LAWRENCE -- Over 1,000 Central Catholic High School students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends witnessed Brother Rene D. Roy, FMS, a 1959 graduate of CCHS and former president of the school (2005-2009), being named President Emeritus during the Opening Mass at CCHS on Oct. 1. Brother Rene is the first person in Central Catholic history to be recognized with this title.

The honor was presented to Brother Rene by current Central Catholic president Christopher F. Sullivan in collaboration with Gino Baroni, chairperson of the board of directors for Central Catholic, former board chairperson Joseph Faro, and Brother Patrick McNamara, provincial of the Marist Brothers in the U.S.

"Brother Rene is a living testament to the mission of Central Catholic and of the Marist Brothers, and has dedicated his life to the service of the least favored," said Sullivan. "He continues to have a profound impact on his own life, on my life, and on the life of Central Catholic."

President Emeritus was bestowed upon Brother Rene as an honorary title for his distinguished service and continued support and guidance for the CCHS community as a whole. In addition to serving as president of CCHS, he was also vice president for mission effectiveness, and currently holds the role of campus minister for Central Catholic.

"All I do comes from loving the call to be a Marist Brother and living it daily with joy in my dealings with faculty and students," said Brother Rene. ''Coming to Central Catholic each day is not work, but fun, joy, a pleasure without measure. I'm happy and honored with the acknowledgment and the thoughtfulness of the board of directors in giving me this historic honor."

Brother Rene has been a Marist Brother for 58 years, serving as a missionary in Rwanda and on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, as the Marist Brothers Vocations Director, and as a principal and as a president at Marist high schools.