Testimonials
Don’t take our word for it! See why our families and teachers love Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
The Abro Family
Sending our children to OLS has created a strong sense of security, a real feeling of community, and a network of both enduring and evolving friendships. The dedicated staff has shown unwavering commitment to each child's well-being, creating a nurturing and supportive environment that feels like an extension of our family. The school's attention to detail, strong academic offerings, weekly religious services, secure infrastructure with vestibule cameras and locked entry doors, along with established safety protocols for emergencies, collectively reinforce OLS as a safe and conducive educational space.
The open and effective communication between parents and educators is a standout feature, guiding us harmoniously as our children grow spiritually, academically, and socially. OLS provides numerous opportunities for family involvement through various activities such as field trips, sporting events, carnivals, galas, and ceremonies like First Holy Communion. Witnessing the happiness and thriving state of our children, Nolan, Siena, and Tyler Abro, both emotionally and spiritually, serves as a heartening testament to the school's success. As proud parents, we are confident that our investment in their education will be cherished by our children, who will undoubtedly appreciate its profound impact on their futures.
The Abro Family
2024 Day of Giving
The Arnold Family
We’ve had dedicated teachers from kindergarten through the middle school that we are grateful to for helping form our children by instilling the values of faith, discipline, respect and service while educating them.
We have four children, currently a 7th, 6th and 1st grader at OLS. Our oldest graduated from OLS last spring, now attending Detroit Catholic Central. Not only has OLS successfully prepared our son for high school both spiritually and academically, he was taught to defend his Catholic faith. We are thankful that such a challenging and rich mission is carried out with joy and faith at Our Lady of Sorrows!
We have been blessed to be part of the parish and involved with the school, and we have formed great friendships over the years. We share and learn from each other’s experience and insights, more importantly we pray for each other.
At Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School, Jesus is ever-present inspiring and guiding every activity. The school, administration and staff are always in our prayers.
2024 Day of Giving
Mrs. Maureen (Murphy) Chagnon
When I had my own kids and moved to the Farmington area, I knew that I wanted them to have the same safe space and great learning environment that I had growing up. So, when it was time to choose a preschool, there was one clear choice. Watching them grow and learn each year after that has been such a blessing and I feel so lucky that they get to have the same caliber of teachers and friends that I had when I was their age. They are now in first and third grade, and they continue to love OLS. Next year, my youngest son gets to start his OLS journey in preschool and we’re all excited to see him thrive here as well.
Once a Saint, Always a Saint!
Mrs. Maureen (Murphy) Chagnon
2024 Day of Giving
The Doyle Family
OLS also has an amazing community of involved families, and our kids have made some of their best friends at OLS. There are many opportunities to give back by getting involved with school activities and the parish where you can build great relationships with others.
We are blessed to be part of the OLS Family and couldn’t be happier that our children attend such a wonderful school.
The Doyle Family
2024 Day of Giving
The Husaynu Family
Our family has been a part of the parish for the majority of my life, and we love the community that has been built here. We were married at OLS, my wife went through RCIA and was baptized here, and our 3 children were baptized here as well. The school and parish have become part of our family and are integral to who we are.
Our children, Ellery (5th grade) and Rocky (3rd grade), love attending OLS. The teachers and administration at the school have been amazing. They have really helped our children grow and develop their Catholic faith while also giving a great education.
We couldn’t be prouder to say that our children attend Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School. Thank you OLS for all that you do!
The Husaynu Family
2024 Day of Giving
The Pacynski Family
In a world that is increasingly distancing itself from religion and the teachings of Jesus, we are grateful that our children are able to learn and talk about our faith, attend Mass, and pray in school. We love that the school promotes loyalty to God, Church, and country and that the teachers and staff model this behavior for them.
The level of parental involvement is a testament to the devotion of families and the school to carry out the mission of OLS—it really is a partnership. We knew very few people at the parish and school before joining, but we have felt so welcomed into the OLS family. We are grateful for the opportunity to invest not only in our children’s education but also in the parish, campus, and faith community, and we treasure the friendships we all have made already. We look forward to many more years at Our Lady of Sorrows!
