About Us
About Regis St. Mary
With the merging of Regis High School and St. Mary Catholic School, Regis St. Mary Catholic School officially began operating as one PreK-12 school system on July 1, 2017. Regis St. Mary Catholic School is a nonprofit, private corporation established by the Archdiocese of Portland. The Archbishop is the sole “member” of the corporation. The board serves as an agent of the Archbishop to provide, within the prescribed limitations, governance for the school. One board of directors serves as primary governance for the united school.
Campus History
St. Mary Catholic School has been serving the students of Stayton since its founding by the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon in 1929. The school was originally staffed by two sisters and had an enrollment of 45 students. The current school building across from Immaculate Conception was constructed in 1955, with an addition completed in 1959. In 2002, the middle school building with science lab was added to accommodate growing enrollment.
In the early 1960s, community members came together to fulfill a long-held vision, one that would bring a high-quality and well-balanced Catholic education to high school students in the Santiam Canyon and Mid-Willamette Valley. The names of these founders are engraved on a plaque in the Regis courtyard, honoring their proud and bold legacy. Regis High School opened its doors in the fall of 1963 and celebrated its blessing and dedication led by Principal Rev. Francis Campbell and Archbishop Edward D. Howard.
Guiding Principles
Our guiding principles serve as the cornerstone of Regis St. Mary Catholic School and inform everything we do to evangelize and educate our students. After much study, discussion, prayer, and discernment, we believe these guiding principles provide a strong spiritual and educational framework that will best prepare us for a second century of service as a Catholic school and enable us to evangelize the next generation of Rams.
The highlights of the guiding principles are summarized below. The entire document can be read here.
Mission Statement
Regis St. Mary develops disciples of Christ who love, learn, lead, and serve.
Patron Saints
Christ the King and Mary Queen of the Universe
Motto
Viva Cristo Rey! Que Viva!
Charisms
Faith, Community, Joy
Core Values
Conversion, Prayer, Stewardship, Stability, Discipline, Obedience, Passion, Humility, Hospitality
School Year Theme 2025-26
Hope – Welcome All as Christ
Evangelization and Education Philosophy
Following the command of Jesus, Regis St. Mary Catholic School is a Holy Spirit inspired Catholic education community that joyfully proclaims the Kingdom of God in the Santiam Canyon. As a school “for the Lord’s service,” we meet families where they are in their faith lives and journey with them as they grow in discipleship, conversion, knowledge, and love of Christ the King.
Recognizing the primary role of parents in passing on the Catholic faith to their children, we partner with families to teach all students to love God and to serve Jesus in their neighbors in need.
Drawing upon the rich Catholic educational heritage of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon and the Benedictine inspired values of our local parishes, we educate students spiritually, academically, emotionally, socially, and physically, taking into account each individual’s unique needs and abilities.
We believe by integrating faith and service into all aspects of our curriculum and exemplifying Christian values throughout our school, our students will be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit to evangelize the world as disciples of Christ the King.