rome -- a one month program on the spirituality of the founder.  Maryann’s three children are all La Salle graduates.

Under her leadership Campus Ministry at La Salle has grown and engaged in numerous activities in the neighborhood around La Salle including helping to refurbish the George West School.  Campus Ministry has also included senior retreats, Christian Service at schools and soup kitchens and Amos House, taking gifts to neighbors homes, supporting the Homeless Sleep Out in support of the Bishop’s Keep the Heat On Campaign and the Jamaica Mission Trip to work with Mustard Seed, a Catholic non-profit that takes in and cares for abandoned children with special needs and children with HIV/AIDS to name a few.

Maryann is a graduate of the State University of New York (SUNY) and she earned a master’s degree from St. John’s University in New York.

The announcement of her new position is also on The Brothers of the Christian Schools - District of Eastern North America (DENA) website.  To view that announcement click here

Below is a letter from La Salle Academy President Brother Michael Mc Kenery to the La Salle Academy faculty, staff and administration announcing Maryann’s appointment.

Dear Members of the La Salle Academy Faculty, Staff and Administration,

Maryann Donohue Lynch, Director of Campus Ministry at La Salle Academy, has been appointed Principal of Saint Raphael Academy in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, by Bishop Thomas Tobin.  We extend our congratulations to Maryann and a  promise of our prayers and support as she assumes the leadership of the Lasallian ministry at SAINTS. Saint Raphael Academy has a very special place in my heart and memory as the school that I began my educational ministry some 48 years ago.  It is a very special place that serves a very important need in the Blackstone Valley.  For 86 years, with dedication and great success, it has provided countless young men and women with a Catholic and Lasallian education.

Maryann has been a catalyst for so many good and wonderful accomplishments at La Salle Academy.  Working with her team in Campus Ministry she has created programs that met the needs of our students and placed us in the forefront of schools with similar programs and experiences. Her involvement with Lasallian youth and the many experiences of national leadership have brought great honor to La Salle. I thank her most especially for her care of the young men and women entrusted to our care. Her move is a loss for La Salle Academy but one of hope for Saint Raphael Academy.

Maryann, we pledge our prayers and support as you begin a new chapter of leadership in Catholic and Lasallian education. I know that there are many challenges that lie ahead and pray that Jesus who lives in each of our hearts will guide and direct your decisions as both leader and guardian.

Live Jesus in our Hearts. Forever!

Brother Michael Mc Kenery, FSC

President