Catholic Memorial High School (Massachusetts)

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Catholic Memorial is an all-boys college preparatory and middle school located in West Roxbury, Massachusetts.

[edit] History

Catholic Memorial opened its doors on September 9, 1957, with 225 students and five Christian Brothers of Ireland in the former St. Theresa of Avila Parish School building. This building was donated to the Christian Brothers by the late Monsignor Charles A. Donahue, V.F., LL.D. who was the Pastor of St. Theresa's at that time. The school was named "Catholic Memorial" at the suggestion of His Eminence Richard Cardinal Cushing to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Archdiocese of Boston, as a memorial to all the Catholics who gave so much of themselves in the establishment of educational institutions in the Boston area.

Brother Joseph G. McKenna was the first headmaster of Catholic Memorial. He guided the school to the opening of its new building, which was dedicated by Cardinal Cushing on November 10, 1959. Three years later the classroom wing was opened, and the school enrollment increased to 1,110 students. The Middle School program, which opened its doors in September of 1993 with 185 students in grades 7 and 8, was the vision of Brother E. John Sheehan.

In addition to Catholic Memorial, the Christian Brothers staff another school in New England, Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, Rhode Island. The worldwide congregation has two provinces in the United States. In addition to Catholic Memorial and Bishop Hendricken, the Christian Brothers of the Eastern American Province operate educational institutions in New York (where they started in the U.S. in 1906), New Jersey, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Arizona, Washington, California and Hawaii. They also support missionary efforts in Peru. Altogether, nearly 400 Christian Brothers run 37 schools in the United States and Canada.

Worldwide, the Congregation of Christian Brothers has 4,000 members. The religious order was founded in Ireland by Blessed Edmund Rice, a prominent businessman who started his schools for the poor and neglected boys of Waterford. Committed to the vows of celibacy, poverty and obedience, the Brothers follow a tradition of excellence and Christian witness which is embodied in the students and alumni of Catholic Memorial.

Catholic Memorial is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In addition, Catholic Memorial is affiliated with the following educational organizations:

National Catholic Educational Association
New England Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools
Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association
Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators' Association
Association of Independent Schools of New England
New England League of Middle Schools

[edit] Athletics

Catholic Memorial is one of the top two high school ice hockey teams competing in the MIAA, with Boston College High School being the other team (these are the only two teams to win multiple Super Eight tournaments (CM-13 BC High-3) and they often meet each other in the championship match).

Catholic Memorial has won thirteen of seventeen Super Eight tournaments, which pits the best eight teams in the state against each other in a round-robin tournament to determine the Division 1A Massachusetts state champion.