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History of Trinity Catholic High School

1893	Upon Father Dolan's request, the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth from Convent Station, NJ come to teach in the newly established Our Lady's School.
1894	With the start of the first freshmen class, Our Lady’s High School is born.
1903	The first Catholic Parish High School in Massachusetts is built to house Our Lady’s High School.
1924	The building that is today Trinity Catholic High School was built to house the growing number of students at Our Lady’s High.
1930	The Sisters of Charity are called back to their home convent and are replaced by the Sisters of Saint Joseph.
1972	This was the first year annual tuition was required for all students.
1974	Our Lady’s High School merges with Sacred Heart to form Newton Catholic.
1985	The name of the school is changed again to Our Lady’s Newton Catholic.
1989	Our Lady’s Newton Catholic merges with St. Patrick’s High School to form Trinity Catholic High School.
2002	Trinity Catholic High School adopts a new Mission Statement and achieves accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
2009	Trinity Catholic celebrates its 115th anniversary.

The Shaping Of Our Legacy

Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth

            As the growth of Catholic education continued throughout the United States, orders of religious sisters were called upon to fill the great need for teachers in these schools.  Often facing persecution and difficult living situations, the sisters were indeed the backbone of Catholic education in this era.  In his book Parish School, Timothy Walch writes “…it would not be difficult to make the case that sister-teachers were the single most important element in the Catholic educational establishment.”1   As with most Catholic schools in this era, Our Lady’s was staffed by a dedicated group of sisters who came to Newton from New Jersey and served at the school from its beginnings until 1930 when they were called back to their motherhouse.2  

            The Sisters of Charity who were called upon to establish the school, were founded in 1859 by Sister Mary Xavier Mehegan, and were modeled after a community of sisters founded in 1809 by Elizabeth Ann Seton in Maryland.3   These sisters worked in many fields, establishing parish schools, academies, hospitals, nurseries and orphanages along with various other pursuits, all dedicated to helping those in need. 

            In an 1893 letter to Mother M. Xavier, Father Dolan requested that ten sisters be sent to staff his new school.  In August of 1893 nine sisters arrived in Newton and were welcomed by the community in a parade in their honor.  Sister Maria Constantia was the Superior of this group upon their arrival, however due to illness she was recalled to Convent Station and replaced by Sister Maria.4   In the years that followed many more sisters were required to staff the school and as enrollment peaked in 1907, 25 sisters were staffing Our Lady’s and living in a convent designed for twelve.5   The sisters sacrifice to the school was “both physical and personal” and they served it well for thirty-seven years.  The sisters grew to love the Newton community and through their hard work the school progressed.  In 1929, however, it was decided that the sisters would be recalled to New Jersey.  In The New Jersey Sisters of Charity: Our Missions 1859-1933, Sister Mary Agnes Sharkey writes of the move:

“In June 1929, therefore, circumstances made the withdrawal desirable, though not desired by those who clung to Newton associations, and who still hold them in reverent and loving regard.  It was a breaking up of a long-loved home-hearth, leaving a fireside that had sheltered through early toil and later triumph, a household of earnest, self-sacrificing Sisters,--but superiors had spoken, and the call was answered.”6

            Thus after years of service to the community of Newton, their time had come to an end. The sisters believed and in their work today continue to believe in a commitment to the poor, a reverence and care for earth and the need to embrace gentleness and courage in a world of oppression and violence and to foster justice for all.7   While the sisters are no longer present at the school, their founding mission can still be seen throughout the works of Trinity Catholic as our students work to help those in need in our own community as well as communities in Camden, New Jersey and the Dominican republic, as they work to alleviate the strain on our environment through their environmental education and recycling programs, and as they learn of ethics and justice throughout their four years of theology here at TCHS.  Return To Timeline

Our Lady’s School

            In the 1800s, waves of Irish, Italian and German immigrants came to the United States in hopes of escaping the poverty and persecution of their homelands.  Primarily Catholic, these immigrants often clashed with the Protestant communities that had grown in the United States, especially in the large cities.  Protestant leaders feared this surge of Catholics, often called “papists,” would “deprive America of its liberties” and they were constantly searching for ways to Americanize these immigrants in order to protect their country.8   Leaders saw common or public schools as their best defense against these immigrants as they could educate them to be “useful citizens” and “to abandon their ties to their parents, homeland, and religion and embrace the American republic and Protestant religion.”9   Recognizing this threat on Catholicism, it was not long before Catholic leaders began to make their own decisions about the education of young Catholics.  At the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, it was mandated that, “No parish is complete till it has schools adequate to meet the needs of its children” thus mandating the need for all parishes to build a Catholic school.10

            At this time Newton was a community largely made up of immigrants from both Italy and Ireland.  Recognizing the need to build a Catholic school, Father Dolan began the construction of a three-story building along with a smaller building to serve as a boiler room and a convent to house the nuns that would later teach in the school.  In September 1893, Our Lady’s elementary school opened with 400 students registered for grades 1- 8.  A year later the high school began with its first freshmen class, and with limited space these students were housed in the small building above the boiler room.11

