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Eau Claire Deanery

The Very Rev. Derek Sakowski is the Dean of the Eau Claire Deanery. Fr. Sakowski's three-year term began effective October 15, 2017.

Fr. Sakowski is also currently the Pastor at St. Mary's Parish in Altoona and St. Raymond of Peñafort Parish in Fall Creek and serves as the Hispanic Minister for the Eau Claire area.

The Dean is the Bishop's representative for the Deanery, of which there are 13 in the Diocese of La Crosse. The Deans also serve as an advisory body to the Bishop, along with the Presbyteral Council. As part of his role as Dean, Fr. Sakowski will be responsible for monitoring the vitality of our parishes and helping our Catholic school system maintain a strong identity.

"I ask your prayers as I begin my term as Dean," Fr. Sakowski said. "I don't think anyone ever feels adequate to a task like this, but I find it heartening that my brother priests and Bishop Callahan are placing their trust in me. Thankfully I am following skilled predecessors in Fr. Konopa and Fr. Meuret. I have learned much from their good example. We are also quite blessed in this Deanery to have an outstanding group of priests who work well together and who truly love the Lord and His people. My role as Dean means looking after the welfare of those priests, the deanery parishes, and our shared pastoral activity. That includes serving Regis Catholic Schools as the Bishop's official representative. Thankfully I do not have to lead Regis alone. We have a highly competent leadership team, faculty, and staff - not to mention hundreds of amazing parents who believe in our mission. Over the past 5+ years, I have gotten to know many Regis stakeholders at every level, and I believe we are stronger than ever in our Catholic identity and academic excellence. Best of all, our key people are highly motivated to keep improving. I thank God in advance for the ways that I know He will bless us all in the years ahead."

Testimonials

Kendall Alexander, Class of 2022
"Catholic Schools is a huge part of my life. I have been at Regis Catholic Schools since preschool, and I couldn't imagine receiving my education anywhere else. Teachers are able to incorporate the moral truths of the church into their everyday curriculum, whether it's a religion class or not. We are able to pray at school before every class and with teams before sporting events. I am so appreciative for the opportunity and for my parents' decision to send me to a place where school is more than an education."
- Kendall Alexander, Class of 2022
Estrella Juarez-DePaz, Elementary Student
"I like my school because I learn a lot about God and I like to go to Mass with my classmates. Going to Catholic school makes me a better student because I have to study for tests and when I do well on them I feel proud."
- Estrella Juarez-DePaz, Elementary Student
Colleen Callaghan, Class of 2024
"Regis Catholic Schools has made an impact on my life by teaching me how to be a well-rounded and hardworking person. What I love most about Regis is the community. I love hanging out with my friends and playing sports with them!"
- Colleen Callaghan, Class of 2024
Fr. Derek Sakowski, Dean
"We are able to engage at every level of the human person every single day, in every classroom, and in every subject. That's something that you can't put a price tag on."
- Fr. Derek Sakowski, Dean
Shaughnessy Murphy, Class of 2002
"The Regis motto, "Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow", couldn't be more true. The foundation for my successes today were first forged in the classroom and athletic programs at Regis."
- Shaughnessy Murphy, Class of 2002
Anna Allen, Class of 2021
"Going to a Catholic school has made me a better Catholic by enabling me to learn and grow my faith in an accepting and caring atmosphere. Through Regis, I have learned so many values and morals that I use everyday. The motto “Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow” describes Regis perfectly. They teach us how to be a leader in the community and classroom."
- Anna Allen, Class of 2021
Erika Galewski, Teacher
"Teaching is my vocation and I feel God calling me to teach. Having the strong faith-based education that we provide is something I think is very important for students to have at all age levels and all grade levels."
- Erika Galewski, Teacher
Grace Kristo, Class of 2020
"I feel like the focus on service and helping others helped me grow as an individual and the class sizes gave me an opportunity to learn more than I could at a public school."
- Grace Kristo, Class of 2020
John Mulligan, Class of 1983
"The values I learned at Regis carry over for your entire life; values like treating people respectfully and working hard to achieve your goals. These are values that lead to success in life."
- John Mulligan, Class of 1983
Elizabeth Cerny, Regis Parent
"Regis Catholic Schools helps nurture each child's hopes and dreams and teaches them how to care for others and grow in their own faith. The teachers challenge their intellect by allowing them to fail and prasing them when they grow and learn how to accomplish what they didn't think was possible."
- Elizabeth Cerny, Regis Parent
Marianne Callaghan, Regis Parent
"It is so well worth it for us to sacrifice financially for our kids to come here because honestly, we don't feel like it is a sacrifice. We feel like it is an investment in their future."
- Marianne Callaghan, Regis Parent
Griffin Johnson, Class of 2020
"With a small school like we have, it really gave me more of an opportunity to participate in a variety of co-curricular activities and sports, which really enhanced my experience at Regis."
- Griffin Johnson, Class of 2020
Mike Andrews, Regis Parent
"We just feel at home and so do our kids. Regis is a great place to be and it's where our family wants to be."
- Mike Andrews, Regis Parent

Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow

Regis Catholic Schools is dedicated to educating students of all faiths in a Catholic, Christ-centered environment. We are united by Our Core Values of Living Faith, Accepting Responsibility, Promoting Teamwork, Achieving Excellence, and Inspiring Leadership.