It is located in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania. The school is often referred to by its nickname, "Prendie". The school operated in a landmark building that formerly served as St. Vincent Orphanage. The school mascot was a panda bear.
In September 2005, Bugh the Office of Catholic Education of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced that Archbishop Prendergast High School and the neighboring school for boys, Monsignor Bonner, would begin operating under one administration beginning in July 2006. Bonner's president, Rev. Augustine M. Esposito, O.S.A., Ph.D., was appointed President of the new co-institutional Monsignor Bonner-Archbishop Prendergast. The Principal of Archbishop Prendergast High School, Mary Haley Berner, herself an alumna of Prendergast, was named the first principal of the co-institutional school in January 2006.
History
The tract of land upon which Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High Schools were built was originally owned by Christopher Fallon, who constructed an impressive octagonal mansion on the site in 1850. The house was named "Runnymede" after the Fallon family seat in Roscommon County in Ireland. In 1882, the unusual building was purchased by Colonel Anthony J. Drexel. The mansion stood on what was at that time called the hill of Drexel, and consequently the surrounding area became known as Drexel Hill. In 1908, the mansion burned to the ground with only the gatehouse, which had served as servants' quarters, remaining.
Archbishop Prendergast circa 1911
In 1917, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia purchased the 33 acres (130,000m2) for $57,000 and the Ordinary, Archbishop Edmond Francis Prendergast, announced the construction of an orphanage for five hundred orphans to be operated by the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The orphanage replaced one demolished to allow the construction of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It was named St. Vincent's Orphanage. Paul Monaghan was employed as architect and commissioned to build "one of the finest buildings in the diocese." Work on the project was slowed by the war, and Archbishop Prendergast died before the work was completed.
On May 9, 1920, the dedication took place. 40,000 people, accompanied by bands and musicians, walked from 69th Street to the dedication. Another 20,000 walked from the Pennsylvania Railroad Station in Lansdowne, and 65,000 more arrived by motorcar or by trolley from 69th Street. Archbishop Dennis Dougherty and Governor Sproul spoke to the 125,000 well-wishers gathered on the front lawn and along Garrett Road.
St. Vincent's functioned as an orphanage for over 30 years. By 1952, the number of children needing care had dwindled, and the Most Reverend John F. O'Hara decided to move the remaining orphans to a smaller building in Saint David's and convert the facility into Archbishop Prendergast High School for Boys, to meet the increasing demand for a Catholic high school in the expanding western suburbs. Three years later, the Archdiocese constructed a new building on the same tract and named it Monsignor Bonner High School in memory of Reverend John J. Bonner, the former diocesan Superintendent of Schools. Bonner then became a school for boys and Prendergast was designated as a school for girls.
In September 2005, the Office of Catholic Education of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced a restructuring under which both schools would operate under one administration, beginning on July 1, 2006. Bonner's president was appointed president of the new co-institutional Monsignor Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School. The Principal of neighboring Archbishop Prendergast High School, Mary Haley Berner, was named Principal of the co-institutional school in January 2006.
On January 6, 2012, the Archdiocese announced that both Archbishop Prendergast High School and Monsignor Bonner High School would close in June 2012, along with three other Philadelphia Catholic High Schools and 44 Catholic elementary schools as part of the 2012 Archdiocese of Philadelphia school closings.[2]
On Friday, February 24, 2012, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced that Archbishop Prendergast High School and Monsignor Bonner High School were to remain open as a merged co-educational high school due to immense support from alumni and the surrounding community.[3]
↑ "Home". Archbishop Prendergast High School. Archived from the original on 1999-01-17. Retrieved 2024-04-01. 401 North Lansdowne Avenue Drexel Hill, PA 19026 - Compare this to the CDP map.
↑ Kern, Mike. "Finally Free of Injuries, McGillian Running Wild", Philadelphia Daily News, April 18, 1986. Accessed December 21, 2020, via Newspapers.com. "But finally, as a senior, St. Joseph's Elaine McGillian has remained injury free.... After qualifying for the NCAA championships last fall in cross country (supposedly her best sport), the 5-3 product of nearby Archbishop Prendergast High followed that up with an undefeated indoor season at L500 meters."
Drexel Hill is a neighborhood and census-designated place (CDP) located in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 29,181 at the 2020 census, an increase over 28,043 in 2010, and accounting for over one-third of Upper Darby Township's population.
East Lansdowne is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,668 at the 2010 census.
Upper Darby Township, often shortened to Upper Darby, is a home rule township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the township had a total population of 85,681, making it the state's sixth-most populated municipality after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Reading, and Erie. Upper Darby borders Philadelphia, the nation's sixth-most populous city, and constitutes part of the Delaware Valley, also known as the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the nation's seventh-largest metropolitan area.
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Philadelphia is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania in the United States.
Edmond Francis Prendergast was an Irish-born prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the third Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1911 until his death in 1918.
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The Philadelphia Catholic League is a high school sports league composed of 18 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 by 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.
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Lansdowne Avenue station is a SEPTA Media-Sharon Hill Trolley Line stop in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania. It is located at Garrett Road and Lansdowne Avenue, and serves both Routes 101 and 102. The station has one shed with a roofed waiting area on the inbound side and a newer plastic and steel bus type shelter on the outbound side. One of the station's two platforms is located on the corner of Lansdowne Avenue and Winding Way.
Congress Avenue station is a SEPTA Media-Sharon Hill Trolley Line stop in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania. It is located at Garrett Road and Congress Avenue, and serves both Routes 101 and 102. Only local service is provided on both lines. The station is located on the north side of the terminus of the Congress Avenue intersection. It contains two platforms, but only one pre-fabricated shelter on the south side of the tracks.
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John Joseph McCort was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Altoona from 1920 until his death in 1936.
Monsignor Bonner High School was an all-male Augustinian Catholic High School in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It was located in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania. Bonner was created in 1953 as Archbishop Prendergast High School for Boys. In 1955, the current building was constructed, and in 1957 entitled Monsignor Bonner High School. The previously occupied building became the all-female Archbishop Prendergast High School. In 2012, Bonner merged with the all-girls Archbishop Prendergast High School to form Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School. The Order of St. Augustine is no longer associated with the combined institution.
The 2012 Archdiocese of Philadelphia school closings was the solution to the reducing enrollment problem of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, caused mainly by demographic shifts and an increasing number of students enrolling in unaffiliated schools. Because of this, tuition rates had to be raised, causing fewer families to be able to afford the cost. Being in the decision process for years, the list was finalized by the Blue Ribbon Commission on January 6, 2012 at around 11:00 AM. The schools were informed soon afterward, and they were all officially announced during the press conference at 4:00 PM.
Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School is located in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania. The school, which is part of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, was originally two schools on one campus. In February 2012, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced that the two schools, Monsignor Bonner, the all boys school and Archbishop Prendergast, the all girls school, would be merged into one building.
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