Philadelphia Catholic League
Encyclopedia
The Philadelphia Catholic League is a high school
sports league composed of eighteen Catholic High Schools in Philadelphia and the surrounding Pennsylvania
suburbs. The league itself was founded in the summer of 1920 on the steps of Villanova academy (now Alumni Hall on Villanova University
's campus) by an Augustinian monk, who would later be known as Monsignor Bonner. The league originally consisted of three sports, one per season: Football in the fall, Basketball in the winter and Baseball in the spring. This was expanded in 1944 to include Cross-country in the fall, Wrestling in the winter, and Track in the spring.
Currently, the schools are divided by size (Red/Large, Blue/Small). In football, the blue and red divisions award separate league championships each year, while all other sports have a unified champion. Starting with the 2008-09 school year, the Catholic League joined the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
in District XII, competing with Philadelphia Public League
teams for a restored City Championship in all sports, which was abandoned following the 1979-80 school year due to a dispute of Title IX
as girls from both Public and Catholic high schools were prohibited from competing for City Championships. The football divisions were realigned into Blue AA, Blue AAA, and Red (AAAA) Following the closures of Northeast Catholic High School
and Cardinal Dougherty High School
, along with the merger of Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic High School
into Pope John Paul II High School
, along with their decision to join the Pioneer Athletic Conference in Montgomery County, the divisions underwent a realignment in 2010.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
sports league composed of eighteen Catholic High Schools in Philadelphia and the surrounding Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
suburbs. The league itself was founded in the summer of 1920 on the steps of Villanova academy (now Alumni Hall on Villanova University
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
's campus) by an Augustinian monk, who would later be known as Monsignor Bonner. The league originally consisted of three sports, one per season: Football in the fall, Basketball in the winter and Baseball in the spring. This was expanded in 1944 to include Cross-country in the fall, Wrestling in the winter, and Track in the spring.
Currently, the schools are divided by size (Red/Large, Blue/Small). In football, the blue and red divisions award separate league championships each year, while all other sports have a unified champion. Starting with the 2008-09 school year, the Catholic League joined the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc. is one of the governing bodies of high school and junior high school sports for the state of Pennsylvania, United States....
in District XII, competing with Philadelphia Public League
Philadelphia Public League
The Philadelphia Public League traces its origin back to 1901, with the formation of the Philadelphia Interscholastic League, a conference encompassing all the city's high schools, public and private. Prior to this date, the public and private schools in the area had been competing among...
teams for a restored City Championship in all sports, which was abandoned following the 1979-80 school year due to a dispute of Title IX
Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...
as girls from both Public and Catholic high schools were prohibited from competing for City Championships. The football divisions were realigned into Blue AA, Blue AAA, and Red (AAAA) Following the closures of Northeast Catholic High School
Northeast Catholic High School
Northeast Catholic High School opened in 1926 as Northeast Catholic High School for Boys, and is located at 1842 Torresdale Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is under the administration of the high school system of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia and its sports teams...
and Cardinal Dougherty High School
Cardinal Dougherty High School
Cardinal Dougherty High School was a private, Roman Catholic high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia...
, along with the merger of Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic High School
Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic High School
Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic High School was a private, Roman Catholic high school in Norristown, Pennsylvania, United States, and was located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.-Background:...
into Pope John Paul II High School
Pope John Paul II High School (Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania)
-Formation and Merger:Pope John Paul II High School, in Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, is a merger of Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic High School, in Norristown, Pa., and St. Pius X High School, in Lower Pottsgrove Township , Pa., by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The school...
, along with their decision to join the Pioneer Athletic Conference in Montgomery County, the divisions underwent a realignment in 2010.
Member schools
- Archbishop John Carroll High SchoolArchbishop Carroll High School (Radnor, Pennsylvania)Archbishop John Carroll High School is a secondary school part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia located in Radnor, Pennsylvania.-History:...
(Delaware CountyDelaware County, PennsylvaniaDelaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 558,979, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties....
) - Archbishop Prendergast High SchoolArchbishop Prendergast High SchoolArchbishop Prendergast High School is an all-girl Catholic High School in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It is located in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. The school is often referred to by its nickname, "Prendie". The school operates in a landmark building that formerly served as St....
(Delaware County; girls only) - Archbishop Ryan High SchoolArchbishop Ryan High SchoolArchbishop Ryan High School is a Roman Catholic high school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA...
