About Regis St. Mary

With the merging of Regis High School and St. Mary Catholic School, Regis St. Mary Catholic School officially began operating as one PreK-12 school system on July 1, 2017. Regis St. Mary Catholic School is a nonprofit, private corporation established by the Archdiocese of Portland. The Archbishop is the sole “member” of the corporation. The board serves as an agent of the Archbishop to provide, within the prescribed limitations, governance for the school. One board of directors serves as primary governance for the united school.

Campus History

St. Mary Catholic School has been serving the students of Stayton since its founding by the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon in 1929. The school was originally staffed by two sisters and had an enrollment of 45 students. The current school building across from Immaculate Conception was constructed in 1955, with an addition completed in 1959. In 2002, the middle school building with a science lab was added to accommodate growing enrollment.

In the early 1960s, community members came together to fulfill a long-held vision, one that would bring a high-quality and well-balanced Catholic education to high school students in the Santiam Canyon and Mid-Willamette Valley. The names of these founders are engraved on a plaque in the Regis courtyard, honoring their proud and bold legacy. Regis High School opened its doors in the fall of 1963 and celebrated its blessing and dedication led by Principal Rev. Francis Campbell and Archbishop Edward D. Howard.

Catholic Education

Catholic education is an expression of the mission Jesus entrusted to the Church he founded. Through education, the Church seeks to prepare its members to proclaim the good news and translate this proclamation into action. The Catholic school has as its aim the total formation of the individual. Its task is fundamentally a synthesis of culture and faith, and a synthesis of faith and life; the first is reached by integrating all the different aspects of human knowledge through the subjects taught, in the light of the Gospel; the second is the growth of the virtues characteristic of the Christian. (The Catholic School, Congregation for Catholic Education, 1977).