Starting July 1, Flossmoor’s Catholic grade school, Infant Jesus of Prague School, will welcome Joseph Francis as its new principal. He pledges to be a leader who will be accessible to the school’s 150 students, its staff and the community.
Francis, a native of Massachusetts, has been a teacher at a Catholic school there. He visited a friend in Chicago and decided he’d make a move. He was delighted to find IJP’s open position during his job search. After meeting with the search committee, he said he “fell in love (with the school) right away.”
He started his career teaching social studies to fourth and fifth graders and then moved to second graders “for the whole experience.” He said growing up it was teachers at his Catholic elementary school who inspired him to consider the teaching profession.
“I actually think it’s my own experience, particularly in elementary school, a very small school very similar to IJP, and I think the impact my teachers made on me I want to pass along to the next generation. As cliché as it sounds, I never wanted to do anything else.”
Francis said his current school has afforded him opportunities at leadership positions, and he earned a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy at Boston College. He is also part of the Catholic Leadership Cohort, a specially designed program through Boston College that helps develop leaders for roles in Catholic education.
He’s expecting adjustments when he steps in as IJP’s principal, because “any time a new leader takes over, regardless of their level of leadership experience, there’s always a challenge, always things to learn.”
IJP enrolls students of all faiths, and its staff has people from various faith backgrounds. All students study Catholic doctrine, but non-Catholics don’t take the final step of receiving the sacraments. St. Veronica Parish member John McNichols, director of life-long formation, gives lessons in the Catholic Cool program that helps students and staff learn about the Catholic faith. His program, organized in 2023, includes explanations of Catholic symbolism, what one finds in a Catholic church and instructions on the Mass.
Francis believes “the number one thing (about Catholic education) is the community that Catholic schools build … That environment that a Catholic school brings, that faith-based community is unmatched compared to any other type of school.”
“It’s not even necessarily the Catholic teaching but the value of loving all that translates across faiths,” he said. “It’s not necessarily a Catholic teaching, but the values I see at IJP transfer regardless of their Catholic affiliation.”
Francis came to IJP during the week of April 21 to introduce himself. He had a special meeting with seventh graders who, as eighth graders, will take on leadership roles when school opens Aug. 20. He pledged to listen to their suggestions, telling them his door will be open.
The new principal said his “priority is I don’t want to feel like a distant figure. I want to be a familiar face in the classroom for teachers and students.”