It was a homecoming for Cardinal Newman High students, who finally returned to campus Monday more than three months after the Tubbs fire heavily damaged the school north of Santa Rosa.

Faculty, staff and diocese officials welcomed back hundreds of students with a ceremony in the gym, followed by a pasta lunch. Bishop Robert Vasa offered a special blessing at the ceremony after commending students for their resilience and ability to deal with all the changes “with grace, dignity and without complaining” over the past few months.

“It’s a tribute to your virtue,” he said.

A similar ceremony was held next door at St. Rose Elementary School, which also reopened Monday. The parochial school survived the fire but later suffered heavy damage when the fire protection sprinklers flooded the main building when they were re-pressurized.

Full story at The Press-Democrat.