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Neighborhood Report

Sacred Heart Academy celebrates 75 years

Anniversary events begin Sunday with a Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, followed by a reception at the school.

By ERIKA VIDAL
Published August 25, 2006

DOWNTOWN - Josephine Isenbergh remembers the feeling she got the first time she stepped into Sacred Heart Catholic Church. She had recently moved to Tampa from New York, and the church finally gave her a sense of belonging.

"It felt like I was on holy ground," she said.

When she found out the church had a school, she immediately decided to enroll her two children. Six years later, Isenbergh is one of the head coordinators of Sacred Heart Academy's 75th anniversary festivities.

The school was built in 1931 after Bishop Patrick Barry gave the Jesuit fathers of Sacred Heart Parish in Tampa permission to build a parish school and convent on 8 acres at 3515 N Florida Ave. in Tampa Heights. Classes began Sept. 14, 1931.

The yearlong celebration begins Sunday with an 11 a.m. Mass at the church, 509 N Florida Ave., in downtown Tampa.

Afterward, all are invited to a reception at Sacred Heart Academy, which serves 177 students in preschool through eighth grade. Bishop Robert Lynch will bless and rededicate the school to commemorate the original dedication by Bishop Barry.

Anniversary activities will continue throughout the year. A gala, tentatively set for February, will cater to alumni, parents and faculty.

For Nancy Alchediak, a Sacred Heart Academy alumna and member of the recently resurrected alumni board of directors, the anniversary gives her and her former classmates "an opportunity to re-energize" and "get back in touch with each other," she said.

Isenbergh said many alumni have rekindled their relationship to the Sacred Heart community.

"When my children see these men and women, they're looking at their future," she said. "These are the people that came before you, and so it gives a good sense of grounding and belonging."

Erika Vidal can be reached at 813 226-3339 or evidal@sptimes.com.

ROLL CALL

Many of Tampa's Who's Who attended Sacred Heart Academy. Among them:

* Melanie and Richard Gonzmart of the Columbia Restaurant

* Joseph Capitano Sr. of Radiant Oil

* Dr. Anthony Lazzara Jr., founder of a medical clinic in Peru

* Ted Couch, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute philanthropist

* Jim Palermo, former city of Tampa attorney

* Brothers Carmine and Malio Iavarone and Malio's wife, Shirley, local restaurateurs

[Last modified August 23, 2006, 11:42:29]