By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic
St. Philip & St. Augustine Catholic Academy broke ground Aug. 27 on a new kitchen and cafeteria, a project supported by gifts and grants as the Dallas school prepares for continued growth.
The project is being funded largely by a $1 million gift from The Crystal Charity Ball and a $1.45 million grant from an anonymous donor through The Catholic Foundation.
The $4 million project began as a vision for the school in 2020 and is expected to be completed in spring 2027. School leaders said the project is approximately 89% funded and that efforts are underway to raise the remaining funds needed to complete the new kitchen and dining space.
The academy, which serves prekindergarten through eighth grade, has grown from 324 students to more than 400 this year, due in large part to the introduction of Texas Education Freedom Account funds.
“As our enrollment has increased, so has the need for facilities that can adequately serve our students and our community,” Principal Dianne Brungardt said during the Aug. 27 groundbreaking.
Brungardt said the new kitchen and cafeteria will provide greater opportunities for both school and parish community events.
“We are not simply breaking ground on a new cafeteria and kitchen; we are breaking ground on a space that will become an important part of our daily life at this school,” Brungardt said. The space, she added, will be a place “where students will gather, share meals, build friendships, celebrate special occasions, and create memories that will last long after they leave these halls.”
A vision for the future
Deanna Walker, president of the SPSA board, said some board members have been involved with the academy since its founding 10 years ago. They held brainstorming sessions, visited other schools, and developed a strategy to grow the SPSA community.
Walker said the goal for this project was to create a place where members of the community could gather, share meals, worship, and support one another in their faith.
“We accomplished it 10 years later,” she said. “I’m very proud to say that we are building a kitchen; we’re feeding our students … more importantly, we are furthering this amazing community.”
Bishop Edward J. Burns, who attended the groundbreaking and offered a prayer for the school community, acknowledged the Texas Education Freedom Account program and its role in providing families with financial assistance for Catholic education.
The bishop said the program has given more families the opportunity to attend Catholic schools while providing financial relief and allowing parents to choose a Catholic education for their children.
Bishop Burns also noted that St. Philip & St. Augustine Catholic Academy was the Diocese of Dallas school with the highest recipient of TEFA awards for students, with more than 280 children receiving financial assistance through the program.
“It is absolutely impressive to see all the new students,” Bishop Burns said. “Welcome aboard. We’re glad to have you in Catholic education.”
Walker thanked the donors, leaders, committees, and others who contributed to the project, which once open will be a boon for the school’s students.
“We are really excited for you,” Walker said.
Brungardt echoed those sentiments of gratitude for the people involved in bringing the project to fruition, including diocesan and board leadership, committees, contractors, architects, engineers, workers, volunteers, teachers, and staff.
“As we put our shovels in the ground, we are literally laying the foundation for something that will serve generations of saints to come,” Brungardt said. “We cannot wait to see what God has in store for our next chapter.”
Cutline for featured image: Students and faculty at St. Philip & St. Augustine Catholic Academy hold signs with messages of gratitude and wave pom-poms during an Aug. 27 groundbreaking ceremony for the school’s new kitchen and cafeteria. (MICHAEL GRESHAM/The Texas Catholic)
