Our History & Mission

Blessed Sacrament Parish was established in 1922 and has been continually staffed by Dominican priests and brothers since that time. The Sinsinawa Dominican sisters staffed the school when it opened in the fall of 1924 with 123 students and 8 in the first graduating class (Class of '25). In 1961, a new school was built to accommodate the growing student body. Dominican values provided our foundation in 1924, and remain at the core of our school today. Our multi-age programming model was introduced in 1975. Dominican values and multi-age programming differentiate BSS from other Catholic schools.  

As Blessed Sacrament School approaches its 100th anniversary, we continue to welcome students and their families to learn and grow in the values of prayer, study, community and ministry.

Dominican Tradition: The Four Pillars

Our Catholic Dominican tradition provides a school atmosphere where prayer, study, community and ministry are actively practiced.  From these Pillars, our future unfolds.

Prayer:

Prayer, both formal and informal, fills our days. We work to help our students develop an understanding of their role and a deeper relationship with our Father, so that they might more fully communicate the Truth, Beauty, and Goodness that He wishes to convey through them. We celebrate the Eucharist once a week as well as spend quiet time with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration. We also have an all-school Stations of the Cross service once a month. In the words of one of our middle schoolers, "we pray for everyone, and we pray for who they are praying for, too."

Study:

Study is the hallmark of the Dominican way of life and ensures that our minds are always active and searching for the truth. With the addition of the faith formation program called Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS), we focus on the Gospel and on the liturgical life of the Church with hands-on learning opportunities. CGS is a complement to our regular religion studies in the school. 

Using multi-aged classrooms, our students work at a level and pace enabling them to reach their full academic potential. Resources and technology complement our tailored teaching methods. We teach our students a variety of learning strategies and study skills. Our curriculum is robust and includes math, literacy, science, social studies, technology, foreign language, fine arts, physical education, life skills and faith formation. 

Community:

The Pillar of Community is an obvious one at Blessed Sacrament. We have "held high the banner" of community for many decades. Being a generous and kindly neighbor is an important part of Community.  Our students learn that "we" are the body of Christ. We are in community in our school, in our parish, and in our city.  In school, we have a special "buddy" program where children from 3K-Gr. 8 are assigned to multi-aged groups for gatherings to share faith and have fun.  They also sit together at school Masses.  The younger children adore their big buddies and the big buddies, in turn, feel protective of the little ones. 

Some examples of our community efforts include:

• Writing letters to homebound members of the parish;
• Raising money to fight hunger with our annual Hunger March;
• Participating in quarterly projects of social justice and compassion (ex. collecting gift cards for basic supplies for women experiencing domestic violence, creating activity packets for children experiencing cancer and associated hospital stays, collecting toys and personal necessities at Christmas time, and a diaper drive).

Ministry:  

Ministry is not limited to what we do for those outside of our community, but also what we do for each other right in our own church and school.  Sharing truth, love and compassion with those around us is also an important part of the Dominican tradition. Again, using the words of one of our middle schoolers, "our words define us and we strive to let God be seen in our words and actions." In school, service is an important way for students to deepen this understanding of ministry. Older students help distribute milk to classrooms, assist in the lunchroom, and take responsibility to raise and lower the Flag each day.