The Piarist Fathers, a missionary order founded by St. Joseph Calasanz in Rome, have a history of educating young people that dates to their formation in Rome in 1597. 

Their province of the United States and Puerto Rico sponsors missions in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Guatemala and Cuba, but this article will concentrate on their fifth and most recent mission -- the Piarist School in the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, which is one of only two Catholic high schools in the diocese.

In 1985, Father Thomas Carroll, SchP, convinced his fellow Piarists to open the school in Hagerhill, Kentucky in eastern Appalachia. The region, which used to depend highly upon the coal mining industry, is one of the nation’s poorest. Although the percentage of young people graduating from high schools in the area is almost 80 percent, only about 15 percent go to college. 

Substance abuse, health issues and a lack of decent housing and food are all-too-frequent problems. Belief in Jesus as “God and Savior” is high, but the total Catholic population in the region is only about 1 percent.

Three Piarists were transferred to the school to continue Father Carroll’s mission. They are Father John Callan, SchP; Father Sunil Damiyanose, SchP; and Father David Powers, Sch.P. 

The school has never charged tuition. When students cannot provide their own lunches, the school makes sure that they do not go hungry. It provides free transportation to and from school for the students, who live in six counties. 

The school is renovating its technology, art, music and athletic facilities. Since its first graduation, every senior has been accepted into a college – a success rate that is unmatched in the region.

In addition to the school, the Piarists also sponsor an outreach program providing food, clothing, household supplies, emergency home repairs and Christmas gifts. The area where the school is located and the surrounding counties have a wealth of natural resources. However, many of the inhabitants are poor.  

In addition, decreased levels of education and a lack of infrastructure such as highways, developed cities, businesses and medical services has perpetuated the region's impoverished standing. The Piarist outreach program has impact!

The Piarist School’s efforts extend to the order’s beginnings with St. Joseph Calasanz, who opened the first free school in all of Europe at St. Dorothy’s Church in Rome, Italy. The concept of a school for the poor grew exponentially, and eventually his co-workers began the order.

As religious priests or brothers, they profess the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. They also take a special fourth vow, “to educate the young, particularly the poor.” Today, about 1,300 Piarists worldwide minister to about131,000 students in 198 schools in 42 nations. 

For administrative purposes, the worldwide order is divided into 16 geographical regions called provinces. Each province is asked to sponsor at least one mission.  

Besides the Kentucky school, the other missions of the Piarists’ Province of the United States and Puerto Rico are: The Piarist Fathers Summer Latin Mission in the Diocese of Tabasco, Mexico; St. Joachim Academy in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico and Colegio Calasanz in San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. James the Apostle Church, its 31 chapels and its three schools in Cabrican and Huitan, Guatemala; and St. Jude and St. Nicholas Church in Havana, Cuba, the Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Mary in Guanabacoa, Cuba and their two respective cultural centers.

For additional information about the Piarists’ ministry, visit their web pages: https://piaristchallenge.com and https://piarist.info.