BIDDEFORD — Patricia Berthiaume is passionate about being an educator in the Catholic school system.
“It’s not a job, it’s a vocation,” she said.
That passion has made Berthiaume a much-loved principal at the St. James Catholic School in Biddeford, a position she has held for the past 11 years.
But recently, the longtime principal made the difficult choice to leave her job and the community to which she has become attached, she said.
Berthiaume, who has been principal at St. James Catholic School since 2002, will leave her post at the end of the month to become principal at St. John Catholic School in Brunswick.
Making the decision to leave St. James, and the nearly 180 pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade students in her charge, was not an easy one, said Berthiaume.
“I love this community,” she said.
Berthiaume said her reason for making the move to Brunswick is that it will be close enough to the University of Maine Orono campus so she can commute.
She plans to apply to the university’s education leadership doctoral program in a year or two. Currently, she holds a master’s degree in educational administration from Rivier University in Nashua, N.H.
“In order for me to provide the best Catholic education I can. ”¦ I wanted to go back to school,” said Berthiaume.
She said she has wanted to return to school for several years, but her passion for her students in Biddeford, as well as overseeing the merger between St. James and the Notre Dame de Lourdes School in Saco, when the latter school closed in 2011, held her back.
But now the timing seems right, said Berthiaume.
“As they say, ”˜the hand of God is at work,’” she said.
It’s been an emotional week, said Berthiaume, since she sprang the news to the children who attend St. James and their parents on Friday.
“The kids are asking, ”˜Why are you leaving?’” she said, “and the parents are saying, ”˜We’re going to miss you so much.’”
“One parent said they rely on me,” said Berthiaume. “You don’t realize the impact you make on people.”
“She’s been a great principal,” said Msgr. Rene Mathieu, pastor of Good Shepherd Parish in Saco. “She loves what she does and is very dedicated to the church. She promotes the church’s values and beliefs to the students and to the wider community as well.”
While Biddeford will be sad to see Berthiaume go, the Brunswick community is looking forward to her arrival.
“I have personally worked with Ms. Berthiaume on two task forces,” said Fr. Frank J. Murray, pastor of All Saints Parish in Brunswick. “I am confident that her experiences and skills will meet our needs, present and future.
“She has demonstrated effectiveness as a spiritual and academic leader not only to her school communities, but to her colleagues in Catholic education as well.”
Berthiaume said she has been given and learned so much at St. James, and she is excited and looking forward to sharing all she’s learned with the children at St. John Catholic School.
Berthiaume has been an educator in Catholic schools for 35 years. Prior to moving to Maine, she was a teacher in Catholic schools in Nashua, N.H. In 1995, she became the principal of Holy Cross School in Lewiston, before becoming principal of St. James seven years later.
In 2004, she received the Dr. Robert J. Kealy Distinguished Principal Award for New England from the National Catholic Educational Association. Berthiaume has served as a regional representative for the Elementary Department of the NCEA, and has served as a member of the diocesan school board.
The process is under way to find Berthiaume’s replacement as principal at St. James Catholic School, according to a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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