(Philadelphia) - Archbishop Wood Catholic High SchoolArchbishop Wood Catholic High SchoolArchbishop Wood Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school. The school was built in 1964 in Warminster Township in Bucks County.-School Seal and Motto:...
(Bucks County) - Bishop McDevitt High SchoolBishop McDevitt High School (Wyncote, Pennsylvania)Bishop McDevitt High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in the Wyncote community in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.-Background:...
(Montgomery CountyMontgomery County, PennsylvaniaMontgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part...
) - Cardinal O'Hara High SchoolCardinal O'Hara High SchoolCardinal O'Hara High School is a coeducational Catholic High School of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The school is named after John Francis O'Hara who was Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1951 to 1960. It is located in Springfield, Pennsylvania and was first opened in September 1963.- Academics...
(Delaware County) - Conwell-Egan Catholic High School (Bucks)
- Father Judge High SchoolFather Judge High SchoolFather Judge High School is a Roman Catholic high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was established in 1954 by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia and is run by the Oblates of St...
(Philadelphia; boys only) - John W. Hallahan High SchoolJ. W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High SchoolJohn W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School is a Roman Catholic high school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It is an all girls high school.-History:...
(Philadelphia; girls only) - Lansdale Catholic High SchoolLansdale Catholic High SchoolLansdale Catholic High School is a secondary school that is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It is located in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, United States.-History:...
(closing in 2012; to be replaced by Lansdale Regional Catholic High School) - La Salle College High SchoolLa Salle College High SchoolLa Salle College High School founded in 1858 is an independent, Catholic, college preparatory school for boys located in Wyndmoor, a community in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States, outside Philadelphia. The school is staffed by a lay faculty and the Christian...
(Montgomery; boys only) - Little Flower Catholic High School for GirlsLittle Flower Catholic High School for GirlsLittle Flower Catholic High School for Girls is a Catholic high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after Saint Therese de Lisieux.It has one of the most award-winning high school newspapers in the archdiocese, The Theresian....
(Philadelphia; girls only) - Monsignor Bonner High SchoolMonsignor Bonner High SchoolMonsignor Bonner High School is an all-male Augustinian Catholic High School in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It is located in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, United States. Bonner was created in 1953 as Archbishop Prendergast High School for Boys...
(Delaware County; boys only) - Roman Catholic High School for BoysRoman Catholic High School for BoysThe Roman Catholic High School of Philadelphia opened in 1890 as an all-male high school located at the intersection of Broad and Vine Streets in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.-History:...
(Philadelphia; boys only) - Saint Hubert High SchoolSt. Hubert Catholic High School for GirlsSt. Hubert Catholic High School for Girls is a private, independent Roman Catholic preparatory school for girls located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With over 1,000 students, it is the largest all girls school in Philadelphia....
(Philadelphia; girls only) - Saint Joseph's Preparatory School (Philadelphia; boys only)
- Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School (Philadelphia)
- West Philadelphia Catholic High SchoolWest Philadelphia Catholic High SchoolWest Philadelphia Catholic High School is a co-educational Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 45th and Chestnut Streets, the University City neighborhood of West Philadelphia.- Mission :...
(Philadelphia)
Former members
- Villanova Preparatory Academy (now Malvern Prep) 1920-1923
- Salesianium Catholic High School 1922-1939
- Cathedral Catholic High School 1927-1928
- St. John's Catholic High School 1935-1950
- South Catholic High School 1935-1955
- St. Thomas More Catholic High School 1937-1976
- St. James Catholic High School 1943-1993
- Northeast Catholic High SchoolNortheast Catholic High SchoolNortheast Catholic High School opened in 1926 as Northeast Catholic High School for Boys, and is located at 1842 Torresdale Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is under the administration of the high school system of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia and its sports teams...
1926-2010 - Cardinal Dougherty High SchoolCardinal Dougherty High SchoolCardinal Dougherty High School was a private, Roman Catholic high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia...
1956-2010 - Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic High SchoolKennedy-Kenrick Catholic High SchoolKennedy-Kenrick Catholic High School was a private, Roman Catholic high school in Norristown, Pennsylvania, United States, and was located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.-Background:...
1866-2010 (first as Bishop Kenrick High School until 1993)