Brother John Paige, CSC, dean of the School of Education at St. Edward’s University, was recently elected vicar general of the Congregation of Holy Cross at the order’s general chapter meeting held earlier this summer in Rome, Italy. Based in Rome, the six-year term of vicar general is the highest position a Holy Cross Brother can hold within the congregation. Paige begins his new duties in October.

As vicar general, Paige will be the second-highest official in the order and will serve under Superior General Father Hugh Cleary, CSC. In addition to overseeing congregational planning and education ministry, Paige will represent the Superior General as his delegate to the nearly 1,700 Holy Cross priests and brothers around the world. The Congregation of Holy Cross is a missionary congregation of educators that has focused its efforts in schools and parishes since its inception in 1837. Members continue to serve in high schools, colleges and universities in 15 countries on four continents.

“This is an exciting opportunity to serve the Holy Cross order and the church,” said Paige. “I look forward to it, although I will surely miss St. Edward’s University and all my colleagues and friends in Central Texas.”

“As dean, Brother John has made a tremendous impact on both St. Edward’s and the Austin community, and we expect that he will have a similar impact on a much larger scale through this esteemed position within the congregation,” said Sister Donna Jurick, SND, executive vice president of St. Edward’s. “Of course we are saddened to lose someone of his caliber, but we are pleased that Brother John’s talents will continue to make valuable contributions to the global Congregation of Holy Cross and the communities it serves.”

Paige came to St. Edward’s as assistant professor of Education in 1999 and was named dean of the School of Education two years later. Under his leadership, the School of Education has expanded ties to the Central Texas community through programs such as Building Teams and Tools for Teaching (BT3), the Teaching Scholar Program, the GO Project partnership with the Austin Independent School District and implementing the only accreditation program in Central Texas for religion teachers in Catholic schools. In addition to his work at St. Edward’s, Paige is a commissioner-at-large of the Texas Catholic Conference Accreditation Commission and regional associate for the National Catholic Educational Association.

Associate Dean J. Frank Smith III, former dean of the School of Education and associate professor, has been named interim dean while the university conducts a nationwide search to permanently fill the position.