Education
Academy of Our Lady of Peace
That they all may be one
A
s the world reacts to the unprecedented
COVID-19 virus, OLP was blessed with a
community gathering before being forced to
say goodbye to their physical campus for a
period of time. Not knowing what was to lie
ahead, this special interfaith gathering brought together
Bishop John Dolan, Rabbi Jeremy Gimbel, Butterfly Project
Founder, Cheryl Rattner Price and Holocaust survivor, Susie
Katz. This celebration of unifying love became an event that
would hallmark the mission of the founding Sisters of St.
Joseph of Carondelet (CSJ) from the gospel scriptures “that
they all may be one.”
This event served as a dedication ceremony for both The
Butterfly Project installation and a Vatican-approved, exact
casting of Michelangelo’s Pietà. This world-renowned
22 GBSAN.COM | APRIL 2020
Susie Katz, a Holocaust survivor who
shared a personal story at the dedication
masterpiece depicts the Virgin Mary holding the body of Christ
after he has been removed from the cross. In the late 1930s, in
fear of the Nazis destroying priceless works of art, the Vatican
commissioned molds of sacred statues and OLP is blessed to
now have one on their campus.
At OLP, it serves as a testament to the enduring acts of
courage and bravery of Catholic upstanders during the
Holocaust, and in particular the school’s founders, the Sisters
of St. Joseph of Carondelet, during World War II. In the face
of injustice, the Sisters of St. Joseph took an active role in
courageously standing up to protect others, hiding children and
adults in their convents, moving them to freedom, often at their
own peril.
Through the generosity of OLP benefactors, including the
Mogollon Coppel Family and the Boulanger Family, OLP has