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Building

            In the 1920s, church leaders began to realize the need for a bigger school building as the student body began to outgrow the two-story boiler room.  In 1924 the doors of the new building opened, costing the church $250,000 with a mortgage of $150,000 on opening day.  The new building had twelve classrooms, a laboratory, lecture room and the largest auditorium in the city.12

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Sisters of Saint Joseph

            Often known as the “teaching sisters,” the Sisters of Saint Joseph could be found in schools all over the city of Boston.13   After 27 years of service to the school, the Sisters of Charity moved back to New Jersey and the Sisters of Saint Joseph moved in.  The Sisters of Saint Joseph were founded in France by the Jesuit Jean-Pierre Medaille, first in LePuy in 1651 and later in Lyons in 1807.  They started as a group of women, under the leadership of Father Medaille, who felt that “service to those in need, and proclaiming the glory of God were one and the same.”14    They were heavily oppressed during the French Revolution and many of them even faced the guillotine during the infamous Reign of Terror.  In 1836 the sisters began their migration to the United States, starting in St. Louis in 1836 and then moving into Philadelphia and Brooklyn.  Finally, in 1873 the sisters moved to Boston, opening their first school within four days.  The school was founded in Jamaica Plain at St. Thomas Parish and by 1877 it became the first co-educational Catholic school in New England.15   While the Sisters of Saint Joseph were primarily a teaching order, they were also involved in social services, working to alleviate the language and ethnic differences created by the heavy increase in immigration. 

            The sisters came to Our Lady’s in 1930 and throughout their fifty-eight years of service to the school, 181 nuns staffed the school.  By 1951, 31 nuns were living in the convent built for twelve and an addition was added to make room for the growing community.  The sisters served as both teachers and administrators and helped to continue the strong Catholic identity of the Irish and Italian immigrants who were the predominant members of the school community.  They also contributed to the community in other facets.  One sister, Sister Julia Fitzgerald, fondly recalls that the teachers and students worked together to put on fantastic musical productions.  Her favorite memory is that of a performance of Fiddler on the Roof, which she said had amazing sets and music.16

            The sisters poured their hearts and souls into education, working for little pay and often helping the schools through difficult times by delaying salary until the school could make ends meet. As the school grew and changed throughout the years, more and more lay people began to take on roles in the school.  Following the Second Vatican Council, many sisters left the community or left the field of education.  Thus began the drastic decline of religious in Catholic schools and the rise of lay leadership.  The Sisters of Saint Joseph served in Our Lady’s, Newton Catholic, Our Lady’s Newton Catholic and briefly in Trinity Catholic High School.  Sister Julia was one of the last sisters to leave, after serving briefly as principal of the school.17

            Today, the Sisters of Saint Joseph continue with their mission to help meet the needs of those struggling in our society.  They can be found anywhere from schools to shelters to hospitals and nursing homes to retreat centers.  As stated on their website, “You will meet us…wherever we find brokenness and need for unity and reconciliation.”18 Return To Timeline

Annual Tuition

            As more and more sisters began leaving the field of education, lay people were called upon to fill the need for teachers.  The sisters worked for very little money, however lay teachers would be a much greater expense.  According to the 1972-73 financial report for Our Lady’s High, religious teachers were paid on average $2,300 annually with priests making significantly less than sisters.  In contrast, lay teachers were paid $6,800 annually, almost three times more than the religious community.  Therefore, in 1972 Our Lady’s initiated annual tuition for the first time.  While tuition was initiated for the first time, it was still relatively low due to the large number of sisters who continued to serve in the school.  The 1972-73 financial report puts annual tuition at $250 for students who were members of the parish and $350 for all other students.  In addition to the tuition, all students paid $50 in annual fees.18

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Newton Catholic

            Catholic schools hit their peak in the fifties and sixties, but following the Second Vatican Council, religious orders and students began leaving Catholic education.  With this decline, many schools were forced to merge in order to stay open.  The merger originally involved several schools in the Newton area, however in the end Our Lady’s and Sacred Heart of Newton Center remained and thus they joined to form Newton Catholic High School, using the facilities at Our Lady’s High.20 As these two different Catholic communities came together, they continued to uphold the principals established by their founding order.  In its first year, Newton Catholic had a twofold educational purpose: “to make faith real in the world and to participate in the process of quality education.”21   Teachers encouraged students to be passionate about their faith as well as their education.  Teachers and administration also worked to build a community within the school.  In “To Teach as Jesus Did” written by U.S. Bishops, it is said “’Community is at the heart of Christian education, not simply as a concept to be taught but as a reality to be lived.’”22   With that in mind, Newton Catholic worked to build a close community, solidified by its small size and close faculty.  One student said of Newton Catholic “’It’s like one big family.  I like coming to NCH because it has a friendly atmosphere.  It’s not one of those stuck-up schools where you can’t move in.’”23   Newton Catholic continued to carry on the tradition of both Sacred Heart and Our Lady’s until 1985 when the majority of the students were once again affiliated with Our Lady’s and the school’s name was again changed to Our Lady’s Newton Catholic. 

