Becoming A Crusader
Becoming A Crusader
We want every person who passes through our doors to know that they are loved by Christ, and that challenges us to educate and love in even more unique ways.
Father Greg Nelson
St. Mary’s School
We have been loving, living, learning, and serving as Christ taught us for over 150 years. Here’s why we are the oldest Catholic school in Bloomington/Normal.
Admissions
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We’d love for you to check out St. Mary’s School to see how our students learn on a daily basis!
If you would like to schedule a tour, or have questions about St. Mary’s, you may:
call the school directly at 309-828-5954
schedule an appointment online: School Tour Scheduler
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The past few years have been challenging to our faith. COVID was a unique time in our history that impacted each one of us in different ways. Now that we are four years past the pandemic, it is imperative our Catholic faith return to the forefront of our lives, and we work toward Growing Disciples the way Bishop Lou is asking us all to do.
Per the Diocese of Peoria, through numerous conversations with priests and lay leaders, Bishop Louis Tylka discerned five foundations on which to build the future of the Diocese of Peoria, to become an even more vibrant, mission-driven and sustainable Church. The five foundations are:
- Empower evangelization so as to share the saving name of Jesus.
- Inspire discipleship in each baptized follower of Jesus.
- Strengthen vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
- Deepen our awareness of the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
- Continue the legacy of Archbishop Fulton Sheen.
Attending Mass weekly is the best way to fulfill Bishop Lou’s foundations above. Well known priest, Fr. Mike Schmitz, points out that “the heart of worship is sacrifice, and ultimately it's not about how engaged or entertained we are. Mass isn't about us; it's about God and what he asks of us . Do you want the Mass to come alive for you like never before”?
We hope your answer is yes: It IS time for Mass to come alive for us like never before. We want to see as many of our school families at Mass as possible, which is why the number of tuition tiers has been updated for the 2024-2025 school year. We are excited about the change, as it simplifies the tuition tiers, making the cost of tuition for your family easier to understand, and helps us in growing disciples.
Starting with the 2024-2025 school year, we will be reducing the tuition tiers from six levels down to two. This, hopefully, will reduce the confusion on how much tuition will be for your family. The two tiers will include students in PreK through 8th Grade:
Fidelis Tier: Families who attend St. Mary’s Church on a regular basis
42 out of 52 weekends in a fiscal year (July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025)
Holy days of obligation for the 2024-2025 school year
August 15 Assumption of Mary
November 1 All Saints Day
December 25 Christmas
January 1 Solemnity of Mary
Schola Tier: Families who attend St. Mary’s School, but are not parishioners of St. Mary’s Church, OR are parishioners, but do not attend Mass at St. Mary’s Church on a regular basis
42 out of 52 weekends in a fiscal year (July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025)
Holy days of obligation for the 2024-2025 school year
August 15 Assumption of Mary
November 1 All Saints Day
December 25 Christmas
January 1 Solemnity of Mary
If you attend Mass regularly at St. Mary’s Church as stated above, we will lock your tuition for the 2025-2026 school year at the 2024-2025 school year rate (based on the same amount of students in your family currently attending St. Mary’s School).
Please know, we understand there are circumstances that could prevent you from attending Mass on a regular basis as stated above. If you feel your family truly cannot commit to attending Mass, in order to receive the Fidelis Tier, a discussion would need to take place with Fr. Greg to discuss your situation prior to the start of the 2024-2025 school year.
We are exceedingly grateful to every single family for choosing St. Mary’s School as their educational home for their children. Without you, we would not be able to continue on this path to love, live, learn, and serve as Christ taught us.
Thank you for entrusting us with your child’s education.
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What an exciting time it is to choose where your children will be educated!
We strive to make St. Mary’s School feel like home - for it to be a safe place that our students want to come to, and experience the joy and excitement of learning.
We are thankful you have made the choice for your children and family to become a part of ours. We cannot wait for them to experience how we love, live, learn, and serve as Christ taught us.
Welcome to our Crusader family!
APPLY ONLINE: There is a $300 non-refundable fee due at the time of the application. This fee will be applied towards your tuition total.
The following forms are required to be completed at the time of the application:
Application (for each student applying)
Student Health Form (for each student applying)