Few of the 225 students who composed the first class at Bishop Lynch High School when it opened its doors in September of 1963 would recognize the campus today. From that original small student body Bishop Lynch has become the largest private high school in Texas with more than 1,100 students.
As the school prepares to mark its 50th anniversary, nearly 10,000 alumni and exes can look with pride on their alma mater which has emerged as one of the premier secondary institutions in the southwest. A series of observances beginning Wednesday, September 4 will commemorate a half-century of achievements and celebrate a promising future.
A number of the Dominican Friars who opened the school and gave their name to Lynch’s athletic teams will be present for the festivities, as will representatives of the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, who shared administrative responsibility for the school in its early years.
We will begin the observances with a Mass on September 4, at which I will use the chalice and crozier of Bishop Joseph Patrick Lynch, third Bishop of Dallas, whose name the school bears. The week’s festivities will include a “walk down memory lane” and a dinner on September 5 for founding families.
A yearlong observance will follow with homecoming and reunion gatherings, athletic events, theater presentations, concerts culminating with a closing celebration in June 2014.
I salute and congratulate the Dominican friars and sisters who launched Bishop Lynch and also Deacon Ed Leyden, who succeeded the Dominicans as principal in 1982 and now serves as president. I am grateful to Deacon Leyden along with the lay faculty and administrative staff of today who continue to provide the outstanding leadership established by BL’s founding educators.
It is an honor to join alumni, parents, students and faculty in marking this significant milestone in Catholic education in the Diocese of Dallas.