Richard Hart, the principal at St. John the Beloved School for the past 17 years, will retire at the end of the school year. Father Michael Vannicola, the pastor of St. John the Beloved Parish, made the announcement in a letter sent to families on March 13.
“This is a bittersweet moment,” Father Vannicola wrote. “I am happy for Mr. Hart as he will soon enjoy a very well-deserved rest from his labors. However, I will very much miss him here. In all my years in Catholic education, as a teacher, school administrator and as a pastor, I have not met a finer principal.”
Hart has spent 44 years in Catholic education, including 34 as a principal. Before he arrived at St. John the Beloved, he served as principal at St. Hedwig and St. Thomas the Apostle schools, both in the city of Wilmington.
He graduated from St. Matthew’s and Salesianum schools before attending the University of Delaware. He has a master’s degree in instruction and administration from Wilmington University and a certificate in Catholic school leadership from Boston College.
In 2019, Hart was one of two principals from the Diocese of Wilmington to receive the Lead. Learn. Proclaim. Award from the National Catholic Education Association. The award recognized his “outstanding efforts, contributions and achievements on behalf of Catholic education.”
The search for a new principal began this week under the guidance of the Catholic Schools Office, according to Father Vannicola.
