VALDOSTA — Newly elected Bishop Stephen D. Parkes recently visited St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church and School to preside over the weekly student mass. 

Parkes spent time inside the classrooms, speaking with the SJCS students about their patron saints, how he was called to become a priest and being selected as the bishop of the Diocese of Savannah by Pope Francis, school officials said in a statement.

St. John the Evangelist Catholic School, 800 Gornto Road, provides students pre-K second through eighth grade with the “highest quality education in a Christian setting,” school officials said. “The school offers electives including Spanish, music, band, art and computers as well as religion in addition to extracurricular activities like basketball, volleyball, cross country and student council.” 

For more information, call the school at (229) 244-2556 or visit sjcsvaldosta.org.