As Patti Paulsen prepares to retire as principal of Holy Angels Catholic School, she is filled with gratitude for her time spent at the Woodbury school and the love that envelopes the community.
“Because we are a small school, you get to know the students as well as their families,” said the 38-year educator. “We have also bonded with the parish and work together for the good of the entire Holy Angels Community. We are a family.”
Paulsen describes the school and Holy Angels Parish as a special place filled with wonderful clergy, teachers, students and parents. She said she has enjoyed helping to cultivate the faith of the young people who come through the school.
“I love going to Mass with the children, and being there when they made their First Holy Communion and Confirmation was one of the most profound and joyful experiences I could have,” she said, while also noting weekly Masses and daily Gospel discussions.
“As the principal, you can help form the students not just intellectually, but emotionally and spiritually, incorporating our faith into every aspect of our lives.”
As she prepares for the first September in nearly four decades when she won’t be returning to school, she reflected on some of the highlights of her career at Holy Angels. Some memories that came to mind were Christmas celebrations at the Bishop’s residence with Bishop Dennis Sullivan and administration; family dinners cooked for the staff by their pastor, Father Joseph Byerley; and working alongside her colleagues to lead the school through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Paulsen also recounted the school being named Gloucester County’s Non-Public School of the Year in 2023; visits from the New Jersey State Police Mounted Unit and a Drug Enforcement Administration helicopter; seeing the school win two back-to-back basketball championships; and improving the school’s campus by converting the second church space into a hall and gym.
“There are so many wonderful highlights over the years,” she said. “We have made wonderful memories that I will never forget.”
Whether the students at Holy Angels were three-year-olds or eighth-graders preparing to graduate, she referred to each of them as “her babies.”
“I talk to them daily, and they often stop by the office just to say hi – it’s the best part of my day,” she shared. “One of the beautiful aspects of being a Catholic school leader is watching your babies grow up.
“In my tenure at Holy Angels, I have watched children grow in faith, receive their Sacraments, graduate, go on to high school and come back to visit.”
Since Father Byerley first arrived at Holy Angels Parish some five years ago, he has seen firsthand how Paulsen has led the school community and helped to foster a feeling of family.
“She loves the children as her own, she constantly works for them and for their well-being, and she really has shepherded the school through COVID and so many different things,” he said. “It has been a lot, and she continues to handle it all very well.”
He noted that Paulsen’s legacy will be one of love.
“She really looked at each child as an individual, and whatever that particular child’s needs were, she tried to give that child what he or she needed,” he said.
Father Byerley added, “I think the children know they were cared for, and they know that when they came to school, that they would be loved.”
As for her retirement, Paulsen is looking forward to kicking off the next school year by enjoying the Jersey Shore. She plans to travel – including a trip to Italy – and is helping her daughter plan her wedding next year.
“In all honesty, I will be doing something with children and my faith, because I feel that the Lord has placed me on this earth to be an advocate for children, and I’m not done yet,” she said. “Being a Catholic school principal at Holy Angles has strengthened my faith and taught me that everyone needs the Lord, especially children.”
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