Born and raised in St. Louis, Fr. Matthew O’Toole was ordained to the priesthood in 1995.  He has served several parishes around the Archdiocese, with ten years as chaplain and teacher at Christian Brothers College. Since 2011 he has been the pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland. An avid student of history with a great appreciation for art, literature, and popular entertainment, Fr. O’Toole weaves these elements into his preaching to create a tapestry of meaning for his parishioners and makes the Gospel of Christ and the Catholic faith relevant and meaningful.

Ms. Abkemeier has been an educator with the Archdiocese of St. Louis since 2012. She previously served as the founding principal of the St. John Paul II campus of Holy Cross Academy from 2016-2019. Prior to this, she was a second and third-grade teacher at the St. Michael the Archangel campus of Holy Cross Academy. She received her Bachelor of Arts with a focus in Elementary Education from Benedictine College and a Master of Arts in Catholic School Leadership from Saint Louis University.

Ms. Abkemeier was born and raised in St. Louis. She attended St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and Ursuline Academy. In her free time, she likes to spend time with her family, friends, and golden retriever, Cooper.

Mrs. Yaklin attended Catholic school from kindergarten to 12th grade in Houston, Texas.  After several years of teaching middle school science in both Texas and Kansas public schools, she transitioned back to Catholic schools and served as the assistant principal at Prince of Peace Catholic School, a K-8 elementary school in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, from 2016-2019.  Mrs. Yaklin received her Bachelor of Science with a focus of Middle Grades Math/Science Education from Texas A&M University and a Master of Education in Administration and Supervision from the University of Houston.

In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her husband, Clay, and two young daughters, Emily and Ella.

Kyra has worked with students in religious education since 1998. Having worked with a diverse culture of students in St. Louis, she found beauty in how families from around the world celebrate their Catholic faith. Through their many traditions, she found a new appreciation for the Catholic faith around the world.

Kyra is married and has 4 grown children.

After working in the financial field of 401K plans for several years, I switched gears and came to St. Margaret of Scotland School.  I have had the opportunity to watch as the school has more than doubled in size.  I have also had the opportunity to watch so many children, including my own, come into our school as pre-school students and leave here young adults; an amazing gift to say the least.

It is such a blessing to continuously see the world through a child’s eyes!