History

The Catholic Community of St. Mary of Carmel dates back to 1937 when a young missionary priest from Spain, Father Sebastian Valles, O.C.D., began working with West Dallas Catholics from a small building in the neighborhood. Father Sebastian saw a dire need for faith in the West Dallas community and wanted to reach the under-served and under-evangelized community. As the congregation outgrew its facilities, Christ the King Parish donated a "real church" building, which would later become our Kindergarten classroom and library. In 1944, Father Sebastian's dream of opening a Catholic school was realized when the main building and convent were built, and the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate agreed to staff the school. Father Sebastian and the Carmelite priests hold sacred the charisms of community, service, and prayer, and the school was built to extend those beliefs- wanting to create a worship community in an under-served neighborhood. Since the very beginning, St. Mary of Carmel has served a predominantly Hispanic population from one of Dallas' poorest neighborhoods. 
       

In 1973, St. Rita joined St. Mary of Carmel as a "parish partner" and Sister School, acknowledging the great sacrifice many families made to ensure their children were educated in the faith. They began to offer financial assistance and shared projects that helped address the needs of SMCs. St. Rita's continues to partner with SMC to this day. 
      

Currently

Saint Mary of Carmel Catholic School has served the West Dallas Community since 1944. We are celebrating over 80 years of providing hope to our students and families around the 21 zip codes around the DFW. Our mission continues to serve our children by providing quality Catholic education in a safe and nurturing environment. In many ways, St. Mary of Carmel continues to serve the very population Father Valles sought to serve at the onset of the community. Our population is still 92% Hispanic, 90% of students receiving tuition assistance, and 80% qualifying for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program. 

Our SMC community is excellent for returning and providing for our students and staff. We want to continue growing and leading our Lord to guide us in serving our community. We want to keep in touch with the many families that Carmelites, the sister of Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate, and the lay staff members have touched in the past 80 years to continue working with us for SMC's growth and success.