The future Administration and Youth Building at St. Joseph Parish in Bowling Green, currently under construction, is seen in this undated photo. The building will be the temporary home of Chesterton Academy of Bowling Green when it opens in August 2026. COURTESY OF DR. GARY HOUTCHENS
In Brief: May 2025
New Catholic high school to open in Bowling Green
Chesterton Academy of Bowling Green, a Catholic classical high school, will open in fall 2025 on the campus of St. Joseph Parish in Bowling Green. “St. Joseph School has a legacy of more than 100 years of Catholic education,” said parish council member Dr. Gary Houtchens, but added that the parish has not operated a high school for more than 50 years. As a solution to “the need and demand for a Catholic high school with all the economic growth in Bowling Green,” he said several surveys were done to gauge parental interest in opening a new school. As an education professor at Western Kentucky University, as well as being a parent of elementary students at St. Joseph School, Dr. Houtchens said he was invited to join the founding team. In researching options for a small, classical high school, the team came across the Chesterton Network of Schools, which is based in Minnesota and named after the early 20th-century Catholic thinker and writer G.K. Chesterton. “The big challenge was a location – for a while we were in limbo,” said Dr. Houtchens. Then St. Joseph Parish began its Renew campaign to restore the historic church and property, which includes building a new Administration and Youth Building. “It creates an ideal location and at least gives us a place to be established and an opportunity to discern” the high school’s permanent home. Dr. Houtchens said the team is grateful for the commitment of “both Fr. Ryan Harpole (pastor of St. Joseph) and Fr. Randy Howard (pastor of nearby Holy Spirit Parish) to be spiritual fathers for the school, especially since the Chesterton model calls for daily Mass.” He said they are also thankful for the partnership with Knights of Columbus Council #1315, which sponsored the project so it could join the Chesterton Network. They can be followed on Facebook by searching “Chesterton Academy of Bowling Green” and those who want to learn more can email [email protected].
Sisters donate blankets to women in need
On March 18, an assortment of blankets made by Ursuline Sisters of Saint Joseph and their friends were donated to benefit Fresh Start for Women. The 15 fleece blankets were made in Maple Hall (also known as the gym/auditorium) the week before as a project for Catholic Sisters Week (March 8-14). Fresh Start for Women is located in Owensboro and offers transitional housing and life skills for up to 15 women who are working to overcome substance abuse and sometimes domestic violence. The women stay from six months to two to three years. Cindy Jean, Fresh Start’s executive director, said that each of the women will receive one of these blankets to keep.
Former Holy Name principal receives national education award
Dr. Daryl Hagan, the director of the Institute for the Transformation of Catholic Education at The Catholic University of America, has been named the recipient of the 2025 C. Albert Koob Merit Award, one of five President’s Awards conferred annually by the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA). Dr. Hagan served for 13 years as principal of Holy Name of Jesus Catholic School in Henderson in the Diocese of Owensboro, Ky. Prior to his role with CUA, Dr. Hagan also served as the superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Evansville, Ind., for 12 years. He is the author of the author of “Communion and Community: 46 Ways to Engage Catholic School Faculty and Staff During the School Year.”
Originally printed in the May 2025 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
