Mr. Oppe's Biography

Hello Everyone!  Wow, as hard as it may be to believe, it’s already my second year here at St. Monica’s.  I want to offer my gratitude to everyone who helped me settle in this past year.  St. Monica School has indeed proved itself to be the welcoming community I had hoped it would be.  Thank you.  I expect that 2007-2008 will be another great school year for all students, parents and faculty alike.  God bless!  

Oh, and for those who may be interested (or suffering from insomnia), a little about myself:                                                                                              

I am not a native Texan.  Sorry.  Rather I come to you from the Great Pacific Northwest, albeit via a rather circuitous route.  Born and raised in the northwest corner of Washington State where I was brought up with a love of the outdoors, I next slipped across our country's northern border to attend college at the Seminary of Christ the King in British Columbia, Canada.  Under the very capable direction of the Benedictine Monks of Westminster Abbey, I earned my undergraduate with a double major comprised of English Literature and Philosophy with a very concentrated minor in Religious Studies.  Throughout these collegiate years I had the opportunity of teaching religion classes for the first time…to the inmates of a Federal Canadian prison!  Upon my graduation, I made the move from one corner of the continent to another to become a Franciscan Brother, ministering to the poor and the destitute in New York's inner-city for three and a half years.  During this time I also spent a year teaching religion in a boys' orphanage and had the joy of helping give both parish missions and youth retreats throughout the U.S.  

While I do still very much love the outdoors (and lament the absence of any glacier strewn mountains in close proximity), I am most happy to be here sharing both my experiences and passion for learning with the students of St. Monica's.