Stamford, May 22, 2026 — The Catholic Academy of Stamford community gathered to celebrate the retirement of Principal Pat Brady, marking the close of 45 years devoted to Catholic education. Bishop Frank J. Caggiano presided at a Mass in her honor, joined by clergy, faculty, parents, students, alumni, board members, and friends from across the Diocese of Bridgeport and beyond.
In a tribute following the liturgy, Stacie Steuber, Superintendent of Schools for the diocese, recalled meeting Brady soon after her arrival in the diocese nearly a decade ago. “From the very beginning, I remember thinking to myself, this is an amazing Catholic school leader,” she said. Over the past ten years, Steuber has worked closely with Brady at the Catholic Academy of Stamford and previously at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School in Fairfield, through countless conversations on strategic planning, enrollment, and the daily realities of leading a Catholic school.
“She leads with faith. She leads with integrity. She leads with a calming presence and with a sense of humor,” Steuber said. “And she always keeps the students at the center of every decision.”
Steuber emphasized that for Brady, Catholic education has never been simply a job. “She has lived it as a vocation,” she said. “She understands that Catholic schools are not merely institutions where students learn math and reading or science. These are communities where young people discover Christ and their God-given dignity and who are formed into the people God is calling them to become.” She praised her for doing this work “quietly and humbly, without seeking recognition, but with extraordinary impact.”
“Schools do not become strong Catholic communities by accident,” she continued. “They become strong schools because of leaders like Pat Brady, who give of themselves completely to the mission.”
Matt Murphy, chair of the Board of Directors of the Catholic Academy of Stamford, offered a tribute on behalf of the school community, inviting faculty and staff to stand and be recognized for their service alongside Brady. He thanked her for years of steady, faithful leadership, for guiding the academy with wisdom, compassion, and grace, and for forming students who graduate not only with academic strength but with the dignity, respect, and compassion that mark a Catholic education. The Board presented Brady with a gift in gratitude for her service.
Visibly moved, Brady offered her own reflections. She recalled that when planning began for the celebration months earlier, she had asked for nothing more than a simple Mass. “And maybe a Bishop will be around,” she joked. “I thought that would be enough.”
Her career, she shared, began far from Connecticut. “Forty-five years ago, I walked into a sixth-grade classroom at Our Lady of Loretto Catholic School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,” she said. “I had a degree, a lesson plan, a deep desire to serve, and a sense of humor. That’s it.” She would later go on to serve as a Catholic school principal for 31 years, the last ten at the Catholic Academy of Stamford.
Brady offered thanks to the bishop, the Office of the Superintendent of Schools, her fellow principals, the Board of Directors, her faculty and staff, the parents who entrusted their children to her care, her family and friends.
Her closing words were for the students. “You have been my greatest teachers,” she told them. “You’ve taught me to love, to laugh, to stay curious, and to understand that God is not finished with me yet, that we all make mistakes and need to be forgiven.”
“While leaving the Catholic Academy of Stamford is difficult,” she said, “I’ll step away knowing our foundation is strong.”
