Our Mission and Values

Guided by the tenets of the Catholic faith and Catholic Intellectual Tradition, Father Gabriel Richard High School seeks to form the next generation of Disciples of Christ. We emphasize development of each student’s God-given gifts and talents and encourage students to discover the means through which God is calling them to serve others.

Our Mission

Father Gabriel Richard High School, a Catholic school community, exists to build up the Body of Christ through the intellectual and spiritual formation of its students. Rooted in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, FGR cultivates in each student a sense of awe in response to the beauty of truth. Strengthened by the Sacraments, students are equipped to live at the service of others through academic excellence, intentional discipleship, creativity and sportsmanship.

Core Values

Love God.

“. . . love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
– Mk 12:30

Love Others.

“And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
– Mk 12:31

Love Learning.

“. . . turning [our] ear to wisdom and applying [our] heart to understanding. . .”
– Prov 2:2

Pursue Excellence.

“ . . . whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
– Phil 4:8

Our History

Father Gabriel Richard High School (FGR) is a private, co-educational Roman Catholic high school. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, it is one of four high schools in the Diocese of Lansing.  The school was originally established as part of the St. Thomas the Apostle School in 1868. As such, FGR’s early history is that of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish and School. The parish and school were a vibrant part of Ann Arbor’s early history and in the early 1920s the old school building was torn down and a new, larger building was constructed which remains to this day. The school survived World War I and grew throughout the Great Depression and in the post -World War II era.

In the fall of 1977, St. Thomas High School split from the elementary school, merged with St. John the Baptist High School to form a regional school, and was named Father Gabriel Richard High School. As the turn of the century approached, the need for a modern campus became evident, so in 2003, Father Gabriel Richard High School moved to a new campus adjacent to Domino’s Farms. This location is easily accessible from US-23 and M-14. The former building was renovated and St. Thomas the Apostle School continues to operate as a K-8 Catholic classical school, independent of Father Gabriel Richard High School.

In 2008, Father Gabriel Richard High School was placed on the Top 50 List of best Catholic high schools in the nation and remained there for seven consecutive years. In 2020, FGR was named to the Catholic School Honor Roll by the Cardinal Newman Society, which recognizes high-performing Catholic elementary and secondary schools nationwide.

The school is administered by a President and Principal. The President directs the business and advancement activities of the school while the Principal leads the academic operations. A Board of Trustees advises and guides administration. In 2018, school leaders undertook an in-depth review of operations and developed a five-year strategic plan. This plan is currently being implemented.

About our Namesake

Father Gabriel Richard (October 15, 1767 – September 13, 1832), a missionary pastor, educator and civic leader, was an important figure in the history of the Catholic Church in Michigan in the early nineteenth century. Born in Saintes, France, and ordained at the Society of Saint-Sulpice in 1791, Fr. Richard was sent from France during the French Revolution and assigned to preach to Native Americans in southern Illinois. He transferred to Detroit in 1798. From 1802 to 1832, Fr. Richard was pastor of Ste. Anne’s Catholic Church, the first Catholic parish established in Michigan (1701).

Fr. Richard, along with Rev. John Monteith, a Presbyterian minister, established, in 1817, a Detroit school called “Catholepistemiad of Michigania,” which in 1837 moved to Ann Arbor with the official name, “The University of Michigan.”

In addition to being one of the founders of the University of Michigan, Fr. Gabriel Richard:

• Became the first priest to serve in the U.S. Congress
• Gave Detroit its first library
• Brought the first printing press to Michigan
• Published Detroit’s first newspaper, The Observer
• Convinced Congress to provide the monies to build the first road from Detroit to Chicago (now known as Michigan Avenue)
• Co-founded the Michigan Historical Society

During Detroit’s Great Fire of 1805, Fr. Richard exclaimed: “We hope for better things; it will rise from the ashes.” (Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus.) These words became the motto of the city of Detroit and remain part of its seal today.

Ministering to the sick during a cholera epidemic, Fr. Richard died on September 13, 1832.  His remains are entombed in a special chapel at Ste. Anne’s Parish in Detroit.

A 1977 committee of parents and Catholic community members from the Ann Arbor area chose Fr. Gabriel Richard as the school’s namesake for his love of learning and academic pursuits, his service and ministry to native and emigrant residents of Michigan alike, and his civic-minded pursuit of the common good.