Their dedication to Catholic education prompted the Fisher family to enroll their only son at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School in Homewood. Following middle school, the next natural step was John Carroll Catholic. Those formative years, he says, were characterized with a “consistent exposure to the love of Christ” which “resonated” with him and created a sound foundation of faith.

Following his high school graduation, he once again followed in his father’s footsteps and began studies at his father’s alma mater, the University of Montevallo. Not far from the university, he found St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, and he made the fateful decision to volunteer for the parish’s confirmation retreats. “We would lead small groups,” he remembers, “and in doing that for four years, I realized very quickly that I love working with high schoolers.”

In 2015, three years after his father passed away, Fisher received his master’s and was in search of a job teaching English. He admits to applying to several public-school teaching positions, but he says he was overlooked due to lack of experience. Having maintained a friendship with one of John Carroll Catholic’s English Department legends, Tricia Guy, Fisher was made aware of an opening. A Nashville Dominican, Sister Margaret Andrew, filled that position, which Fisher contends “was a blessing,” so he decided to try out for the other job opening at the school: campus minister.

In less than a day after his interview, he was offered the job. He accepted and spent the summer trying to figure out what to teach campus ministers. Fisher constructed a plan to make the students “ready to carry on the faith into college,” but with two weeks to go until the first day of class, he was contacted by the school’s assistant principal, asking him to fill a last-minute opening in the English Department. He jumped at the chance, but he quickly realized he had spent the summer preparing for campus ministry. During that first year of teaching juniors, he felt overwhelmed and questioned his abilities. “If I could go back to those kids,” he jokes, “I would just tell them, ‘I am so sorry!’”

As each school year passed, though, Fisher gained experience and wisdom. Shortly before Sister Margaret Andrew was reassigned by her order, the two were discussing English. Fisher was preparing to take over as chair of the department when the insightful religious had this to say, “Literature is one of the best ways to teach the faith.” The simple yet profound remark struck a chord with Fisher. He took Sister’s reflection to heart and started using the curriculum as an opportunity not only for academic growth but also spiritual development. “As we’re reading, I keep pushing my kids to think: ‘What does this mean for you? As a person, how does it align with what we’re taught as people of faith? How do these characters fall short of that idea of what it means to be a person of faith?’” he explains. “I try to get them to see the humanity in the characters and how it reflects us as people. We fall short of God’s grace every day, but we have a chance to do better.”

As to be expected, Fisher’s desire to promote spiritual edification was not relegated to the confines of his classroom. Having never left the parish of his college days, he continued to lead confirmation retreats at St. Thomas. Roughly two years ago, in an effort to meet Catholic students and invite them to get involved, Fisher was attending a Wednesday night Mass at the parish’s chapel on the outskirts of the university’s campus. He was speaking with the parish’s relatively new pastor, Father Brad Jantz, and, seemingly out of nowhere, the priest asked, “What went right in your life to keep you Catholic?” Fisher’s answer was almost instantaneous: Catholic education and staying involved during college.

Not long after the conversation, Fisher was invited to join St. Thomas’ Pastoral Council. At one meeting, Father Jantz proposed a self-described “crazy” idea. Intrigued, the council listened as the priest asked if each member would prayerfully consider the feasibility of a parish school.

Even though the priest admittedly arrived at St. Thomas with zero intention of opening a school, several factors nudged him to reconsider. From within the parish’s large and ever-growing Hispanic population, parents flocked to Father Jantz, asking him to administer the sacraments of initiation to their children. More often than not, the children were older than usual. Perhaps due to generational language barriers with the children speaking primarily English and the parents speaking primarily Spanish, the depth and beauty of the faith was being lost in translation. As a result, the parents expressed a strong desire for Catholic education, but for many the notion was unattainable, either because of logistics or cost. Seeing firsthand the overwhelming number of children every weekend for Sunday School validated what the priest was hearing from parents.

After the Pastoral Council gave the green light, Father Jantz formed a committee, which began looking into a preschool. Before long, the committee informed the pastor of the staggering amount of regulation attached to preschools. In addition, something as mundane as a playground came with an exorbitant price tag. Providentially though, around that time, Alabama’s CHOOSE Act was passed, which provides each qualifying student enrolled in a participating school $7,000 for tuition, fees, and other qualified expenses. The surety of funds via the CHOOSE Act and the already-established Scholarships For Kids program prompted the shifting of focus away from a preschool to an elementary school. Thanks to the foresight of previous pastors, St. Thomas had both land and a building to support the school. The plan to start the school with kindergarten, first grade, and second grade in the fall of 2025 and add one grade each subsequent year, up to the eighth grade, took shape.

Of course, a school wouldn’t be a school without a principal. Having received his administration certification before the reality of the school was even realized, Fisher took a leap of faith and applied for the position. When he was offered the job, a multitude of emotions came over him. Excitement was a given, but sadness crept in as he began to realize he would need to leave his John Carroll Catholic students in the middle of the school year. Fear also reared its ugly head, for he insists, “I was afraid the kids would feel like I was abandoning them or betraying them.”

Taking solace in the knowledge that his fears were not of God and asking God for His help in trusting Him, Fisher told his students: “I hope one thing you have picked up from me is how important faith is to me and should be for y’all. When you hear God’s call, you need to answer it. … This is not about a promotion. This is not about my career. This is what God is calling me to do: to offer something to families that want it and don’t have access to it.”

That “something” is what Fisher and Father Jantz describe as a school of excellence in terms of academics and forming people. “We want them to be excellent people and that means having a foundation in faith,” says Fisher. “That’s what we want to bring and that’s what we want the kids to take because that’s what the families want. The families want the faith to continue on with their kids.”

“This is something I want for my girls, too,” he concludes. “I want them both to have a firm foundation in faith so that as     they get older, they will know what’s actually important … You’re more at peace when you try to follow His way. It’s not always easy. There are some hard times, but you can’t get through those hard times without the hope of something more, which is Christ!”

Learn more

With the St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic School opening in fall 2025 for elementary students, learn about what to expect, how to apply, and more by visiting www.stthomascatholic.com/school.