Paraclete High School reflects the tremendous growth and change that has taken place in the Antelope Valley over the last 50 years.

Founded in 1963, Paraclete has grown from its initial 41 students in makeshift classrooms at the site of the old Antelope Valley fairgrounds to its present location on 30th Street West in Lancaster. By the time of the school's first commencement exercises in 1967, enrollment was around 240 students.

Currently, in a school originally meant to accommodate 500 students, more than 800 students walk the hallways and corridors of Paraclete, attending classes in the original buildings and 11 makeshift bungalows, sharing cramped spaces. Over the last ten years the Antelope Valley population has doubled, but Paraclete remains the archdiocese's only Catholic high school north of the San Fernando Valley, with students attending from as far away as Wrightwood, Bakersfield and Acton.

But with the addition of a new St. Joseph building and multi-purpose room with 17 new classrooms and a large multi-purpose room, Paraclete will be able to offer a better learning environment for its students. On Dec. 14, the school celebrated its long-awaited addition as Cardinal Roger Mahony offered a Mass of Thanksgiving and dedicated the new St. Joseph Building.

He was joined by retired Monterey Bishop Sylvester Ryan (a former Paraclete principal), San Fernando Region Auxiliary Bishop Gerald Wilkerson, former faculty and staff, alumni, and present members of the school and local community. Also in attendance were major donors and supporters of Paraclete High School, including John and Dorothy Shea, of the Shea Foundation, and Richard and Maria Grant of the Dan Murphy Foundation.

"It's been a long time coming and really a blessing for Antelope Valley," said Chris Vernor, a former Paraclete teacher and parent of two alumni sons. "Paraclete is a constant source of grace and blessing. Service is imbued in these kids."

Her son Dan, who graduated in 2004, said, "Paraclete prepared me. I wouldn't have been able to do all I did at Gonzaga University without a Paraclete education."

The additional classrooms will enable the school to accommodate additional students to better serve the community. The multi-purpose room, with its new kitchen, will provide space for a practice gymnasium, a protected dining area for students during bad weather, and a facility for drama productions and assemblies.

Since the size of the gymnasium at Paraclete High School barely holds the student body of the school, let alone visitors, two dedication Masses were celebrated --- one during the day for the student body and the second after school for alumni, parents and friends.

At the afternoon Mass, Cardinal Mahony asked students what they would say if anyone questioned why they go to Paraclete. Comments ranged from "the teachers" to "It's like a family here" and "It makes you a better person overall." Why, the cardinal asked them, is service so important? "It helps you be aware of the needs of others," replied one.

"We're called," Cardinal Mahony added, "to be there for one another."

Just as the Antelope Valley's rapid growth has brought a wider mix of cultures, the school celebration included students reading the petitions in seven different languages and --- immediately following Mass --- presenting cultural dances.