St. Vincent Martyr School: Sister of Charity Takes Reins of School

July 1, 2011 - Sister Noreen Holly's first calling was teaching, followed years later by a more profound calling: the church.

Both vocations took Holly down a career path that led to St. Vincent Martyr School on Green Village Road, where she became principal effective July 1st.

A native of Kerry, Ireland, Holly came to the United States in 1986 as a lay teacher at Assumption All Saints Church in Jersey City.  "I qualified to be a teacher, but the economy in Ireland in the 1980's was terrible - I couldn't get full-time work," Holly said. Then she saw ads for jobs in the U.S., and was intrigued by one that mentioned a location near the Statue of Liberty.  It was in Jersey City.  Holly lived at a Sisters of Charity convent, where she noted "they must have put something into the tea."  Living and working with the sisters inspired Holly to take vows and join the order, she said.  She remained in Jersey City 22 years, where she taught at Assumption in the third and seventh grades, and then at Sacred Heart School, where she taught the fifth and sixth grades and served as vice principal. Before coming in 2010 to Madison's St. Vincent Martyr School, where she taught for a year before becoming principal, Holly was principal for grades K-8 at Blessed Sacrament in Paterson for two years.  "I didn't speak Spanish," Holly noted of the school's largely Spanish speaking population, but added she could well emphathize with the children who were first-generation immigrants.  At St. Vincent Martyr School, Holly succeeds Virginia Feury-Gagnon, who left after two years as principal due to family commitments, Holly said.

"She left the school in great shape - I want to continue to do her good work and see where we can build," Holly said.  A self-described "country girl who likes meat and potatoes," Holly enjoys the suburban aspects of Madison.  She lives at the College of St. Elizabeth, just across the border in the Convent Station section of Morris Township.  New Jersey's oldest Catholic elementary school --established in 1848 under the leadership of a Sister of Charity --St. Vincent's offers a full-day kindergarten through the eighth grade.

A thriving school with an enrollment that is jumping from 419 to 458 for this September 2011, St. Vincent Martyr is part of the pilot program Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and a Web-based pilot program in math called "Study Island."  St. Vincent's offers Latin in the seventh and eighth grades and Spanish in grades K-8. Smart Boards and interactive whiteboards for the classroom will soon be available in every classroom at the school. Holly said.  "My big goal is to partner with Father George and make this place a spiritual haven for students to learn to develop a relationship with God," Holly said, referring to the Rev. Monsignor George F. Hundt, pastor of St. Vincent Martyr Church.

"This parish is very vibrant and Father George is like Peter Pan - it's a privilege to partner with somebody like that," she said of Monsignor Hundt, who also teaches religion at the school in grades 6-8.

The high regard is mutual.

"We're thrilled she is taking over," Hundt said of St. Vincent Martyr's new principal.

"She is a blessing on different levels - she is a great force for good as we move into the future, "the pastor said.