Sister Mary Paul McCaughey, O.P., superintendent for Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of Chicago, informed Archbishop Cupich that she had earlier made known to the archdiocesan school board her desire to leave her office with the transition of a new archbishop. On Dec. 19 it was announced that Archbishop Cupich accepted her resignation on the condition that she would remain involved in development efforts, particularly with the To Teach Who Christ Is capital campaign and the legislative advocacy of the archdiocese on behalf of Catholic Schools. Sister Mary Paul accepted the archbishop’s offer and will transition into her new position effective Jan. 1. She will report directly to the archbishop on issues related to school legislation. Archbishop Cupich expressed deep gratitude to Sister Mary Paul for her willingness take up her new position as it will continue the success she achieved during her six-year tenure that strengthened the Catholic schools, financially, academically and spiritually, while helping to provide a solid, faith-filled education for the children of the Archdiocese of Chicago. “Our Catholic schools have faced significant challenges for many years, and Sister McCaughey has been an instrumental figure in ensuring that thousands of children have the choice of a Catholic education,” said Archbishop Cupich. “I am delighted that in her new role, she will continue to focus on creating educational access to our Catholic schools, particularly for families in need.” As a senior relationship manager, Sister Mary Paul will help spearhead the team raising $150 million for the newly established Catholic Education Scholarship Trust and $8 million for academic excellence in Catholic schools. Both initiatives are critical to the long-term viability of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Catholic school system. “This new role allows me to focus on finding the resources, public and private, to support our children and families in the Catholic schools of Lake and Cook counties. I am grateful to Archbishop Cupich for this opportunity, confident that faith formation and academic initiatives in our schools will continue,” said Sister Mary Paul. John Croghan, president of the Archdiocesan School Board, will immediately launch a search for a replacement for the superintendent of the largest Catholic School system in the United States. Mary Kearney, currently associate superintendent for academic programs, will assume the duties of interim superintendent on Jan. 1, while the search is conducted. Thomas McGrath, chief operating officer for Catholic Schools, will continue to report directly to the archbishop and be responsible for the schools’ business and marketing initiatives. In addition to her new responsibilities in development, and especially the capital campaign, Sister Mary Paul will be available as a resource to Kearney during the national accreditation process through AdvancED.