A matter of principal

Danette Goulet

COSTA MESA -- She had to change her name. Her career and home were

chosen for her. But it was Sister Mary Vianney’s decision to stay at St.

John the Baptist School in Costa Mesa for 38 years, dedicating her life

not only to God but also to the school and its pupils.

With the rapid turnover of principals here in Newport-Mesa schools,

Sister Vianney, the school’s principal for the past 26 years, is a

shining example of the longevity parents long for.

“I think Sister Vianney is the heartbeat of St. John the Baptist,”

said Melody Esquer, a past St. John student and mother of a current

pupil. “I am just in fear of the day she would leave. She is St. John the

Baptist.”

As a young woman in Ireland, Vianney joined the Mercy Sisters convent,

wanting to study domestic science. But her Mother Superior chose a

different path for her, deciding she should go into education.

Vianney was dispatched from her home in County Meath, Ireland to Costa

Mesa, where she began teaching at the second-grade level.

To still be at the same school 38 years later is not common, even for

her order. Most nuns move on after about 10 years or so, she said. But

Vianney never wanted to leave.

“There is a fantastic spirit at this school among the parents and

faculty that I fail to find anywhere else,” she said. “They work hard for

Catholic education -- it’s not cheap. There’s no place I’d rather be

than here right now.”

Vianney attributes the length of her stay to her own determination and

the gracious hand of God.

Her staying power and love for the school were apparently infectious.

Five years into Vianney’s stint at the church, Mary McMenamin joined

the school as a first-grade teacher.

Thirty-three years later, McMenamin is still with the school and has

been the assistant principal for the past 15 years.

“It’s a family to me,” McMenamin said. “I have known Sister Vianney

all these years. She was my mentor when I was a teacher.”

Vianney admits it was difficult leaving her parents and eight siblings

in Ireland. But the family McMenamin speaks of has made it all

worthwhile.

“What I love is so many of our past pupils are here with their

children,” Vianney said. “Parents that I taught in the second grade are

here with their children. They liked what they got way back then and want

that for their children -- and that speaks for itself.”

Esquer is one such pupil. She first met Vianney when she was 7. She

was in the second grade and Vianney was in her second year of teaching.

Many years later when she was married, but before beginning her

family, Esquer and her husband bought a house near St. John the Baptist

so their children could attend the school.

“She is so organized and kind,” Esquer said. “You know the saying

‘eyes in the back of your head?’ She probably has two sets. She knows

everything that is going on and she is so fair. That’s what parents love

about her. Not just the spiritual, but the human aspect, the kindness and

the fairness.”