New associate superintendent, school leaders help infuse faith in Catholic classrooms

Associate Superintendent Frank Perez stands in a hall at Nolan Catholic High School. (NTC/Juan Guajardo)

There is a battleground for the souls of the country’s youth, and Catholic schools are instrumental in providing aid, said new Associate Superintendent of Catholic Schools Frank Perez.

“We need these kids’ souls. We need to teach them, and we need to form them in the right way so their hearts are being formed to Christ,” Perez said.

Superintendent of Catholic Schools Melissa Kasmeier-Millard said, “The mission of Catholic education is to form graduates that are transformed in Christ, ready to answer God’s call in their life. Together, with parents as the primary educators, our faculty and staff work to form students in wisdom and virtue. The Holy Spirit has brought together a wonderful group of educators in the Catholic Schools Office to serve the needs of all 17 schools.”

Along with Perez and Catholic Schools, Mission Director Patrice Hall, the diocese also welcomed four new principals for the 2024-2025 school year. Brenda Conway has been appointed principal of Holy Family Catholic School in Fort Worth; Andrea Gahler to Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Denton; Andrew Folsom to Sacred Heart Catholic School in Muenster; and Kindra Johnston to St. Rita Catholic School in Fort Worth.

Our Lord is present

A public-school educator of more than 15 years, Perez found a newfound peace and joy in Catholic education when he became principal at Immaculate Conception two years ago.

“Being in a Catholic School environment transformed me spiritually. It did everything to lift me out of some pretty difficult situations,” he reflected.

Perez’s mission as the new associate superintendent is to support the rich Catholic intellectual tradition already ingrained in the schools and to cast the net even further to enroll more kids into the diocese’s schools. 

“Everything that we do in Catholic schools is because our Lord is present. He’s present everywhere, but we get to worship, we get to adore, we get to learn about Him, and we get to walk alongside Him within our Catholic schools always,” Perez stressed. “It’s just completely fused, woven into the very being of a Catholic school.”

Holy Spirit at Work

The husband and father of three young children felt the Holy Spirit at work when he applied for the open associate superintendent position.

Earlier this summer, Perez had regrettably found himself transitioning out of Catholic education to best accommodate an emergent situation at home. However, as the circumstances eased, the position opened, and he was asked to apply. Perez conferred with his wife and friends, and they all agreed: “This is the Holy Spirit, 100 percent. … You can’t pass this up.”

“The Holy Spirit was like, ‘Well, I’m going to open this huge door for you, and you need to consider this. It might not be time for you to leave the diocese,’” Perez reflected.

Bonds formed

The educator of 17 years graduated from the University of Dallas with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1997. He entered public education as a bilingual pre-K teacher before teaching fifth grade for a few years, later becoming a middle school teacher and then an assistant principal at a high school in the Denton Independent School District.

In 2022, Perez’s interest in working at Immaculate Conception grew after speaking with Father Jason Allan, then serving as the parish’s parochial vicar.

“We are always looking for good folks,” Fr. Allan told him. A few months later, when the position opened up, Perez applied. 

“Being an educator, principal, administrator, I’d never done that in a Catholic school, so it was brand new to me,” Perez said of his time at ICCS. “I was very fortunate because there’s a lot of people in Denton that I knew from public school and from the parish. They jumped in to help.”

He found support in the faculty, the parish community, and the wider net of Catholic education in the diocese. Along with Dr. Kasmeier-Millard, the Catholic school principals of Sacred Heart in Muenster, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Keller, St. Martin de Porres in Prosper, St. Mary in Gainesville, and many more were a great support to Perez throughout his time at ICCS. 

“I’ve developed a working relationship with everybody, and I think that helped open this door a little bit,” Perez said.

All about students

Having worked with students and families from low socioeconomic homes for most of his career in education, Perez entered the associate superintendent position with clarity on the many financial barriers causing parents to hesitate enrolling children in Catholic schools. 

However, Perez is determined to help all families push past that reluctance. 

“My mission is to get more kids enrolled because there’s a lot of kids that are missing out, and if that’s because of finances, well, we’re working on that,” Perez said. “Money should never be a barrier to receiving a great education, period, but especially a great Catholic education.”

A catechist of almost eight years at his home parish of Immaculate Conception in Denton, Perez has seen many of his former students attend the confirmation classes he teaches.

“This generation that’s upcoming is wonderful in a lot of ways. I’m seeing a lot of faithfulness that I didn’t see in my generation and the generation before mine,” Perez said, emphasizing the importance of helping the youth in Catholic schools build on that faithfulness. 

“Your politics, your career, and your college — all that’s important, but if you don’t have your heart conformed to Christ then all of it is for naught,” he said.