Father Gilg Named Catholic Schools Superintendent

(Story courtesy of The Catholic Voice)

On April 7, Archbishop Elden Francis Curtiss appointed Father James E. Gilg as the new superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of Omaha.

Father Gilg was born in the Atkinson area, and grew up on a family farm south and east of town.

Father Gilg, president of V. J. and Angela Skutt Catholic High School in Omaha, brings nearly 40 years of experience in education to his new position, having served as superintendent, principal and president of several archdiocesan high schools. "I'm honored to be offered the position," Father Gilg told The Catholic Voice, "I see it as an opportunity to continue my services to the archdiocese in the area of Catholic education."

Pastor of St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Omaha, Father Gilg will begin his position July 3, replacing Sister Michelle Faltus, SFCC, who has served as superintendent of Catholic schools since 2000.

He will continue his duties as pastor at St. Mary Magdalene Parish, Born in 1941, Father Gilg was raised on a small ranch near Atkinson and graduated from St. Joseph's High School in Atkinson in 1958.

He received a bachelor's degree from Conception Seminary College in Conception, MO, in 1962.

In 1966, he earned a master's degree in educational administration from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and a master's of science degree in education from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1983.

Extensive experience

Since his ordination in 1966, Father Gilg has spent almost his entire priesthood serving the young people of the archdiocese in both the rural and urban areas.

From ,1968-70, Father Gilt, was. the superintendent of Cathedral High School in Omaha.

He was Humanities Co-chairman at Pope John XXIII High School in Elgin from 1970-72.

Father Gilg then went on to serve as principal of Dominican High School in Omaha from 1972-1983.

In 1983, he was named director and principal of FatherFlamagan High School in Omaha and later served as adjunct professor in the Department of Education at Creighton University from 1987-96. During that time, he became president of V. J. and Angela Skutt Catholic High School in Omaha, serving in that position for the past 15 years.

Leader in development

In his various positions, Father Gilg has been a leader in program development. As principal of Dominican High School, he directed the formation of education and social service programs that met the learning styles and social circumstances of high-risk youth.

As founding director and principal of Father Flanagan High School, he continued to improve programs. And as founding president of Skutt Catholic, Father Gilg directed all aspects of program development, establishing credibility for the college preparatory high school program and increasing enrollment from 120 in 1993-1994 to more than 700 in 2005-2006.

At each school, Father Gilg directed plans to begin and continue institutional advancement programs in order to strengthen financial stability. In 1976, he co-founded the Christian Urban Education Services (CUES) to provide financial resources for Dominican High School and Sacred Heart Grade School. In 1979, he established the Dominican Relocation Committee to search for resources to continue Dominican High School after the North Freeway destroyed buildings, which led to the decision of Father Flanagan's Boys Home to sponsor the school and begin construction of Father Flanagan High School.

In 1991, Father Gilg served on the Special Gifts Committee of the Archbishop's Campaign for Educational Excellence, which raised $25 million for Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Omaha. And after several years of directing the start-up years of Skutt Catholic, he organized the "To Secure the Legacy Capital Campaign," which raised more than. $3 million for major facility improvements.

Father Gilg is now focusing on the procurement of endowment funds for Skutt Catholic, going from zero to close to $1 million, and directing the process which will result in the 2006 Strategic Plan for Skutt Catholic.

Power of Catholic schools

Father Gilg said he sees Catholic education as being among the best evangelization efforts that the church has founded in this country.

"It's a very strong tradition in the United States and it has allowed many of the immigrant Catholic populations to move up in society and it continues to teach the faith in a way that is not possible with any other program that I know of and it's just very effective," he said.

"It also helps the church to continue to be strong and vibrant in the future because it prepares people to be very active in church structures and church leadership."

Catholic education also is a great outreach to people who are struggling and in poverty around the United States, Father Gilg said.

"It's an extremely powerful way to show how the church cares for people who are struggling and are poor and provides them with a kind of education that gets them in the same upward mobility that the urban populations had in the Catholic schools back in the last century," he said.

Patrick Slattery, principal at V. J. and Angela Skutt Catholic High School, will become the president/principal of Skutt Catholic, when Father Gilg assumes his new position as archdiocesan superintendent of schools.