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Trinity Catholic High School

            In 1989, continued financial struggles forced more schools to merge.  The original merger involved Our Lady’s Newton Catholic, St. Patrick’s High School in Watertown and Our Lady of Presentation School in Brighton, thus sparking the name Trinity Catholic.  Eventually Presentation dropped out of the merger leaving Our Lady’s Newton Catholic and St. Patrick’s.  The name Trinity Catholic was adopted and has remained since.24  

            In 2002, major changes come to Trinity Catholic as a new mission statement is developed and the school works to become accredited.  Among the many changes that occurred, Trinity was named a college preparatory school and opened to a more diverse community, including international students.  During the 2008-2009 school year, Trinity Catholic had 234 students from 46 communities of Boston and 10 different countries.  The make-up of the student body reflected great ethnic diversity with 49% of the students being Caucasian, 19% Black, 16% Asian, 12% Hispanic, .5% Native American and 3.5% Multi-Racial.25  

            The mission of Our Lady’s High School, now Trinity Catholic High School, has changed many times over the years.  Most recently, the mission was changed in 2002 as Trinity worked toward accreditation.  Today’s mission reads:

“A Catholic, co-educational, college preparatory school, Trinity Catholic uncovers and nurtures the unique God-given gifts within each member of our diverse community of learners.  In all pursuits, we challenge our students to become women and men of intellect and integrity who will witness the traditional values of faith, hope and love and build a better tomorrow.”26

            While the Sisters of Charity and the Sisters of Saint Joseph no longer serve in the school, their foundational beliefs are still reflected in the works of Trinity Catholic.  Both orders call for action in compassion for the poor.  They both hold in highest esteem the Gospel and a deep relationship with God.  They both call for sisters to work for justice in all they do.  The current mission of Trinity Catholic calls for a diverse community of learners, awakening students to those who come from different neighborhoods, backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses.  Trinity Catholic works hard to reach out to the poor and needy in society and faculty and staff work hard to raise funds and bring in the resources necessary to serve all those in need.  Our students come from forty-six different communities of Boston and ten different countries, including South Korea and Japan.27   Just as it was important for the founding sisters to serve the poor Irish and Italian immigrants, it is equally important for our mission today to serve the poor refugees and immigrants in Boston.  We have students from many countries including Haiti, Cape Verde and various countries in Africa. 

            Just as the Sisters of Charity and Sisters of Saint Joseph call for a love of God, Trinity’s mission statement proclaims that our students “will witness the traditional values of faith, hope and love.”  It is the firm belief at Trinity Catholic that our students should all feel the love and compassion of Christ in their lives, just as the sisters brought the love and teachings of Jesus to their students.  Through Theology class, Emmaus Club and Kairos trips, our students learn about the compassion and love of God.  The most prominent place, however, that our students are able to hear the word of God is Community Gathering.  Community Gathering is held everyday and is an opportunity for all of the students and faculty to come together to pray, to celebrate accomplishments in sports and academics, and to make announcements about upcoming events.  Each day, the students come together to pray; however on Mondays, Community Gathering has a different look.  Known as Liturgy of the Word, Mondays are the one day where Community Gathering is held in Our Lady’s Parish.  The students listen to the weekend’s Gospel, and then have the unique opportunity to witness a classmate, teacher or administrator give a reflection on the Gospel.  This reflection allows the students to really feel the Gospel and understand its meaning in their lives and the lives of those they know and care about.  It is truly a profound experience for the students and it echoes the teachings of those early orders that taught in our school.

            Finally, the mission of the sisters calls on them to work toward justice.  The last line of Trinity Catholic’s mission reflects the desire to “build a better tomorrow.”  The students at Trinity are not only encouraged to do service for others, they are required to complete at least one community service activity each year.  From dancing with special needs students at the Price Center, to making food at Rosie’s Place, to traveling to the Romero Center in Camden, New Jersey, our students have truly made a mark on their communities and beyond.  Most significantly, each year a group of students head to the Dominican Republic where they spend their spring break doing service for the local communities and Haitian refugees in the D.R.  The focus on service that Trinity attempts to foster is a desire to help our students understand justice and how they too can make a difference if they reach out to their community and the greater world community.  This compassion and want for justice reflects the values of both groups of sisters who worked so hard to instill the compassion of Christ in their school. 

            Trinity Catholic is 115 years old and has come a long way from the days of its founding by the Sisters of Charity in 1894.  It has seen a change of teaching order as the Sisters of Joseph moved in, it has seen multiple mergers and it finally became Trinity Catholic in 1989 after a final merger with St. Patrick’s High School.  Although the school has gone through many changes, its mission written in 2002 still reflects the Catholic foundations laid down by the sisters who once walked our halls.  Through our efforts to obtain a diverse community, to our teachings of the word and love of God, to our compassion and justice for others, Trinity Catholic truly reflects the teachings of the Catholic Church and the faith, hope and love inspired by Christ.