Leaving a Legacy: Bishop John Paul

Bishop Paul was born in La Crosse in 1918, and spent most of his life serving the Church throughout numerous ministries in the Diocese of La Crosse. As a 1935 graduate of Aquinas, Catholic education had a special place in Bishop Paul's heart. He was instrumental in the founding of Aquinas Middle School in 1992 and in 2005 was inducted to the Aquinas Wall of Fame.

Bishop Paul passed away on March 5, 2006, at the age of 87 and was honored by the Aquinas Foundation as it annually presents an award to distinguished alumni of Aquinas in his honor.

Aquinas Catholic Schools was blessed once again in March of 2007, when the Aquinas Foundation was presented with a gift of $210,000 from the estate of Bishop Paul. This gift is used for scholarships which help keep Catholic education at Aquinas affordable and accessible to all families.