The Pacynski Family
2024 Day of Giving
Mrs. Bethany Thompson
Being both a teacher and a parent gives me a unique perspective as to exactly what this educational legacy should look like. I know that I will enroll my children in the strongest academic curriculums, taught by highly-qualified teachers who embrace a higher standard of performance, and are supported by a well-grounded, professional administrative staff. For our oldest, Diego, Detroit Catholic Central and the foundational brotherhood within their campus more than fulfilled these expectations.
This is my 22nd year in education, and I am thankful and blessed to spend this time with the students, faculty, and families at Our Lady of Sorrows. As our motto goes: Once a Saint, Always a Saint!
Mrs. Bethany Thompson
2024 Day of Giving
The Alexander Family
2023 Day of Giving
Mr. Lewis Campbell
2023 Day of Giving
The Denha Family
2023 Day of Giving
The Jarbou Family
2023 Day of Giving
Mrs. Emily Maroun
My family moved to Michigan eleven years ago, and we joined the Our Lady of Sorrows School Community. OLS instantly became more than a wonderful school for our children both academically and spiritually. It became more than an amazing place for me to share my faith through teaching. Our Lady of Sorrows quickly become our family in Michigan. Mrs. Law was an amazing teacher for our daughter Abby, as she was the shy new girl in the class. She made her feel so welcome, and Abby loved coming to school each day. Blake began in preschool and quickly had a group of friends to play with after school. My children were excited to be part of the OLS Community! Abby is now a senior at Mercy, and Blake is a freshman at Catholic Central. The education and faith filled experiences they received through their years at OLS have prepared them so well to be successful in high school. The friendships that they made at OLS have given them a family that will be there to support them for years to come.
I, too, have been so blessed to be part of the OLS community, not only as a parent, but also as a third-grade teacher. I am so thankful for the opportunity to get to share my Catholic faith each day with my students. Working with such an amazing group of educators is such a gift. Seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces and their enthusiasm to learn, participate in weekly school masses, and eagerness to see Jesus in one another makes my job beyond rewarding. My husband Dave and I are so blessed to call Our Lady of Sorrows family. We are thankful for the blessings of friends that we have made that have truly become our family in Michigan. We are beyond appreciative to all the teachers who encouraged and shared their faith with our children.
2023 Day of Giving
The Spallone Family
Moving our daughter to a new school when the pandemic was still much of an issue was an emotional, difficult decision, not only for our child but for us. We were apprehensive to say the least. However, the school staff was always very patient with me when I called with the numerous questions I had and they always had the answers or put me through to the person with the answers. This brought peace of mind that helped me reassure my daughter her new school experience would be great. Our Lady of Sorrows did not disappoint. Our first year at Lady of Sorrows was simply amazing! Our daughter made a smooth adjustment to the new environment, making some great friends right away. Her teacher was amazing and very patient with us as we navigated our first year. Watching her excel in school, grow her faith, make many new friendships and really blossom in self-confidence has been exciting and wonderful. As we volunteered for events and activities, we got to know many families ourselves, and felt good helping to raise funds for school activities and needs. This school truly encompasses their motto “Faith, Knowledge and Community”.
The Zewatsky Family
Our family has found a home at Our Lady of Sorrows. Our children have benefited from an OLS education that provided them a strong education and faith based environment to grow up. Each child found a home in academics, sports, alter serving, scouts and clubs. Through these opportunities, the whole family has made friends that will last a life time.
Our family has found ways to serve God together through Our Lady of Sorrows Parish and school as well. From collecting food for the less fortunate during the Thanksgiving food drive, to hosting game night at shelter week, our family has found laughs, fun and joy through serving others.
All of this has been possible because we said yes to Our Lady of Sorrows. I look forward to seeing all the Our Lady of Sorrows will become in the future with the wonderful community supporting it.
