SANFORD — The pink bricks engraved with black letters spell out the names of families associated with St. Thomas School. Most bear the names of those who began their education here, while some are in memory of those who have passed away, and others recognize former teachers and supporters.

Claire Auger, who chairs the Catholic elementary school’s development council, was sorting the bricks Thursday, arranging how they were to be placed in the walkway that leads up to the school’s main entry. The bricks were to be installed in advance of Sunday services that will mark the 40th    anniversary of the founding of the school and the 118th anniversary of Catholic education in Sanford and Springvale. The anniversary will be marked at the 11 a.m. Mass at Holy Family Church, followed by a luncheon at the St. Thomas School cafeteria and dedication of the memorial bricks.

Today, St. Thomas School educates 148 children from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. Most are from Sanford and Springvale, but some hail from surrounding communities, said Principal Donna Jacques, who was a teacher here for 31 years before assuming the principalship three years ago. There is an active parent-teacher organization and an active development council.

On Thursday morning, volunteers strung little bells on ribbons for a mid-day project. Just before noon, all of the students filed outside. Jacques, the principal, read a proclamation from Bishop Joseph Malone, marking that day as the first day of a Year of Faith. At precisely two minutes to noon, they were instructed to ring the bells ”“ which they did with enthusiasm. As they concluded, the noontime church bells at Holy Family Church, just across North Avenue, began to peal.

Inside, on a tour, a peek into the classrooms saw youngsters in school uniforms busily completing their work. In the hallway, little jackets and backpacks were hung neatly on child-height pegs.

St. Thomas School has its roots steeped in the history of what were once three parishes here ”“ Notre Dame in Springvale, and Holy Family and St. Ignatius in Sanford. All, at one time, had elementary schools, but in the early 1970s, a change took place.

Bruce Carlson prepared a history of the parishes and of those families, largely Franco-Americans from the Canadian Maritime provinces and Quebec, who came to the area for work in the textile mills.

“These immigrants possessed strong traits of hard work, dedication to family, belief in education and enduring faith, which they carried forth to the new land,” he wrote. “They recognized the need for schools in strengthening their families and faith and began to work in all areas to build schools and develop formal educational programs.”

St. Ignatius opened a school in 1895, Notre Dame opened a school in 1916; and Holy Family in 1923.

In 1971, Richard Bergeron, then 36 years old, had just returned to Sanford with his wife, Marie, and their children to take up a partnership in the family shoe business with an older brother. They lived in Springvale and the priest at Notre Dame asked Bergeron to serve on the parochial school board. In an interview earlier this week, Bergeron said it became apparent to him the school could not survive and the St. Ignatius and Holy Family elementary schools were in similar situations. The town’s only Catholic high school, also called St. Ignatius, had closed in 1969.

The three elementary schools that were replaced by St. Thomas School were not in jeopardy because of enrollment, which was robust ”“ it was due to the dwindling number of teaching nuns.

“Vocations dropped off,” said Bergeron, a graduate of the old St. Ignatius High School. He said three nuns in Springvale had announced they were leaving, which would have meant hiring teachers who were not part of a religious community.

“We knew we couldn’t afford to hire,” said Bergeron, and the two other Catholic elementary schools were in similar straits.

The bishop of the diocese at the time, Peter Gerety, suggested consolidation. Six laypeople ”“ Bergeron, Glendon Clarke, Donald Jacques, Roland Dubois, Patrick Demers and the late Jean Tranchemontagne ”“ along with the priests of each of the three churches, formed a committee to pursue the plan. They began in the spring of 1972, and the first classes were held that September. It was the first Catholic school consolidation in the diocese. Finances were an issue ”“ the Holy Family School building that became St. Thomas School required an upgrade, and all six of the laypeople on the committee signed personal promissory notes to secure a loan.

Bergeron said some parishioners across the Catholic community in Sanford and Springvale were enthusiastic about the consolidation; others were not.

“It was a difficult consolidation,” said Bergeron, who has been a staunch supporter over the years, helping raise money for scholarships for families who needed help with tuition, and for the endowment fund. “But we did it.”

Clarke, interviewed Friday, agreed.

“It was rough at the beginning,” he recalled. “But it was worth the effort.”

These days, Sanford and Springvale are joined together in one parish, St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

Auger, sorting the memorial bricks Thursday, reflected on her continued involvement with St. Thomas School. She attended classes when the building was Holy Family School, her own children attended classes here and so do her grandchildren.

“Everyone has their thing; this is my thing,” said Auger. “Education and faith.”

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, Ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.