July 24, 2018 - Archdiocese of Boston Catholic Schools Superintendent to Conclude Service at End of

Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley announced that Kathy Power Mears, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Boston, will conclude her service in the Archdiocese at the end of this coming academic year (2018/2019). Superintendent Mears has been blessed with the opportunity to return to the Midwest, to be closer to her children, grandchildren and father. Superintendent Mears begins her fifth year with the Archdiocese in September, at which time the search process for a new superintendent will commence.

“Superintendent Mears provides our Catholic Schools with exemplary leadership and strong commitment to building a community of saints and scholars,” said Cardinal Seán. “She has been a valuable resource for the pastors, administrators, faculty and staff who serve the children and families of our schools, always focused on providing our students the best possible academic and faith formation opportunities. We are blessed that Superintendent Mears will serve through the end of the upcoming academic year. While we will miss Superintendent Mears’ leadership, we are grateful that she has agreed to serve through the upcoming academic year and we fully understand and support her wish to return home with her husband Brian and be closer to her children, grandchildren and father.”

Superintendent Mears said, “It has been my honor to serve the Church in Boston. Working for Cardinal Seán and working with the great principals and teachers in our schools has been rewarding. The Catholic Schools Office team is the best and I am so grateful for their devotion to our students and their families.  The Boston community is very generous and supportive of our schools and I will miss all the people who worked with us to develop saints and scholars in our schools.”

Most Rev. Peter J. Uglietto, S.T.D., Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Archdiocese of Boston, said, "We are grateful for the wonderful service Superintendent Mears provides to our Catholic Schools. While we prepare to enter a search process for her successor, we are blessed that the Superintendent will lead our Catholic Schools Office for the upcoming academic year. We will conduct a national search beginning this September. With Cardinal Séan’s guidance we will look far and wide to find the best possible person to lead our schools and build upon the many accomplishments and programs implemented by Superintendent Mears.”

Archdiocese of Boston Accomplishments  

Superintendent Mears has actively partnered with priests, school leaders, teachers, and community stakeholders to enhance Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Boston.

Key accomplishments:

• Faith for Formation standards for Pre-School to Grade 8, which were developed by catechists, principals, and teachers and received the Nihil Obstat seal;
• Transition from a traditional, standardized school-wide assessment to NWEA MAP Growth, an online, adaptive tool designed to measure student’s growth from year to year;
• Museum of Science’s Engineering is Elementary program, funded by the Catholic Schools Foundation in partnership with the Lynch Foundation, expanded to support all Catholic elementary schools in the city of Boston;
• Kindergarten Robotics program in partnership with Tufts University to introduce Saints and scholars to coding at an early age;
• Creation of the Archdiocese of Boston Excellence in Education Award, which honors exemplary teachers from across the Archdiocese;
• Expansion of the Catholic Schools Office team to include additional support in the areas of research, data management and marketing.

Prior to joining the Archdiocese of Boston, she served as Executive Director for Elementary Schools with the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) Elementary Schools Department. A graduate of Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, Illinois, and Mrs. Mears earned her master’s degree from Butler University.