Jason, Margaret, Cole, Ian, and Madelyn
2023 Day of Giving
Mrs. Kara (Rose) Golightly
I’ve been teaching Kindergarten at Our Lady of Sorrows for eight years and cannot even express how great of an impact this school has had on my life. I am so grateful for the friendships I’ve made here and proud of the community I get to be a part of. Growing up, I attended a catholic elementary school and knew at a pretty young age that I wanted to be a teacher. My first teaching job was at a public school and while there were so many amazing things about teaching there, something was missing and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Then, when I joined the staff here at OLS I was overjoyed to find what was missing: the values and sense of community and family that I remember experiencing when I grew up and that you can only find at a Catholic school. I knew that this was where I was meant to be and that it was my turn to help lead our youngest students to grow not only in their love of learning but also in their faith and relationship with Jesus. The generosity that people show on this Day of Giving benefits both our school and community by helping us to further our mission of creating disciples of Jesus. Thank you!
Kara (Rose) Golightly, Kindergarten Teacher 2022 Day of Giving
Check out Miss Rose's own Kindergarten picture!
Mrs. Deidre (Ratliff) Regalbuto
Together we: help each other get to Heaven
My family has a long history at Our Lady of sorrows parish; we have been members since 1955. We have celebrated over 100 sacraments at OLS and our family holidays and celebrations often begin at Mass.My husband and I were married at Sorrows in December 2021. On display at our wedding were the photos of 11 other couples in my family who were also married at Sorrows. We feel so blessed to join these couples by beginning our marriage under the patronage of Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows. During my four years teaching at Our Lady of Sorrows, the words “we help each other get to Heaven” hung at the front of my classroom and wove their way through our lessons and social interactions throughout the year. At the end of the year, my current students wrote advice letters to the students who would be in my class the following year. In those letters, unprompted, they wrote “most important, we help each other get to Heaven.”
The community at Our Lady of Sorrows is a family. We take care of each other. From personal struggles and spiritual needs to celebrations and achievements, the students, families, faculty, and administration care about each member of our family and about helping each other get to Heaven.
2022 Day of Giving
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The Bakkal Family
In 2016, we enrolled our children at Our Lady of Sorrows (OLS). Upon first touring OLS, we immediately felt the sense of community. We were also drawn to OLS because its mission embodied a sense of community in that OLS and parents, together, educate children “spiritually, academically, and socially.” Jesus reminds us that when two or three are gathered together in His Name, He will be in their midst. (Matthew 18:20). While neither my husband nor I had the privilege of attending Catholic schools, we witness Jesus’ presence in our children’s lives daily through the commitment of teachers, priests, and administration at OLS. The handwritten “thank you notes” from our children to their teachers are a small representation of the large impact these dedicated teachers have on our children’s faith journey. Thank you, OLS, for all that you do! Together we were there for: sports games, a chess game, first communion, spelling bees, drama productions, math competition, saints puppets/parade, Veteran’s Day assemblies, cantor and choir at school mass, living wax museum, and more. But most importantly, together we are shaping saints for tomorrow.
The John Family
As parishioners since 2008 and parents of a 5th, kindergarten and preschooler, together we are able to raise our children with God in their hearts and mind. When both boys were in preschool 3’s and early 5’s last year, they came home during lent and were adamant about creating a prayer table. They told us that it would make our prayer time better and make us feel closer to God. And recently, while having a conversation with a 5th grade teacher, I commented on how cool that last month’s science assignment was making 3D models of human and plant cells and this month the students are examining different human and plant cells on slides with a microscope so that they are able to recognize what they see. The teacher’s response was, “what’s cool is that they know that God made all of these cells to make us and make all living things, that we are so complex and God thought of all of this for us.” At Our Lady of Sorrows, God is present in every subject, every cause, every day. We are so proud to be parents, parishioners, and partners with all of the wonderful teachers, administrators, and staff at Our Lady of Sorrows. It takes a village to raise children to grow in their Catholic faith and we are all proud to be Saints!
