LAWRENCE -- As throngs of kindergarten through eighth-grade students streamed into the new Tom and Jean Yawkey Recreation Center at Lawrence Catholic Academy, their reactions ranged from quiet excitement to exuberant, unrestrained joy.

The older students surveyed the new gym with curiosity, taking in its gleaming parquet floor, basketball hoops, and giant scoreboard. The younger children, meanwhile, wore their excitement more openly, their faces lighting up as they took in the new space. A student mouthed "Wow!" as soon as he stepped into the new gym, while another put a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening in amazement.

Waiting for the students to take their places were pastor of St. Patrick Parish Father Paul O'Brien, LCA Principal Monica Lucey, and representatives of the Yawkey Foundation and its trustees, who had taken part moments earlier in a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside the recreation center.

"For 120 years . . . Children have come to the corner of Salem Street and Parker Street to come to school here, and they never had a gym. In 1906, I don't think too many schools had a gym; by 1956, that started sounding a little crazy, and by 2006, it was getting really late. So today, Sept. 11, 2026, for the first time, children on the corner of Parker and Salem have a gym. Congratulations," Father O'Brien said to thunderous applause as the newly opened recreation center erupted in celebration.

For the children gathered inside the new recreation center, the moment was one of excitement. For the school, however, it marked something much larger: the culmination of a vision that has transformed the Lawrence Catholic Academy campus.

The opening of the recreation center marks the final phase in the development of the new campus, a project that represents a milestone for the Archdiocese of Boston. LCA is the first entirely new-construction urban Catholic school to be built in the archdiocese in more than half a century.

Leading the students in prayer, Principal Lucey thanked God "for making sure that the students of Lawrence Catholic Academy have this new space to play that is safe, warm, and welcoming." She also thanked "all of the people who worked so diligently to make this happen by raising and donating for our school."

With a $3 million gift, the Yawkey Foundation was the largest single contributor to Lawrence Catholic Academy's recently completed $30 million capital campaign. The gift reflects a longstanding partnership between the foundation and LCA, which has counted the Yawkey Foundation among its most significant institutional partners and generous supporters over the years.

Alicia Verity, chief executive officer of the Yawkey Foundation, also addressed the school community, telling them how deeply honored she and her colleagues at the foundation were to be there to open the final piece of the new campus.

"Tom and Jean Yawkey, our founders, they loved Boston, they loved the region, they loved sports, and, boy, they loved baseball. But more than anything, they loved seeing youth given the chance to play, to gather, to have fun, and to build skills and build relationships. And that's what this is for," she said.

Then came the invitation to play. Students spilled outside onto the artificial turf field, where the afternoon promised games of cornhole, ice cream, and cotton candy.

Andrew, an eighth grader new to the school this year, told The Pilot that he really liked "the new campus" and that the Lawrence Catholic Academy community made him feel welcome.

"I've been here since third grade; I think the school is full of amazing opportunities, especially now we have the gym," said fellow eighth grader Gabby, adding, "This is our last year here, but I hope that younger kids, that have a bunch of years here left, I hope they have a lot of fun."

When talking with The Pilot, Principal Lucey described the opening of the recreation center as "an unreal feeling."

"Now we can offer more sports programs because we have an expanded space to run after-school activities. And we used to have, back in the old school, a tiny little gym that used to flood . . . And that's where the kids were expected to have a gym class on days that it rained," she said.

"Now they have this beautiful gym that they can go to, and they never have to miss a gym class."