Jim Boyle has been a member of St. Mary of the Woods Parish for twelve years and he says it’s like being part of a great big family!  He and his wife of 20 years, Chris, met at Holy Cross College in Boston.  They have two children; Matt, a sixth-grader at St. Mary’s School, and daughter Tia who just turned one.

Active in parish ministry, Jim served on the School Board for four years, and continues to be active in the Holy Name Society.  During his tenure as Holy Name president, he helped establish the Grand Raffle, which raises money for the school.  Jim and Chris are both very involved in Italian Night and have twice chaired this important parish fundraiser. Jim coaches the 7^th and 8^th grade boys for St. Mary’s football program.  His year-round coaching also involves basketball, baseball and volleyball.  When he isn’t coaching or volunteering at St. Mary’s, Jim is a real estate attorney representing industrial and commercial clients with assessment appeals.

Jim has a vision for building the faith community at St. Mary of the Woods.  “Our Parish continues to grow, but we have clearly outgrown our physical plant.  Chris and I chose St. Mary’s because it’s hands-on, family-oriented, and Vision 2010 is absolutely necessary to maximize our ability to grow as a faith community.” 

Jim believes that all members of the Parish will benefit from the proposed Master Plan, and that handicapped accessibility is crucial for SMOW’s very active senior population. He feels the physical improvements and expansion to the school will enable St. Mary’s to continue to provide a first-class education to children and progress with the times. 

 “St. Mary’s has a wonderfully dedicated group of teachers and administrators and provides a well-rounded Catholic education to our children.  However, because of the limitations in our physical plant, we have handcuffed our teachers and deprived them of many of the tools necessary to provide a top-notch education in this very competitive academic atmosphere.  The improvements to our school will enable St. Mary’s to broaden the scope of education provided  to our children and  will allow St. Mary of the Woods  to step out into the future.”