Pastor

Fr. John Ludanha

Father John Ludanha was born and raised in Tanzania. He came to the United States in 2009 as a Seminarian and attended Mundelein Seminary (Chicago) for his Theological studies and Masters’ Degree. In 2015, he made his way to Colorado, and his first parish was St. John the Evangelist in Loveland. He has also served at St. Thomas More Parish, and Most Precious Blood Parish before he was assigned at Blessed Sacrament as a pastor. Now he is here at Blessed Sacrament to serve you and seek holiness with you. As St. Augustine once said, “From you I am your son, with you I am your brother, and for you I am your priest.”

Principal

Mrs. Sara Alkayali

Sara Alkayali is a Denver native, and married with two grown daughters who both attended Blessed Sacrament Catholic School Kindergarten through 8th grades. Known as “Miss A,” she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Secondary Education from the University of Northern Colorado, a Master of Humanities degree from the University of Colorado, and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from the University of Notre Dame.

Mrs. Alkayali shares the following about herself, “I was a Denver Public Schools English teacher before getting married and starting a family. As a stay-at-home mother, I taught evening and online classes at Metropolitan State University until my oldest daughter was school-age. Seeking a school for my soon-to-be-kindergartener was a daunting task; we weren’t happy with a single school that we visited. Walking into Blessed Sacrament Catholic School on a tour that I scheduled “on a whim,” I was greeted by the open arms of our Mother who seemed to be welcoming me home. That enrollment led to me hear the Lord’s voice and become Catholic only a few years later, and also launched me into Catholic education where I spent the next 11 years as middle school teacher and assistant principal at Blessed Sacrament. In 2016, I was invited by Archbishop Aquila to help open Frassati Catholic Academy in Thornton, Colorado. I served as the President and Principal there until 2022, when I took a brief leave from education to work in the business world. God has called me back to my Catholic home as the principal of Blessed Sacrament School this fall, and I couldn’t feel more blessed. The school has a beautiful, authentic Catholic culture that is vibrant and joyful; I look forward to this year continuing the work that my predecessors began in continuing to enrich the Catholicity and implement the newly updated Archdiocese of Denver curricula.”

Assistant Principal

Mrs. Lena McCarty

Mrs. Lena McCarty is a Colorado native growing up in Parker, Colorado. She attended Ponderosa High School and received her undergraduate degree from Colorado State University. Later, she received her MEd in Administrative Leadership from Grand Canyon University.

Mrs. McCarty did not begin her career in education, but quickly found her way into the classroom after volunteering in her children’s preschool programs. She received her teaching certificate through the Alternative Licensure Program through the Archdiocese of Denver and she has worked with the Archdiocesan Catholic Schools for 20 years as an elementary teacher. The last 5 years were spent teaching third grade at Blessed Sacrament.

Mrs. McCarty’s husband, Chris, and two sons, Nick and Thomas, all attended Catholic schools in the Denver metro area, and are currently employed by catholic schools in the area as a coach, teacher, and athletic director. When she is not supporting each of them in their respective fields, you can find her enjoying the Colorado outdoors in various ways, but mostly hiking in the mountains. She also enjoys spending time with her family, pretending she can garden, and reading, especially memoirs.