Page 7 - The Paduan Summer 2021

Fr. Allan Retires as Padua’s President
Father Allan DaCorte, ofm retired from his ministry as president of Padua this summer on July 1. He ended his career in the same setting as he began: ministering at the high school level.
Fr. Allan became a friar in 1973 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1977. His first priestly assignment was as chaplain and teacher at Quincy Notre Dame High School in Quincy, Illinois. During his 44 years of ministry as a friar of the Sacred Heart Province, his assignments have included service as director of the vocation office, director of candidacy, seminary rector, provincial director of formation, pastor, provincial secretary of formation and studies, international committee of formation and studies, treasurer of the Sacred Heart Province, vice treasurer general (in Rome), guardian of local friar communities, and lastly, president of Padua Franciscan High School.
Over the years, the story of Fr. Allan’s first introduction to Padua has become famous. Eight years ago, when his Provincial asked Father to move from Rome to Parma, Father quickly responded, “Why of course, they have great ham and wonderful cheeses.”“No, not Parma, Italy! Parma, Ohio!” retorted the Provincial. “Ohio? Why would I ever go there?” asked Father.
Nevertheless, in 2013, Fr. Allan became the fifth friar to serve as the president of Padua. Not only will we remember the story of how he came here, we will never forget the man who guided the transformation of Padua and what he did for so many of us. During his eight years at Padua, Father helped transform the school, not only physically, but spiritually as well. Father focused on three specific pillars in his presidency: spirituality, community and mission. It was these pillars that were at the forefront of all his decisions and in these areas that he made his most impactful contributions.
As our Franciscan faith-leader, Fr. Allan transformed our community as well. Through the years, he has impacted all of our liturgical, retreat, and spiritual experiences. His vision
to strengthen the Franciscan charism of the school was always present in his words and actions. Father’s relaxed and genuine style always put people at ease and his message to the community was always inspiring.
During his life, St. Francis of Assisi had a strong devotion to the newborn Christ, so much so that he is credited with creating the first manger scene in Greccio, Italy in 1223. To celebrate that devotion, Fr. Allan sought out a donor to fund a beautiful new Creche and nativity scene that now adorns our lobby throughout Advent. Father has worked with the Campus Ministry team throughout his tenure to strengthen our programs and ensure the Franciscan faith development of our community.
“Fr. Allan’s vision to make Padua the best it could be was the driving force for his change decisions,” said then-Principal David Stec ’86. One of Father’s first initiatives was to purchase an artificial turf field, which alone has had an incredible impact on our athletics and facility use. He worked with an interior designer to spruce up the hallways, changing out the original lockers. Additionally, the original windows of the school were replaced with new efficiency windows, and security glass block was installed on the lower level. Father guided the moving and renovation of our weight room, allowing Padua to install a state-of-the-art dance studio.
Along the way, Father successfully completed the $5 million Padua+ Campaign, helping provide two new entrances and the complete renovation of many of our classrooms, including the entire science wing. “Padua is a safer, more beautiful, and stronger educational environment thanks to Fr. Allan’s work,” ended Stec.
Fr. Allan plans to stay in Cleveland and has promised to grace the halls of Padua from time to time and to continue to celebrate and minister to our community. Father’s presidential presence will be missed. His jovial nature and no-nonsense approach to leadership guided our school into a strong, financially secure place for our bright future ahead. Thank you, Father, for saying yes to Parma, and yes to Padua.
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