Our Episcopal Identity

Welcome To St. Mary's

St. Mary’s is proud to be an Episcopal parish day school. But what does that actually mean?

  • We receive approval for operations by the Bishop and Diocesan Council of the Diocese of Southwest Florida of the Episcopal Church in the United States.
  • St. Mary’s Church provides the mission directives for the School, with the Rector serving as the “President,” and the Church Vestry authorizing the School to operate with a Board of Trustees empowered to guide the strategic direction of the school. 

As part of our religious education, we conduct regular chapel services and provide students with courses in scripture, ethics, the Judeo-Christian tradition, world religions, and other religious subjects, but there is much more to our Episcopal identity.

Our work, along with the work of the 1200+ other Episcopal schools throughout the U.S., is really rooted in the baptismal covenant (Book of Common Prayer) that states we are to “strive for justice and peace among all people and (to) respect the dignity of every human being.” Yes, we celebrate God‘s love and grace regularly, but we also embrace our existence as a community that is not solely established for Christians. We invite each individual, regardless of origin, religion, or background, to ask questions and seek answers regarding their own journey of faith, beliefs, and identity. This journey can be characterized by the growth of each student's academic, spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental health -- incremental progress that begins on the first day of Pre-Kindergarten and will undoubtedly experience various ups and downs, what some would describe as turbulence, throughout their adolescence. We believe the main focus of Episcopal schools should be creating and maintaining a safe community where this type of growth can regularly occur for all students. Students need to feel that they matter, they are known, and that we have their backs. Success should be celebrated, but failure isn’t final or even something to avoid. Borrowing from the renowned psychologist Carol Dweck’s theory on developing a growth mindset:

It’s not, “I don’t get it.” It should be, “I don’t get it…..yet.”