The Maizi Family
We are the Maizi family and have been part of the Our Lady of Sorrows school community for five years now with our four children, Madison, Charlotte, Noah and Katherine. Unfortunately, we did not have the privilege of attending a Catholic school and wanted to give our children this opportunity, especially since our Catholic faith is very important to our family. We chose a Catholic education at Our Lady of Sorrows for our children, because we wanted to instill Catholic values and morals in every aspect of their lives, above and beyond just attending weekly Sunday mass. This Our Lady of Sorrows setting also offers our children the opportunity to grow spiritually, academically, and socially in a disciplined, respectful, and encouraging environment. The teachers nurture the students toward excellence while implementing critical thinking skills and challenging them to become the best people they can be. As parents, it’s comforting to know that strong moral values are being reinforced on a daily basis by the wonderful teachers at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School. Our children are excited to go to school each day and look forward to interacting with their friends and teachers. We can honestly say that sending our children to Our Lady of Sorrows is in line with the values we are teaching our children within our home. It is important to our family that our children learn about their faith, both in words and actions in order to become good, faith-filled adults. TOGETHER we encourage critical thinking and independence to set a strong foundation for our children.
The Rossi Family
In the many years since we have been welcomed into the OLS community, we have seen many way in which this place is truly part of our family. We have watched each of our three children grow there in faith and in academics. We have seen the strong love and support this family has given us through happy and stressful and tragic times. We have experienced our school prevail through the these scary and unprecedented current times. OLS has taught my children, my husband, and myself what a true Catholic should be. That’s why we give our time, talent, and treasure to advance the mission of our school and church family.
The Rossi Family
The Dehn Family
In the many years we have been parishioners at OLS and the five years we have been an OLS school family, we have seen our Catholic faith grow and strengthen.
We love the strong sense of community that we experience at OLS. The teachers and the staff are supportive, caring individuals that help our children grow and develop in their Catholic faith and identity.
We couldn’t be prouder to send our children to our Lady of Sorrows Catholic school and to belong to the parish where we genuinely feel like part of a bigger family.
The Dehn Family
The Gerzema Family
As parents, Melanie and I are SO PROUD of OLS. What you guys have been able to do when no one said it was possible, is a credit to the amazing people who believe in these kids and the message of God. Thank you and everyone at Sorrows. We feel so joyfully emotional to have our children in the hands of such great people.
The Morgan Family
We want to acknowledge the staff at Our Lady of Sorrows for their sacrifice and dedication in providing our son with a quality education in a Christ-centered environment.
We transferred to OLS in 2019, which is never easy during the elementary years. When you add in a global pandemic, shortened school year, and remote learning, one might worry it could be a rough start. We are thankful to say, amidst all of this, that our son has thrived academically and spiritually, and our family has found a new home at Our Lady of Sorrows.
It is evident that every teacher, staff member, and priest is focused on the whole person in their dedication to academic and religious instruction. With so much uncertainty across our country and the world, it has been amazing to see our educators go above and beyond for our school families. It has provided an immeasurable amount of stability for our son in these uncertain times. I know we made the right decision and look forward to what the future holds for OLS students, staff, and families.
The Kashat Family
"Children have a strong tendency to rise to the expectations you set for them." These words, from an old newspaper clipping, are still on my refrigerator today, even though my “Saints” have grown and flown. As a parent of OLS Alumni, Dr. Karlie Kashat-Satin, DDS, Class of 2006; Dr. Allyssa Kashat, DPT, Class of 2008; and Joshua Kashat, Class of 2015, currently enrolled at Loyola University, the expectations set forth for them at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School is one of the benefits of a Catholic Education that I appreciate the most. At every level of education, K-8, expectations/standards grow and build on each other and in all areas of learning-spiritually, academically, and socially. Academic expectations at OLS set a foundation of learning for my children that continued on with them throughout high school and higher learning opportunities. Spiritual growth at OLS led my children to choose mission trips and giving opportunities as they matured. They had a school family and continue to experience life with some of those friends today. I spent four years employed in the ECC building as a kindergarten aide, and I assisted our youngest Saints as they were introduced to the basic expectations/goals of learning through the play-based curriculum. As a current employee in the main front office, I witness the growth of the student body in all grades. Sacrificing to give a child a Catholic education at OLS, provides them with an opportunity to begin to meet lifelong learning expectations so they can “live to inspire and serve others in the world”.
