Our Administration
Father Gary Dowsey, Pastor
Father Gary Dowsey was born in London, England. He was ordained to the priesthood on July 12, 1980 at St. Mary’s Church, Great Yarmouth, situated on the east coast of England. During his time as a priest, he has served as the private secretary to the Bishop of East Anglia, the Diocesan Communications Officer, and the Chaplain to the University of East Anglia. Father Gary has much experience in educational ministry, having worked as a chaplain on both the high school and college level.
In 2000, Father Gary’s vocation brought him to the Diocese of St. Petersburg. He served nearly three years at St. James in New Port Richey, one year at Nativity in Brandon, and two years at St. Jerome in Indian Rocks. In 2007, he was granted incardination to the Diocese of St Petersburg and was appointed Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in July of 2007.
Email Father Gary here!
Kathy Bogataj, MA, Ed.S, Principal
Mrs. Kathy Bogataj is our school principal. Mrs. Bogataj grew up in Wyoming and graduated with a B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of Wyoming. She moved to Miami with her family and taught first grade and pre-kindergarten for five years at Holy Family Catholic School. In 1995, she moved to Largo and joined the faculty at St. Patrick Catholic School. While there, she taught second and third grade. In 2003, she earned her M.A. in Literacy and Curriculum from the University of South Florida. In August of 2004, Mrs. Bogataj joined the Our Lady of Lourdes faculty as the second grade teacher. In 2008, she was asked to assume the position of principal for this wonderful school. The next December, she received her Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in Catholic School Leadership from Barry University in Miami, Florida. She feels blessed to work with an outstanding faculty, caring families, and the delightful young students of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School.
Email Mrs. Bogataj here!
Renée Stoeckle, MA, Director of Marketing and Development
Renée Stoeckle is our Director of Marketing and Development. A native of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, she attended Nativity Catholic School in Brandon and went on to attend the Academy of the Holy Names in Tampa. Renée received her Bachelors of Arts in Theology and History from Xavier University, where she found her passion for Catholic Social Teaching and desire to live out her faith within the ministry of Catholic Education. After graduation, Renée joined the PLACE Corps, a Catholic teaching program that places teachers in inner-city Catholic schools throughout Los Angeles, California. She spent two years living in Compton, California where she taught first grade at St. Athanasius Catholic School, one of the poorest Catholic schools in our country. She went on to become the Director of Development at led a series of school improvement initiatives while completing her Masters of Arts in Urban Education from Loyola Marymount University. Renée is thrilled to be back in her home diocese and a part of the faith community at Our Lady of Lourdes!
Email Ms. Stoeckle here!
