Raised in Middletown, Connecticut, by Italian immigrant parents, Roberto Pugliares grew up with strong values of faith, family, and hard work. After earning his degrees, he taught high school English for 20 years, but over time grew disheartened by the public education system. When the Covid pandemic disrupted daily life, he and his wife moved with their three children to the Venice area where they quickly felt at home.
On their first Sunday in town, the Pugliares family attended Mass at Epiphany Cathedral Parish and became active parishioners. Monsignor Patrick Dubois soon encouraged Roberto to consider a role at Epiphany Cathedral Catholic School. After joining as Assistant Principal, he was quickly named Principal. Now 50, Pugliares knows all 250 students by name and is shaping a vision that integrates academic excellence with Catholic values. “I’m grateful, blessed, and humbled to serve a community where Christ animates every lesson,” he said.
Q. How does Epiphany’s mission—forming disciples of Christ—show up every day?
A. Faith sits at the center of every lesson. Whether students are solving equations, or diagramming sentences, teachers connect the material to the Gospel. We pray together, attend daily Mass as a whole school, and constantly remind children that Christ is at the center of all we do at Epiphany Cathedral Catholic School. That shared focus shapes behavior and helps to unify the community.
Q. How are virtue and service woven into academics?
A. Each classroom posts Catholic theological virtues—charity, prudence, and justice—and finds natural ways to practice them, through toy drives, food collections for local pantries and helping out at Epiphany Parish’s annual Lent Fish Fry nights.
Q. The school recently honored Pope Francis. What did that reveal?
A. Eighth-graders rang the chapel bell 88 times—once for every year of Pope Francis’ life—while the school gathered in reverent silence. Later, when Cardinal Robert Prevost was named Pope, classes paused to watch. Those are the kinds of Catholic moments students carry for life.
Q. How do you support students as whole people?
A. Because we’re small, no one slips through the cracks. Teachers meet regularly to flag academic or emotional concerns and intervene immediately. If we can’t meet a specific need, we help the family find a better fit, because we exist for children, not enrollment targets. The result is graduates who flourish in high school, college, work, or service.
Q. What goals guide the next few years?
A. We’re reviewing our curriculum to raise rigor without compromising faith. We’re also building stronger ties with the parish and inviting parishioners to share their gifts on campus. Personally, I hope to retire here—still learning every child’s name and serving this mission joyfully.
Christ is at the center of all we do at Epiphany Cathedral Catholic School. That shared focus shapes behavior and helps to unify the community.