Guadalupe Regional Middle School (GRMS) in Brownsville, Texas, is an all-scholarship Catholic middle school serving students in grades six through eight whose families desire but cannot afford a Catholic education. Founded in 2002, the school forms young people academically and spiritually with the goal of preparing them for “College and Heaven.”

GRMS is sponsored by three Catholic religious congregations: the Congregation of Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers, and the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament. The Marist connection is especially rooted in the leadership of Br. Leo Shea, FMS, who served as the school’s founding administrator, president, and principal fundraiser. Through his vision and dedication, Br. Leo helped establish GRMS as a place of opportunity, faith, and hope for the young people of the Brownsville community. Br. Leo died in 2020 at the age of 85, having lived 68 years as a Marist Brother

Guadalupe Regional Middle School recently welcomed a very special guest, Marist Brother Philip Degagne, age 96, who shared his remarkable craftsmanship and faith with the school community. Brother Philip hand-crafted more than 64 wooden images of the Mary, Our Good Mother for students and Our Lady of Guadalupe icons for faculty. Each piece was carefully cut, sanded, assembled, and blessed before being personally delivered.

During his visit, Brother Philip guided students in assembling the stands for their icons and shared stories from his many years as a Marist Brother and educator.

He was accompanied by Br. Albert Phillipp and Mr. Arturo Farias, one of his former students who is now learning the craft alongside him. The visit offered students a meaningful encounter with Marist tradition through prayer, creativity, and the witness of a life dedicated to faith and education.