Crimson Shield March 2013

	CRIMSON SHIELD THE ONLINE MAGAZINE OF BROTHER MARTIN HIGH SCHOOL
March 2013 Published Monthly September through May

‹‹ Front page Next article ››

Brother Mark Thornton, S.C. (1916-2013)

Brother Mark, the first principal of Brother Martin, died February 14 three weeks after celebrating his 97th birthday.

Brother Mark Thornton, S.C.

Brother Mark and Cdr. George Kelly 1969-70
Brother Mark at NJROTC Review with Cdr. George Kelly 1969-70

The Brothers of the Sacred Heart staffed Our Lady Star of the Sea School in Far Rockaway on Long Island NY from 1909-1940.

One of the boys the brothers impressed so deeply that he decided to join their community was Joseph Thornton.
He entered the Juniorate at Metuchen NJ in 1928 at age 12 and five years later took first vows as Brother Mark, S.C.

Mark was assigned to teach in schools in Alexandria and Mobile.

He spent ten years (1939-1949) at St. Aloysius in New Orleans, a time he described as the most rewarding of his life.
In addition to teaching chemistry and other subjects, Mark served as Athletic Director.

At age 33, he was asked to put aside classroom teaching for administration.

He served as principal at St. Aloysius in Vicksburg for two separate terms (1949-54, 1963-8).
In between, he headed McGill Institute in Mobile and St. Aloysius in New Orleans (1959-60).
As an example of the respect he had earned from his confreres, Mark began serving on the Provincial Council in 1954 at age 38 at a time when the prevailing attitude among older brothers was, "What does he know? He is not yet 40."

As early as 1966, the Council began discussing the merger of the two high schools in New Orleans. Mark strongly supported the idea.

When the decision to merge was made, there was no question who should head the new school.
- It couldn't be anyone in administration at either Aloysius or Cor Jesu.
- It had to be someone who would have the utmost respect and confidence of the brothers at both schools.
The council in its wisdom stationed Mark at Cor Jesu for the 1968-9 school year, the last before the merger. He taught Religion III and IV but, more importantly, supervised the construction of the additional classroom building behind the existing structure on Elysian Fields and the makeover of the cafeteria into the mall.

Brother Mark with Cor Jesu students 1968-9, when he taught Religion III-IV

Brother Mark headed Brother Martin for only one year but propelled it in the direction of success.

Brother Ivy LeBlanc, principal and then president of Brother Martin in the 1980s and 90s:

Mark set the organizational tone and ethic that the school maintains to this day. Make decisions at the lowest possible level. Give people the authority they need to make those decisions. Don't interfere with them. Be collegial; talk to a lot of people. The brothers had tremendous trust in that man which I don't believe he ever betrayed. He was a brilliant choice for first principal of Brother Martin.

As a sign of the trust the brothers placed in him, they chose him as their provincial in 1970 - the first time the office had been filled by local election rather than appointment from Rome.
During his six years in office, Mark showed special interest in 4401 Elysian Fields Avenue. He supported Brother Brice and Brother Donnan who succeeded him as principal.

After six burdensome years as provincial, Mark graciously returned to the classroom.

But after only two years, he became president of St. Stanislaus, a position he held for six years.
Even in that busy post and as he continued to serve on the Provincial Council, Mark supported Brother Martin by serving on its Board of Directors. Brother Ivy:

He's the one who provided the strength to purchase the Farley property. We had never incurred that much debt and were struggling to make the decision. Mark told me, "You gotta get that land. That's coming up only once. Go ahead and buy it. If you get in trouble, come to me." But we never had to.
Brother Martin's current president, John Devlin, recalls Brother Mark on the Board of Directors while John was principal.

He would sit very quietly, the meeting would take place, and almost every time when we were nearing the end of a discussion about something and it was clear we were close to consensus, Mark would speak. It wasn't always profound but it was always listened to and oftentimes solidified our decision or caused us to back up a bit and say, "Oh, we hadn't considered that."
After his term as president of Stanislaus ended, Mark took over from Brother Martin, S.C., the post of Province Treasurer. In that capacity, he grew the province's retirement fund that he established as provincial and that provides the brothers with the financial security they enjoy today.

Brother Mark lived long enough to become the senior member of the province and one of the oldest in the worldwide community of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart.

Stationed at St. Stanislaus in Bay St. Louis MS when Katrina hit, he evacuated with the community there to Mobile. When the refurbishment of the brothers' residence next to Catholic High in Baton Rouge was complete, he moved there in 2007.
Although wheelchair bound because of hip problems, he was mentally sharp until the end.
His obituary ended this way:

Throughout his life, Brother Mark was known for his humble leadership, his practical wisdom, his love of God and his religious community, and his selfless dedication to the young people entrusted to his care. His keen wit, insight into complex situations and financial acumen, especially evident of the untold number of meetings he attended, were legendary.
Brother Xavier ended his eulogy with a quote from Shakespeare:

"His life was gentle, and the elements so mix'd in him that Nature might stand up and say to all the world, This was a man!" Mark was that and more than that. He was our brother who showed us how to be gentle and humble of heart.

Brother Mark just before his last Christmas

Return to top | Questions and Comments Welcome