The Mato Family
My wife Nicole and I give to OLS for many reasons. First and foremost because in the gospels Jesus asks us to share our talents and treasures (“to whom much is given, much shall be required”), but I also give because I know firsthand what a major impact OLS has had on my life both spiritually and academically. It was a blessing to be born and raised as a parishioner of OLS. I have received all of my sacraments here. My parents made huge sacrifices to send me and my 9 siblings to OLS. I cannot thank them enough for this gift, but more importantly for the gift of my Catholic faith. Our parents continue to be wonderful role models of our faith and we aspire to be more like them in this respect. The Catholic education that my siblings and I received at OLS was tremendously impactful on all of us. Nicole and I knew we wanted to provide the same for our two children. We give because we believe in the vision for our parish and school. The catholic identity of OLS continues to grow and thrive. My wish is that OLS will continue to grow and graduate generations of future Saints. When I volunteer at the school, I see our future, I see the future Catholics of this community, and I am hopeful about that future. Please prayerfully consider donating today, so that OLS can continue: “to educate students who will develop spiritually, academically and socially into disciples of Jesus” for generations to come! I know what an impact OLS has on my life each and everyday. I pray that students will be able to experience OLS in this way for years to come. May God continue to bless us all. Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!
Gerry and Nicole Mato
2019 Day of Giving
Mrs. Meghan (Meyers) Chambers
Each morning as I parked my car in the teachers’ lot here at Our Lady of Sorrows, memories rushed back to me on my days spent here as a student. The memories I hold of the teachers who once taught me inspire me every day to bring my best to each student in my class.
At OLS, academics and religious formation are held equally to high standards. I learned about scripture, the sacraments, and how to build an intimate relationship with Jesus. I received a phenomenal education that set me up for high academic success. After completing my degree in elementary education at Franciscan University, I was honored to be hired and assigned to teach second grade, a very special sacramental year. I was also assigned to room 110, the same room in which I had an incredibly wonderful teacher who inspired my desire to become a teacher like her. I knew from this very young age that teaching was my calling and I feel very fortunate to begin my career where I already feel at home.
While I don’t know if my class holds another future teacher, doctor, lawyer, engineer, or business manager, I know it holds the precious children of God who are growing to know Him and His plan for their lives.
We wish now Mrs. Chambers many blessings as she continues to “bring the best” to her students and her husband in North Carolina!
Mrs.Meghan (Meyers) Chambers
Miss Meyers as a third grade student in room 110!
Mrs. Chambers on her wedding day.
Ms. Alana Bahoura
As an Our Lady of Sorrows Alumna, I have repeatedly referred back to the foundation I received here to describe the person I am today. OLS did not only prepare me to further my education in high school, but it put forth a foundation of faith, success, and character in becoming an adult. I am grateful to my parents for making the decision to enroll my sisters and I at this school so many years ago. I am also grateful to the many teachers, principals, Priests, and Pastors that have come and gone, adding layers of foundation to build a stronger community of faith here at Our Lady of Sorrows School. My faith in Jesus is stronger because of this school, and when the job opportunity arose for me to return as a teacher here, I did not hesitate. I am honored to have worked in a place that has helped me to grow as a child of God, and now God has given me the opportunity to help others do the same.
We now wish Miss Bahoura many blessings as she continues to help high school students grow as children of God!
