Victory, at last!
After 14-year struggle, new school opens in Northville
Joe Kohn of The Michigan Catholic
Published December 2, 2006
Cardinal Adam Maida sprinkles the gym, and students, with holy water during the blessing of Our Lady of Victory's new school building in Northville. | Northville — While the season of Advent is still going on, a 14-year Advent-of-sorts ended last weekend for the community of Our Lady of Victory.
After well over a decade of planning, toils and conflicts with city residents and board members, Cardinal Adam Maida finally was able to walk through the halls of and bless a newly-built, 77,000-square-foot facility now known as Our Lady of Victory School.
The new school building has been in use since the beginning of the school year. It replaced — at long last, most school community members would say — a mere 17,000-square-foot facility directly across the street.
The community had eagerly been awaiting a visit from the cardinal to bless the project.
Children listen to Cardinal Maida who, helped by altar server and Our Lady of Victory eighth-grader Jack Droze (to his left), takes a break from blessing different rooms in the new school to chat with them near the cafeteria's fireplace. | "Today is a day for us to rejoice," said Our Lady of Victory pastor Fr. Denis Theroux in front of a packed church Dec. 17, where the cardinal and priests who formerly served at the parish joined the community for the 12:30 p.m. Mass.
Cardinal Maida, to chuckles from the congregation, noted that he knew of the parish's "10 years of litigation" to get the school approved by the city. He lauded the parish and school community for their determination.
During his homily, the cardinal spoke of joy as being a gift from the Holy Spirit, rather than something to be purchased or attained on one's own. He also stressed to the community that the greatest of its gifts was God's presence among them.
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 Our Lady of Victory
The new school building includes…
• A gymnasium with a full-size basketball court
• A state-of-the-art technology lab
• Classrooms and hallways lit largely by natural light
• Ample room for two classes in each grade
• A cafeteria with a fireplace, which also can provide a cozy atmosphere for parish gatherings
| "You are indeed blessed here in Northville with a brand new school and many resources — the greatest of which is the faith itself," he said. "It is a faith that drives you and a faith that sustains you."
After the Mass, the cardinal and concelebrants processed across the street to the new school, spoke briefly with teachers, then held a blessing of the building. Students then excitedly led Cardinal Maida through the school, showing them their favorite rooms.
"It's definitely a relief," Laura Droze said of the new building after the blessing.
Three of Droze's children graduated from Our Lady of Victory, and her son Jack is an eighth-grader at the school.
"It's so fresh and bright-looking," she added. "I think it's a true learning (environment)."
The new facility has allowed the community to increase its student body from 358 students to 414. It has a state-of-the-art technology lab and a cafeteria — neither of which the old building had. And class sizes have decreased because they have more classrooms.
"The Our Lady of Victory community walks in and are just amazed at how spacious it is and how quiet it is," said school principal Stephanie Tozer.
The improvements weren't lost on the students, either.
"There are smaller classes," said fourth-grader John Olis. "We split from 42 kids into 21."
Since the beginning of the school year, seventh-grader Brett Quick noticed something missing in the new school — distracting noises.
"It's quieter," Brett said. "Last year, we all had one hallway, so the kindergartners would all be walking down the hall singing songs, and we'd be in geography trying to learn."
The niceties of the new school came after years of back-and-forth with the city of Northville. Some residents living nearby were afraid that a new, large school building would be too noisy, make traffic intolerable or not look nice enough, thus decreasing property values.
But parishioners who live in Northville were impressed by the new school's low profile.
"One of the most pleasantly surprising features to the neighborhood is that the building is not the large, imposing structure that everyone was afraid of," said Richard Duwel, a long-time parishioner and the general contractor who oversaw the building project. "It fits on the site very well."
From street level, it's difficult to notice that the school is two stories. Its prairie-style construction and sloping roofline also mesh with neighboring houses.
At Mass, the congregation gave a standing ovation to Fr. Porcari, pastor emeritus of the parish, who started the project. Fr. Porcari also concelebrated the 12:30 p.m. Mass.
Fr. Theroux noted that the project "has taken every ounce of energy from everyone who had interest." It also had taken about $11.5 million, raised by parish campaigns over several years.
Most importantly, he added, it took dedication to the school's Christian mission.
"It's not only about education," said Fr. Theroux. "But it's about completing the mission of the community here at Our Lady of Victory of making Christ present to one another, so we continuously bring each other before God."
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