Feature Story - Catholic School Enters New Era with New Name

A new era for Lake Michigan Catholic (LMC) schools began with the announcement that LMC is becoming Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School. The announcement was made official on March 2, 2022. The new name reflects the school’s renewed focus on education, faith and citizenship, a charge led by canonical pastor Father John D. Fleckenstein.

“Our school started with the goal of giving children a good education and good moral training,” says Father Fleckenstein. “We want them to be good citizens and build their lives on a foundation of the Catholic faith. While we call this a ‘new era,’ it is in many ways a return to our roots.”

During a school-wide assembly, Bishop Paul J. Bradley addressed the students, detailing the rich history of the Catholic roots in the area.

“While you remain Lakers forever,” he said, “to be now continuing your education under the Patronage of our Blessed Mother is an additional blessing to the education that you have been receiving, and will continue to receive, here at Our Lady of the Lake.

“Our Catholic Faith came first to life here in what would become Michigan way back in the 1600s, and the first Catholic School finds its beginnings way back in the late 1800s.”

Additionally, those roots include fostering a stronger Catholic culture, with faith infused in every classroom and more time dedicated to communal prayer. A yearly service requirement will give students the opportunity to turn their faith into action, emphasizing the importance of servant leadership in the community.

“We aren’t just teaching our students the principles of Catholicism,” says Father Fleckenstein. “We are instilling in them a desire to reflect Jesus to those around them. We want our students to be the ones who change the world for the better.”
During the assembly Bishop Bradley affirmed the value of a Catholic education to the student body saying, “Living our lives in this world from a perspective of our Catholic faith enables us, first of all, to see ourselves as valued and worthwhile in God’s sight and by those here in this School who dedicate their lives to educating and helping to form you as Catholics. But then, being educated from a perspective of Faith also enables you — and encourages you — to see one another — and all people — as valued and worthy of respect and the dignity that every human being should have, because we are all made in the ‘image and likeness of God.’”

While LMC’s commitment to academic excellence is well established, Father Fleckenstein plans to lead an in-depth examination of the curriculum, as compared to the top Catholic schools in the United States. He also plans to seek National Blue Ribbon status from the U.S. Department of Education and explore more prestigious accreditations that will elevate the student experience. These efforts and many more are supported by a $250,000 gift from a private donor.

“This is an important moment in the rich history of Catholic education in St. Joseph — the very place where hundreds of years ago French missionaries arrived to spread the Catholic faith,” says Bishop Paul J. Bradley. “I am confident this new direction will propel the school into the future as it continues to Fleckensteinexemplify the three pillars of the mission incorporated into the new logo: education, faith and citizenship — with our faith rightly at the center of all we do.”

Berrien County’s first Catholic school was built in 1869. By 1945, the area had two Catholic schools: The Ponies of St. Joseph’s and The Irish of St. John’s. The two schools merged in 1969 and were renamed Lake Michigan Catholic Schools and received a new mascot: the Lakers. LMC will maintain its identity as the Lakers, along with its existing school colors, when it becomes Our Lady of the Lake.

“‘Our Lady’ is a tribute to the Blessed Mother, while ‘of the Lake’ is a nod to Lake Michigan and a promise that we are ‘Lakers Forever,’” explains Father Fleckenstein. ‘Catholic School’ is an acknowledgment that we are grounded in our Catholic faith, and that we are one united school with two campuses.”
The new name will be fully in effect for the 2022-23 school year.

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