Father Anthony Lawir blesses newly renovated playground at St. James School in Biddeford

BIDDEFORD---With students, faculty, and staff gathered around him, Father Anthony Lawir blessed a newly renovated playground at St. James School in Biddeford at the end of September.

The playground features new equipment and a new, woodchip surface thanks to funding from an American Rescue Plan child care provider grant and to donations made by the school’s Parents, Friends, and Teachers Association (PFTA), by alumni of the former St. Louis High School in Biddeford, and by the family of Andrew Tremblay, who made a contribution in his memory.

After Father Lawir, the school’s chaplain, blessed the playground and sprinkled it with holy water, students were anxious to try out the new equipment, which met with their approval.

“We love our new playground!” said a first grader.

“This is a lot of fun,” said a fourth grader.

“This is awesome,” added a third grader.

Plans to update the playground date back a couple years but were delayed by the pandemic and lingering supply chain issues.

One element of the former playground was kept – a wooden lighthouse.