Kirsch Wilberg returns to New Orleans as principal of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH) in Belle Chasse after spending a decade in educational leadership in Texas. She was most recently principal of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School in Selma, Texas, and interim principal/assistant principal at St. Peter Prince of the Apostles in San Antonio.

“I am so happy to be home,” Wilberg said.

Being hired at Our Lady of Perpetual Help was fortuitous. Wilberg mentioned to a friend she was moving back, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help School was recommended for two of her three children before the job opening for principal was available. Her eldest daughter will attend her alma mater, Mount Carmel Academy.

“It was all God’s divine intervention,” she said of the timing, adding her family remains in Louisiana, her husband’s job was ripe for a move and her daughter wanted to attended a Louisiana college.

Wilberg is thrilled to lead OLPH through its accreditation process with input from parents, parishioners and stakeholders about the school’s future.

“The accreditation is a great opportunity for us to really explore the school so that when we create the school improvement plan, we have a place to go,” she said. “When we move forward, we’re moving forward on solid ground.”

Wilberg has a master of arts degree in educational leadership with a focus on Catholic school leadership from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio and a bachelor of fine arts from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She seeks to empower teachers with professional development opportunities and create a structured student support process, as well as add a new spring gala.

“I see my employment as a ministry – to give back to the Catholic Church,” she said. “In Catholic education, we’re teaching the whole child, and I’m not just talking social skills and values, but the religious aspect. My Catholic religion is not just something I do on Sunday. It is infused in everything I do and should be imbued in what we teach our students” no matter what the situation, from the current racial tension in the country to science.

“If we talk about it from a Catholic standpoint – of being merciful and how it relates to our religion – kids have a better understanding of and foundation in their faith,” she said.

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