Faustin Weber, Principal

Faustin Weber was hired in July, 2015 to begin St. Michael Catholic High School, which opened in August, 2016. 

A native of Mobile,  Weber attended St. Ignatius from K-6, Most Pure Heart of Mary in 7-8, and graduated from McGill-Toolen High School in 1980. Upon earning an undergraduate degree (Liberal Arts, Theology) and graduate degree (M.A. Systematic Theology), both from the University of Notre Dame, he was hired in 1985 as an English and Theology teacher at Catholic High School in Montgomery, Al. Four years later, at the age of 27, he became Catholic High's principal in a president-principal model with Dr. Thomas Doyle, Vicar of Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Together they led Catholic High for 12 years, until Doyle was hired by the University of Notre Dame as Academic Director of the Alliance for Catholic Education ("ACE") program. Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb then named Weber as president of Catholic High, a post he held from 2001--2008.  In 2008, Weber took the job as headmaster of Pope John Paul II High School in Nashville, TN, and led that school until 2015, before returning "home" to start a brand new high school.   He was announced as the first principal of St. Michael Catholic High School by Superintendent Ms. Gwen Byrd and Archbishop Thomas Rodi during the school's ground-breaking ceremony in March of 2015. 

St. Michael has been blessed with growth since its opening.  The school started in 2016 with 99 students in 9th and 10th grade, added an additional class each year, and is now near maximum capacity at 340. Following a Master Plan for campus development, the school conducted a successful capital campaign for athletic facilities in 2018, with 5.1 million dollars in pledges over a five year period. As a first phase in that development, St. Michael immediately purchased 40 additional adjacent acres of land,  enlarging the campus to 80 acres. As a second phase,  the school broke ground for a fieldhouse in April 2020--a 10,000 square foot facility that will house a weight room, male and female locker rooms, coaches' offices and a physical training room--designed to be completed by January, 2021. While building the fieldhouse, the school added a second practice field.  Third and fourth phases will include a football-soccer stadium, a baseball field, concessions/bathrooms and additional parking. Beyond that, the school intends to build a chapel in the epicenter of the campus. 

During his seven year term as headmaster of Pope John Paul II, Weber helped the school deepen its Catholic identity, strengthen the A.P. program (109 A.P. Scholars in 2014-15), reduce and restructure the school's debt, increase philanthropic giving, secure multiple estate gifts, reconfigure the administrative team, create the “JPII Center for Scholarly Engagement,” expand foreign exchange programs,  and professionalize the school’s marketing plan. Significant capital improvements during his tenure included a new track/soccer stadium, a renovated football stadium, a concessions/restroom pavilion, batting cages, upgraded weight-rooms, new front offices, a "Way of the Cross" prayer garden, a new conference room, and a renovated library. 

While president in Montgomery from 2001-2008, Weber was placed in charge of two K-8 Catholic elementary schools and the Catholic high school. Faced with slowly declining enrollments, he led the community in a strategic planning process that resulted in changing the two K-8 schools into K-6 schools, building a 7-8 middle school,  combining these with the high school, and forming "Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School," a single K-12 school on three campuses,  with one Board and one finance office. Significant capital improvements during this time included the new middle school, new athletic fields, a field house and wrestling facility, a new academic wing, a cafeteria/multi-use facility, and a chapel. K-12 enrollment grew by 35% from 2004-2008 as a result of these and other improvements.  

Reflecting on his 32 years as principal, president or headmaster of Catholic high schools, Weber is direct about what makes the job enjoyable-- the students themselves:

"High school kids are a lot of fun! The world is opening up to them: they're beginning to think for themselves, asking a lot of questions, challenging things they've always taken for granted. They're at a critical time when they're trying to decide if their faith is going to be an artifact from their childhood, or if it's going to inform and shape their adult lives.  Catholic schools, if they're done well, help form disciples. That's why I believe Catholic schools are so important, and why I regard it as a privilege to be with them through this process." 

Weber enjoys writing. He's published in a diverse array of magazines and newspapers, including Commonweal, America, St. Anthony's Messenger, Catholic Digest, Momentum, Today's Catholic Teacher, Catholic Week, Montgomery Advertiser, The Tennessee Register, Montgomery Parent and (strangely), the Alabama Journal for Dentistry (Weber: "I knew the editor.") He wrote a textbook for his long-taught Catholic Social Ethics class entitled, Let Justice Surge Like the Waters, which traced the history of Catholic social teaching from Leo XIII to the present, and then re-purposed that book into an on-line course, which at one point was used by Catholic schools across the country for restoration of theology credits. He currently maintains two blogs, "Catholic Educator," which began in 2005 and aims at "all things Catholic,"  and "Ideas in Catholic Education," a blog for leaders in Catholic schools,  focusing on new ways to help with the long-term sustainability of Catholic schools. 

Other hobbies include chess, Scrabble, guitar, a little piano, watching all sports ("Well", he clarifies, "not NASCAR."), and technological gadgetry ("My wife curtails my spending on this front."). He and Diane, his wife of 33 years, have four children ranging from 33 to 25 years old-- Faus, Cynthia, Aaron and Daniel-- a son in law, Grant, and daughter in law, Kate, and six grandchildren,  Josie,  Auggie, Charlie, Justina, Tabitha and Monica.  Faustin and Diane live in Daphne, AL  and are members of Christ the King Catholic Church.

Contact info: fweber@stmichaelchs.org