As you are aware, Mrs. Rita Stasi, the esteemed faith and instructional leader of St. Joseph Catholic School since July of 2007, will retire from her position as principal of our school on June 30, 2021. I sincerely thank Mrs. Stasi for the outstanding job that she has done of ensuring the academic and spiritual success of our students and staff for the past 13 years. I encourage you to include Rita and the entire St. Joseph Catholic School faculty and staff in your thoughts and prayers as they continue to work together to deliver Catholic education of the highest quality to all students of St. Joseph Catholic School throughout the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year. 

Following Rita’s announcement, I assembled a Principal Search Committee that consisted of several parishioners, two local Catholic school principals, and a facilitator from the Diocese of Joliet Catholic Schools Office. These individuals met with me for more than 25 hours from January through March 2021. Together, we:

• gained an overview of the Diocese of Joliet Principal Search Process and calendared dates for January – March Principal Search Committee meetings as well as first and second-round interviews.
• developed a Vocation Description that was posted electronically on several local and national job boards.
• designed a Principal Search Community Survey that was linked to the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools. (Ozar et al., 2012)
• launched this survey from January 19 – February 19, 2021.
• conducted a Faculty and Staff Focus Group
• studied results of the survey instrument and used this data to design interview questions that were posed to all candidates during first and second-round interviews. 
• evaluated application files of seventeen highly qualified applicants using a standardized rubric.
• determined candidates who had extensive experience as Catholic school leaders.
• invited these individuals to participate in first-round interviews. 
• interviewed four of these candidates during second-round interviews.
• reviewed the Principal Profile that was generated from survey data and shared perceptions of candidate strengths with Father Al.

I then personally interviewed finalists and prayerfully discerned Mr. Erick Passarelli as the new Principal of St. Joseph Catholic School in Downers Grove. Mr. Passarelli will work closely with Mrs. Stasi to ensure a smooth leadership transition. Erick will officially begin his duties on July 1, 2021. I include a welcome letter from Mr. Passarelli below.

I sincerely thank the following members of the Principal Search Committee for their wise consultation, dedication, and prayers.

• Mr. John Becker – School Board Member
• Mrs. Carol Burlinski – Principal: St. Isaac Jogues Catholic School
• Mrs. Beth Harbauer -SJDG Business Manager
• Mr. Scott Jessee – Chair: SJDG Finance Council
• Mrs. Krissy Knightly – Former teacher - SJSDG
• Deacon Frank Kozar -Deacon and Parish Service Coordinator
• Mrs. Sarah Reece- Parent, School Board Member
• Dr. Pam Simon – Principal: Holy Trinity Catholic School
• Mrs. Marta Spiezio -SJDG Youth Apostolate Director
• Mr. Ed Theobald – School Board member
• Mrs. Karen Udell – CSO Facilitator

In Christ,
Father Al Heidecke